Mary Shelley's Frankenstein [Blu-ray]

A perfect fit for Brams "Dracula"

I was blown away when I found out that Mary Sheldon was only 15 when she wrote this book about Frankenstein!!! It was her original idea for the dozens of movies made since then!!

This is a good rendition because it is so close to the original classic novel (I think there are some slight deviations). But Robert DeNiro is not well cast as the monster. I don't know who thought that was a good idea. I took away a star for that reason. Otherwise, it is overall a good movie worth watching, especially to get a thorough understanding of the original story, which is why I sought this out. - Gregory Bullock, author of HISTORY IN FEWER WORDS, Vol 1: The History of the World.

I was quite surprised to find myself enjoying this rendition of Frankenstein so much. I have never read Mary Shelley's book and only knew the story via the old movies which were based on a stage adaptation. The movie "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" is apparently faithful to her original story which is more complex than I had known and actually includes some character development for the monster.

There’s much to admire and much to hate about Kenneth Branagh’s “Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein”.While Kenneth Branagh’s “Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein” is certainly a more accurate representation of the novel, his direction of the script by Frank Darabont and Steph Lady is inappropriately operatic at times; it’s overblown considering the subtly of Darabont’s original script. Branagh’s performance is also over-the-top. Still, it’s a handsome looking film that has its moments (particularly Robert DeNiro’s wounded take on the Creature).After the death of his mother during child birth, Victor Frankenstein becomes obsessed with defeating death. This leads to one of Victor’s mentors Professor Waldman (John Cleese in an all too brief cameo) demonstrating to Victor his abilities to reanimate limbs using electricity. When Waldman is killed, Victor soldiers on using Waldman’s brain in an experiment to reanimate a corpse he has sewn together himself.There’s almost an operatic, over blown approach to the material from the garish visuals to the unusual camera angles; it’s as if Branagh wanted to make a film for the MTV generation. Robert DeNIro gives a great performance as the Creature—he captures the essence of Shelly’s Creature quite well including the anger, the pathos and menace. DeNIro also plays the peg legged murderer of Professor Waldman. There are some brilliant touches in the screenplay and there are some scenes that play well (including the cholera epidemic as a backdrop) but the director and star spoils it with some hammy, over the top performances and some characters that are little more than shadows compared to the novel.As writer Frank Darabont stated he felt it was the best screenplay he had ever written capturing the essence of Shelly’s book while adding elements that compliment the novel and he also felt it was the worst film adaption of any of his scripts he had ever seen. Darabont does miss that Branagh captures some moments with the epic scale necessary for any adaption of Shelly’s book to work on screen. He’s obviously too close to the material and his vision but, as he points out, if you love the film, compliment Branagh and if you hate it throw your spears at Branagh.The 4K (and the Blu-ray which is sold separately) looks quite good-it’s a marked improvement over the earlier Blu-Ray however, the film itself looks grainy (which was the look of the film when it was released theatrically in 1994). That’s not a bad thing but keep in mind the look represents how the source looks. The film has been nicely restored (including supervision of of the color timing by the DP for the film). Colors look very nice looking with nice detail, depth and delineation.The 5.1 audio mix also sounds quite good with dialog clear and nice surround activity.The special features include an audio commentary by horror film specialists such as Michael Brooke and Johnny Mains who discuss Darabont’s original script and Branagh’s translation of it to the screen. Two featurettes on the making of the film, a trio of interviews with the costume designer, composer and make up artist. The surviving footage from the 1910 Edison version of the film is included. We also get a stills gallery as well as an excellent booklet discussing Shelley’s novel, adaptions and this film version.It’s a pity that Darabont couldn’t be persuaded to be a part of the special features but it’s understandable given his dislike of the film (he’s called it the best script he has written and one of the worst films he has ever seen). His take on the project has appeared in interviews over the years but it would be nice to have a sit down with him discussing involvement with the film.Although flawed by Branagh’s larger-than-life direction (and his own hammy performance), this unique take on Shelley’s novel is worth a look.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is my absolute FAVORITE movie of all time, ESPECIALLY this version with Robert DeNiro and Kenneth Branagh who also directed it!! It's VERY dramatic, set to super befitting music, (OMG, the French horns!!), that makes it even more exciting!! The acting is superior by a great all star cast!!I just always feel so bad that "the creature" is treated so horribly by so many ignorant people, even Victor Frankenstein. All he wanted was the love of one person like any human being but was so shunned by the villagers and even the family he was so good to, ("the Spirit of the Forest"). He never asked to be created, let alone stoned, beaten, unaccepted and feeling so hurt. I don't understand why Victor rejected him right after all those screams to "LIVE" plus told him he'd give him a companion then destroyed her, poor thing.I could and have watched this again and again and never get sick of it!! ~>Definitely go for it - you're gonna LOVE it!!

