Gods and Monsters

Sometimes, great quality films don't take too much money to make and don't require a lot of star power. Here, we have Sir Ian McKellen CH KBE CBE in an Oscar nominated performance as the late great horror director, James Whale, who was also gay, artistic, and a genius. The film is based on a fictional novel about his life towards the end. In this film, James Whale is elderly and frail who encounters a handsome gardener, Clayton Boone (played wonderfully by Brendan Fraser in his best performance to date or since). Ian McKellen masters the role of the late director. They form an unlikely friendship. Clayton is oblivious to Whale's homosexuality or his film history at first. They become unlikely friends during their conversations. Whale knows his time is running out. The title comes from a line in his famous film, "Frankenstein." I don't care much for James Whale as a person. He seems too self-involved and cruel to his interviewer. The film also carries a Golden Globe winning performance from the late Lynn Redgrave OBE as his Hungarian Catholic housekeeper, Hanna. She is unforgettable in this role and her loses herself in developing her to be believable. Hanna is still devoted to Whale despite his sexual orientation. Still, the film is a character study. I loved the moment where Whale is reunited with Elsa Lancaster and Boris Karloff who was the Bride and Frankenstein at the Garden Party.

"Gods and Monsters" wore me out. It was so uncomfortable watching James Whale, a man of great intellect and pride, facing the hand that the stroke and his developing dementia has dealt him. He is old and is grasping at the disappearing straws of his sexual identity. He's seen as a sinner by his patient, loyal, and harshly loving housekeeper. He is becoming pathetic and he knows it. He minimalizes his accomplishments and really sees only betrayal. Flattery gets no-one anywhere. A man of infinite genius grabs for a platonic sexual encounter. All this does for him is brings up the monsters within himself, memories of war and lost love. Brendan Fraser is quite good and Ian McKellen is superb. His elusive nature and "keep-em-guessing" responses to simple conversation would drive most of us crazy. But we would stay for the stories.

I would run out of adjectives if I tried to convey the magnificence of this film in written form. Every single aspect of it is simply superb; from more technical aspects like the photography, the editing, the music, to Bill Condon's wonderful screenplay and direction, and the extraordinary performances by all three leads, it's nothing short of astounding. If it was me giving out the Oscars this would have swept the board. This is one of the works of art that the 90s should be remembered for.

The marvellous tale of how an old, homosexual, educated genius, in the twilight of his life, with a glorious past but also terrible ghosts, first tries to court but ultimately becomes a friend of a simple, young, good hearted man and opens his eyes and his mind with his stories and memories, becoming the turning point of his life, is gripping and moving beyond belief.

Arthouse it may be, due to its reduced budget and complex content, but I can't understand how anyone could fail to be touched by this deeply human story, no matter his or her tastes. I recommend it to anyone who loves sublime cinema.

"Gods and Monsters" is the beautifully acted and somewhat fictionalized story of director James Whale (Ian McKellan) as he faces the end of his life.

The openly gay Whale was the director of some of the great horror films: Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, and The Old Dark House, as well as the definitive Showboat, and one of my favorites, the bizarre Remember Last Night? (which no one in the movie does, by the way).

After a debacle over the film The Road Back, his studio thrust him into directing B movies, and by 1941, his career was over. After that, Whale developed a love of painting and directed in theater, where he had started in the '20s.

The film begins in 1957, the last year of Whale's life, after he has suffered a series of strokes. In the movie, his only companion is his housekeeper (Lynn Redgrave). (In real life, he was living with the much younger Pierre Foegel, whom he had met in France.)

Faced with diminishing mental faculties and unwanted flashbacks from his past, Whale develops a sometimes uneasy friendship with his gardener, Clayton Boone (Brendan Fraser). He asks Clayton to pose for him, and while Clayton does, Whale pours his heart out to him.

Some of it is too much for the straight Clay, but over time, the two men bond. Each gets something from the other. But Whale will ultimately want something astounding from his new friend.

This a complex film, well directed and written by Bill Condon, who adapted the novel The Father of Frankenstein by Christopher Bram. Whale attempts to create his own Frankenstein monster, in a sense, in Clay, and the stunning images near the end of the film which take place during Clay's dream sequence point this up. The film also demonstrates the loneliness and deterioration of old age, as well as the fear that goes along with it.

The cast is nothing short of magnificent, with phenomenal performances by the three leads: McKellan, Fraser, and Redgrave. The late, always excellent David Dukes plays David Lewis, Whale's ex-lover and still friend; Jack Betts and Rosalind Ayres are well made up and vocally correct as Boris Karloff and Elsa Lanchester, respectively.

Gods and Monsters is a sometimes dark, always thought-provoking film about old age, taking stock at the end of life, and the gods and monsters within each one of us.

Gods and Monsters

This human drama by talented director Bill Condon is an emotional masterpiece! Based from Christopher Bram's novel, Gods and Monsters depicts the last days of famed director James Whales and his flourishing relationship with his gardener Clayton Boone. Ian McKellen plays the ill-fated director haunted by painful memories of the past while Brendan Fraser, in a very serious role, is the man from which Whales finds peace.

Director Bill Condon is especially remarkable with his use of flashbacks to delineate James Whales' haunting past and imageries from the late director's own creations. He makes his audiences feel the growing bond between Whales and Boone, and effectively touches his audiences during the director's tragic end. Though this episode is a predictable story, it makes us explore within ourselves the Gods and Monsters of our lives.

I'm surprised that the Academy ignored Ian McKellen and Brendan Fraser for their extremely fine performances. Ian McKellen gives an outstanding performance as the late director while Brendan Fraser fully shines in the film's climax. Lynn Redgrave is also commendable for her light performance as Hanna, the maid.

This is superbly recommended for anyone looking for a film loaded with emotions