MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN (1994, Blu-ray released October 6, 2009 – MSRP $24.95)
I remember exactly when Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was released. It was 1994 and after the success of Coppola‘s Dracula, the excitement brought on by the thought of another “literary” approach to one of my favourite monsters-on-film was almost more than I could bare. It would be an understatement to say that Kenneth Branagh‘s adaptation of the famous novel was anything but a letdown for me. Though, this most recent viewing on Sony‘s new Blu-ray disc has me reconsidering my original take on the film.
For as long as I can remember I’ve been in love with the old James Whale 1931 film, Frankenstein. In fact, the Universal Monsters are a bit of an obsession of mine. So whenever a new interpretation of one of my beloved characters hits the big screen I’m always interested to discover how they’re being handled. As far as I’m concerned, Branagh didn’t stand a chance in besting Whale in his adaptation of the famous novel. And Robert De Niro would never be able to measure up to Boris Karloff in the monsters shoes. But then again, they should be very different. Apples and oranges, you might say. For where the Branagh/De Niro version is attempting to realize Mary Shelley‘s vision, Whale was adapting an already greatly-altered stage play that bore only a passing resemblance to the novel. Whale had new characters, new locations and situations and a mute monster, more beast than man. Branagh, while making some alterations of his own, remained true to the novel. And that may have been the films downfall.
There’s a reason that Boris Karloff’s version of the monster is iconic. The filmmakers must have done something right. They almost single-handedly ushered in a whole host of horror icons, from the lab of the mad scientist, full of buzzing machines to the hunchback assistant to the look of the monster, all heavy boots and flat head. This sensationalist cinema works when handled correctly. Branagh shoots his version, however like a hammy Shakespearian romp through pre-industrial Austria. There’s melodrama and over-acting, like the 1931 version but it’s meted out in a way that’s so self-conscious it’s difficult to enjoy it. Branagh runs around his lab, his house-coat open revealing a glistening rack of ripped abdominal muscles, throwing switches like an athlete, bounding from sparking machine to whirring device, pounding his fists down upon them and screaming, “Live, Live, LIIIIVE!!!” … It’s just too much. It never feels threatening or real. That said, this time around I actually found myself going along for the ride, almost laughing as I went.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein might make for fantastic, almost light late night viewing. It’s hard to take it seriously. But it’s kind of a fun ride to follow De Niro from the mute, pathetic imbecile of a beast that Karloff plays, through his education and finally to his verbose, thoughtful and emotive fate.
The Blu-ray disc looks so much better than I was expecting! I’m sure you’re not expecting it to look like Iron Man and you’re not going to find anywhere near that clarity here. But what you will find is a beautiful, film-like, high bit-rate transfer (as Sony tends to deliver) that, while quite dark and full of grain, has not been over processed and is quite pleasing to the eye. The DTS-HD Master 5.1 audio track delivers enough punch and has a pleasant feel but is overall front-heavy and won’t give your system too much of a workout.
The biggest letdown of this disc for me is the lack of bonus features. Yeah, I’m not in love with this movie but I am obsessed with Frankenstein and would have loved to learn more about this production of the story. The ideal extra would have been a lengthy documentary but I would have settled for a couple featurettes or even a commentary track. Ah well, I guess I should just be thankful that the disc offers such a great presentation of the film at a reasonable price.
The Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Blu-ray disc from Sony is one of our Top 10 New Blu-ray Discs for Halloween 2009.
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