5 Stars = MasterpieceMuch like "Bram Stoker's Dracula (Coppola produced), here is a stylish, beautifully filmed, & acted update of a classic story. Some people fault Kenneth Branagh for his hyper dramatics, both in the direction, editing, & his acting in this film. I say it was just terrific! Here is a man so obsessed by his mother's death, that he wants nothing less than to bring an end to death! His whirlwind performance is hypnotizing! A man so possessed by his vision, that it would eventually destroy everyone around him he loves & eventually himself. The most extreme case of irony, of a man who wanted to give life, but in the end brought nothing but death.Robert De Niro. What can I say about his performance as the monster? Not since Boris Karloff's great portrayal, have I seen such pathos, love, & and anger in Frankstein's creation. His interpretation should of at least won him an Oscar nomination. Nothing short of brilliant!"Mary Shelly's Frankenstein" is a film filled with a tornadic vortex of emotions, actions, & circumstance. It is a film that can sweep the viewer in to it's catapulting crescendos & crashes. An emotional roller coaster ride to one man's oblivion. Profoundly sad, but also, profoundly mesmerizing! Only "the Bride of Frankenstein" matches this film in importance, as a truly transcending film from a classic story, of one man's madness.

Agradecido como siempre a Amazon. Rapidez en el envío y perfectamente embalado. Sin duda alguna Amazon es simplemente perfecto.

Bien que cinéphile, je n'avais jamais vu ce film.Je ne sais pas pourquoi, peut-être à cause des nombreuses versions série B qui existent sur le marché. J'ai fait confiance à Kennegh Branagh, réalisateur et acteur émérite et j'ai bien fait ! Tout y est excellent, le jeux des acteurs, les décors, la musique, absolument tout. Ce film est un vrai chef-d'œuvre et Kenneth respecte le livre de Marie Shelley, sans oublier de la mettre en avant à l'ouverture du film. Ce qui est rare.Le synopsis soulève bien des débats. Le premier et le plus important étant sur le droit de se croire supérieur à Dieu et créer des êtres vivants. Au début Victor Frankenstein est un étudiant en médecine, idéaliste, qui pose les questions qu'il ne faut pas. Puis il s'intéresse de plus en plus à la création d'un homme parfait, un certain degré de folie le poussant dans son acte. Mais quand la créature voit le jour, il prend peur. Il la laisse pour morte et continue sa vie. C'est sans compter avec la créature qui veut être aimée. Sa haine va devenir aussi forte que son besoin d'amour et Frankenstein payera cher le prix de ses erreurs.De Niro y est superbe, tantôt monstrueux, tantôt cherchant qu'on l'aime, tantôt pathétique, tantôt émouvant.Quels moments forts dans ce scénario si prenant ! Vraiment magnifique !Manque de bonus dans le Blu-ray.

merci

DVD toujours aussi bien. Je l'avais déjà vu en cassette et je ne me lasse pas de le revoir. On voit déjà à l'époque ce que la médecine faisait comme expérience !! Livré comme prévu.

Una vez más, Arrow Video se vuelve a lucir y hace justicia sacando una edición sobresaliente de la adaptación cinematográfica de un clásico de la literatura universal, infravalorada en su día pero magistralmente dirigida por Kenneth Branagh. La edición cuenta con una restauración en 4K de la película, lo cual es de agradecer en cuanto a calidad de imagen y sonido. Asimismo, la película cuenta con unos buenos extras, destacando un par de documentales, una adaptación de 1910 de la obra, un par de tráileres, tres entrevistas con personal técnico del film y una galería de imágenes. La película cuenta además con carátula reversible, muy propio de Arrow Films. No hay castellano en la edición, sólo inglés.No obstante, el disco no cuenta con la opción de selección de escenas, lo cual puede ser frustrante de cara al espectador, ni con el libreto exclusivo que se anuncia en la descripción del producto, de ahí la valoración.Aún así, Arrow Video hace un magnífico trabajo sacando una edición muy completa de una buena e incomprendida película, haciendo justicia a la misma, ya que en ediciones anteriores no había ni siquiera un making of o cualquier otro contenido adicional. En conclusión, es la edición definitiva para el/la coleccionista de cine en formato físico que le guste esta película.

Für alle Ropert Deniro und Frankenstein-Fans ein Muss. Allerdings gibt es von mir einen Stern Abzug, da der Film zunächst sehr langweilig anfängt und sich etwas zieht. Mit dem Erscheinen von Deniro auf dem Bildschirm ist dies aber vorbei und der Film wird richtig spannend. Kann ich nur empfehlen.