Frankenstein

The box it came in was very obviously designed to confuse us lesser mortals who were so very aware of the existence of the Kenneth Brannagh/mr Bobby version, and were so eager to lay our hands upon it that we ended up with this superior tv version of the old promethean chestnut. Okay, so it plays around with the ideas in the novel,and has some nice atmospheric sets and moody lighting, although it has suffered inasmuch as it was recorded on video tape rather than film, but it is one of the few versions to give the creature more than a stumbling thug role and some half decent lines. Also, its apparently based upon the stage play, which ran for years and in itself, wasn't half bad. Here we have top brit also rans Robert Powell and David Warner goofing around in some rather nice locations and finally succoming to each other, there are lots of nice hints as to the alter-ego frankenstein/creature link and we have Johnny Geilgud teaching the creature about god. Carrie Fisher doesn't have too much to do, but then this was a tv production after all. What is so nice about this moovie is that it is aware of its restrictions and stays firmly with the story, in an age of special effects based super-blockbusters its nice to harken back to the time when films were shot on the directors lunch money and were actually concerned with plot development and had characters who demand respect.

This is one of the many of British television's attempts at bringing Mary Shelley's horror classic to life. While it suffers from cheap production values and a pretty traditional version of the story with no real twists, the mostly Shakespearean cast is excellent (which isn't surprising.... After all, who knows how to tackle the classics better than the British?). Robert Powell makes a thoughtful Dr. Frankenstein, while David Warner makes a sympathetic monster who, in an interested change, is disfigured due to fire-burns rather than the normal stitches and decaying flesh. Carrie Fisher, who got top billing, appears in nothing short but a series of cameos.

**1/2 out of ****

This British film from the 1980s is far from being the best Frankenstein adaptation. It's low-budget is obvious, the monster's character development is rushed, and the ending is anticlimatic. But the film's strengths come from the competent performances from the cast and the solid script.

To be fair, I saw this film on YouTube for free, so the quality might not be what it truly is. Although the makeup is pretty bad and nowhere near James Whale's level of talent, David Warner does a great job of playing the Frankenstein Monster. He conveys horror and pathos as the character should. Robert Powell is a solid Victor Frankenstein that conveys the madness and tragedy of the character, but nowhere near the level of Colin Clive or Peter Cushing. Carrie Fisher doesn't have as much screen-time as I originally thought despite being top billed, but she delivers a great performance as Elizabeth when she's onscreen. She's instantly unforgettable and absolutely beautiful; her smile alone melts your heart. Her natural British accent puts Keanu Reeves to shame. And her singing is off the charts. Elizabeth is supposed to be angelic and no one has pulled that off as well as Carrie in my opinion.

The filming locations are another highlight of this television movie. Looking at every single location makes me feel content. This makes me want to visit the United Kingdom. The outfits and hairstyles are spot on from the 19th century as well.

Is this film a major classic? No. But is it fun? Yes! It's also just over an hour and is free to watch on YouTube. It has a surprisingly moving plot and is better than half of the Frankenstein movies. Rip Carrie Fisher, you are surely missed.

Frankenstein (1984)

** (out of 4)

Elizabeth (Carrie Fisher) becomes worried that her fiancé Victor Frankenstein (Robert Powell) is spending too much time with his experiments. It turns out he's creating a human (David Warner) out of body parts and trying to bring it back to life.

This made-for-television British film isn't exactly the best version of the story that you're going to see but it does feature a nice cast as well as a couple good scenes that make it tolerable. At the same time, there's no question that there's not enough here to make it worth watching unless you're like me and want to see every version of the story out there.

There are some major issues with the film with the biggest being the fact that the direction is rather lackluster and there's just no style or energy to the picture. The movie is about as laid back as you can get and it doesn't help that it moves at a very slow pace. Even at just 73-minutes the movie drags in spots and there's no question that it needed a lot more life.

I thought Powell was rather bland as Frankenstein and Fisher is even worse as Elizabeth. She doesn't even try for an accent and she just wasn't right for the part. John Gielgud appears briefly as the blind hermit but this scene just doesn't have much of an impact. Warner was good as the monster and he's certainly one of the highlights of the picture.

I did find the ending to be good and there's a great sequence where the monster confronts his maker and asks questions about why he's the way he is. This scene was beautifully done and one wishes the rest of the picture had the magic of this scene.

This a great film. It is very scary. Doctor Frankenstein creates a monster out of dead body parts. Best on the best horror book ever. This is one of the best horror movies ever. This has great story line. It also has great story line. This movie also has great acting. This movie has great special effects. If you do not get scared of this movie then know movie will scary you. Robert Pwell is a great actor. For get Jesuse of Nazareth this is his best film. David Warner is a great actor. Titanic is great film. This is better. Carrie Fisher is a great actress. Star wars is a great film. This is better. This is not as good as Frankenstein (1931) but it is close to being has good. This a great remake.