#TIFF50 | Frankenstein

While not reaching the number of film adaptations of Dracula, Frankenstein is another novel that has been brought to the screen countless times, so one might think there’s not much more to expect from a new reimagining of Mary Shelley’s novel.

Guillermo del Toro seems to have accepted the challenge of trying to differentiate his plot from previous versions, and he has succeeded, presenting us with a creature that bears little resemblance to those seen before.

Divided into a Prelude and two parts corresponding to the successive stories of Victor and the Creature, the film takes two and a half hours, which may seem excessive, although its content is extensive and rich.

PRELUDE

The opening scene is set in the Arctic Ocean with a Danish ship aground, its captain (Lars Mikkelsen) desperately trying to free it from the ice surrounding the vessel.

The first to approach is Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), in a visibly deteriorated physical state (including a prosthetic leg), who enters the ship. He is pursued by the creature (Jacob Elordi), whose superhuman strength nearly capsizes the vessel, but which sinks when part of the ice gives way. However, although it is not seen resurfacing, Victor warns that it is not dead and will undoubtedly return.

PART I. VICTOR’S STORY

We visit Victor’s luxurious family home, where his soon-to-die mother speaks to him in French, while his father (Charles Dance), a baron and physician, punishes Victor with a cane while doting on his younger brother. The action shifts several years later to the Royal College of Physicians, where Victor conducts scientific demonstrations, reanimating dead tissue using electricity, claiming that this is where the future lies.

Other characters are introduced, including Heinrich Harlander (Christoph Waltz), an arms dealer who takes an interest in the Frankenstein experiment, and William (Felix Kammerer), Victor’s younger brother, who is engaged to Elizabeth (Mia Goth), Harlander’s niece.

Victor’s greatest achievement is acquiring an imposing castle in Scotland, where he sets up a vast laboratory complete with high-powered energy generators, suitable for his experiments. These experiments will no longer be limited to isolated tissues, but will now encompass the remains of human bodies collected from both those hanged by the courts and corpses recovered from battlefields (Crimean War).

From these human remains, Victor will create a creature which, as a precaution, he will leave chained for the safety of both his creator and his visitors, including Elizabeth, who empathizes with the creature and discovers a certain humanity emanating from it.

PART II. THE CREATURE’S STORY

This section encompasses the final, most interesting, and innovative part of the film, occupying the last hour of the narrative, after Victor sets fire to and destroys his laboratory (castle). The tone of this final part resembles that of tragic works, as there are several deaths, including those of Elizabeth, her uncle, and Victor’s brother, but not the creature, which manages to survive.

What’s interesting is how Del Toro incorporates scenes already present in previous versions, such as the one of the blind man, here engaged in an uneven and cinematically impactful fight with Arctic wolves. When his situation becomes desperate, the “creature” suddenly appears to defend him. The old man tells him, obviously without seeing him, “You are my friend and a good man who suddenly appears to help me.”

The dilemma posed by this novel version, also known as “The New Prometheus,” is who the “monster” truly is. Is it the creature, or perhaps its creator?

Other issues this “Frankenstein” addresses concern the “memory” that can reside in the creature’s “brain,” as well as the existential doubt it grapples with, having to find answers to essential questions about its origins and its true nature.

The final scene picks up where the prelude left off. It returns to the stranded ship, its captain and sailors, and the creature’s reappearance, just as Victor had foreseen. This resolution differs from any of the previous Frankenstein versions in which the creature’s brain deteriorated. In del Toro’s version, the key difference lies in the creature’s brain, which attempts to answer the fundamental questions inherent to all living beings.

The film will only be in theaters for a few weeks, which is where it should be seen. The casting is generally successful, as both Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi provide a fitting counterpoint. Austrian actor Christoph Waltz risks falling into cliché, having declined since his standout performance in Inglourious Basterds, followed by Besson’s Dracula and now Del Toro’s Frankenstein, with the risk of becoming typecast. Mia Goth (Pearl) manages to stay afloat, although her performance isn’t entirely groundbreaking.

Finally, it’s worth noting that Del Toro’s selection as director makes perfect sense given the themes of his extensive filmography and his more recent and valuable predecessor, The Shape of Water.