| Author | Message | ||
     Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.161.253.149 |
Just watched two versions of Frankenstein over the past week, both of which I haven't seen in ages. The first was the Branagh which was much better than I remembered; in fact I'd go so far as to say it's one of the best versions, with a lot of life, style, and good performances - as well as sticking closer to the book's message than any other. Less good is the 70's telly one, with Micheal Sarazzin as the monster. It started well with his looking handsome and being harmless, but then went a bit mad and a bit boring with James Mason turning up as either Fu Manchu or Dr No (complete with orintal henchman and acid bath and fake hands). Also it was directed in the bland style of the Harryhausen films when the monsters weren't doing anything in them. Not as good as I remember at all. | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 90.199.0.117 |
I quite liked the Branagh Frankenstein when it came out but no-one else did. I certainly preferred it to Coppola's Dracula | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.161.253.149 |
I thought it OTT on first viewing, but now I see it as heartfelt and treating the subject very seriously. Dracula had a nicer feel to it and some very moving moments but the Frankenstein has really stuck in my mind. I was very moved by that last line. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.242.126 |
I rather liked Brannagh's version too, and the other one terrified me as a kid - Tony, where did you see it? I've been longing for a DVD release for years. | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.161.253.149 |
I have the dvd - bought it last week, region one. You want to borrow it? I might be selling as it hasn't stood up well. Might even swap! Yeah - I had to watch it between fingers, too, back in - Jeesus! - 1973. Now my kids were fine with it, as if it were less scary than Dr Who. Crazy. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.242.126 |
Email me if you want to sell or swap...otherwise, I just found it on play.com for under 8 quid. | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 67.116.103.241 |
Oh my sweet Christ, Tony... Zed, you too?... If any of you think I hated THE MIST, it pales in comparison to what I think of Branagh's FRANKENSTEIN... I'm going Scanners here... you're Bruce-Banner-ing me.... In the immortal words of the comic-book-store guy from "The Simpsons": "Worst movie ever." And you preferred it to Coppola's DRACULA, John?! ... No, this isn't possible... you're all just f*cking with me, right?... you don't really BELIEVE these things you're writing, do you?... you have to be having a joke on the poor American... say you're joking with the poor American....  | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.161.253.149 |
You see Craig, first time I saw it I hated it. Actually hated it. Watching it again with that in mind it went up a (lot of) steps. Thing is; it isn't exactly a horror film, and this realization might have clinched it for me. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.242.126 |
It's a lot better than Transformers. And I haven't even seen Transformers. :-) yeah, Kenny-boy's version is a period (melo)drama rather than a horror film. | ||
| Hubert (Hubert) Username: Hubert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.22.227.172 |
Sometimes it takes a couple of views to fully appreciate a film. One discovers hidden subtleties and so on. With a book it's different; whenever I don't 'get', say, an overlong sentence the first time, I tend to read it again until I do. Theoretically you could hit the pause button, but I don't think many viewers actually do that when they first see a film. | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.157.91.38 |
Theoretically you could hit the pause button, but I don't think many viewers actually do that when they first see a film. I did that only the other night whilst watching TWINS OF EVIL. Ahem. | ||
| Hubert (Hubert) Username: Hubert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.22.227.172 |
That must have been a particularly difficult moment  | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.5.8.153 |
It could be a musical porno with whipped cream on top: Branagh's FRANKENSTEIN is hands-down awful wretched twice-choked-up puke. I'd rank THE MIST as high art in comparison. In fact, THE MIST is getting better and better the more I think about Branagh's travesty.... | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 90.203.234.26 |
Thing is, the film cares about it's subject, which counts for a lot, and did catch the heart of it. The way you describe it makes me feel that one of us must be a dunderhead, or that we both saw radically different cuts, the opinions are so polar. | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 90.203.234.26 |
Zed - Transformers is still smashing. | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.5.13.194 |
Tony - we're not both dunderheads, at least you're not. Much like in THE MIST, the details of Branagh's film irk me more than anything else: as a film I found it awful, and I could give a lot of examples, more/better ones if I were to see it again... my eyeballs would bleed, but I'd do it for you.... I can give you one example right here: the soundtrack was just plain terrrrrrrrrible. It was chaotic, and intrusive, and wholly inappropriate. Clearly, this is a personal taste issue: one person is grated severely by the soundtrack, the other maybe not. The John Cleese character I found fascinatingly bad, a bad of a stripe that you find in cheese-ball foreign horror movies. They were trying to make him a "serious" character, and in so doing, unintentionally/laughably created this buffoon. They dubbed his voice, because they knew Cleese's distinct vocal stylings are good ONLY for comedy - I'm sure they dubbed it, there's no other explanation for that bizarre wholly-non-Cleese voice issuing from his mouth. They even capped all his teeth, with fakeries that made him appear deformed, then made him frown and forever look all pensive and serious... in the end, he pulled off one of his funniest roles - not funny-haha, funny-somebody-kill-me-for-agreeing-to-do-this... thank god they finally did him off, it was getting painful to watch.... Again, is this an integrity issue? As to story, characters, etc.? Probably not... though trust me, I have those issues too, but... ugh, Christ! I hated this film! I'm tearing my hair out with both hands even as I type this.... | ||
| Albie (Albie) Username: Albie Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 87.102.33.174 |
I agree. John Cleese would make a great Frankenstein's monster, so long as it was stripped of all comedicness. A truly deranged lumbering monster with saliva spraying everywhere, and a slightly yellow bandage around his head. Mouldy suit and purple teeth. Green lips and no ears. | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.5.13.194 |
From John Cleese's FRANKENSTEIN.... FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER: RRRRRR - *ahem* - RRRRRRR... ex-cuse me, I'm a very scary monster saying RRRRR here, please pay attention! Thank you! Now then... RRRRRRRRRR.... | ||
| Albie (Albie) Username: Albie Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 87.102.33.174 |
qué? | ||
| Albie (Albie) Username: Albie Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 87.102.33.174 |
It's official. I'm now crap. | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 90.203.234.26 |
Craig; I had all these hates, saw all these flaws and more. I watch the film twenty years later and it's much better. It actually works. And I actually listened to the music; the music was like the film's blood somehow. But, like Batman and Joker, we'll be doing this forever. | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.4.245.88 |
...I watch the film twenty years later and it's much better.... Okay, then, Tony: I'll meet you wherever it is you're seeing this wretched film in 2014, and throw my bat boomerang at you.  | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.4.245.88 |
qué? ... i.e., that it is impossible to strip John Cleese of all comedicness... and you'd be hearing this, whatever was actually said on-screen.... ...AND, that whomever thinks they can - you, Mr. Branagh? - is a stupid raving idiot. | ||
| Albie (Albie) Username: Albie Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.195.236.131 |
I can strip Cleese of all comedicness in my head. It must be possible. Try the image with a green light on his face, and scary music.  |