The name Frankenstein evokes all sorts of images, for my lost lover it was the Bride - reciting every word and giving out various details, rumors and factoids the film took on a life of its own...in the last few seconds as the Bride reacts to love - he found incredible delight and intense concentration for those last few frames. The Bride of Frankenstein was filmed in 1935 by Director James Whale, starring the elegant Elsa Lanchester (who you might most remember as a quirky guest star in various TV shows, but who's career was eclectic emphasizing her amazing talent) and Ernest Thesiger as the infamous Dr. Pretorius. Its classic, tempered and so tightly edited as not to waist your time. Beautiful in its story, sets and poignant in its use of light and framing. Certainly fun to watch but also intriguing to study.
Recent to video stores is the latest example of the monster, Frankenweenie. Celebrating the innocence and camp of the Franken legacy, director / writer / stop motion connoisseur Tim Burton has revamped a childhood dream into a touching, humorous and thoughtful film. Not exactly a child friendly film, its dark tones blended with a sad and slow format may not be suitable for younger viewers. Those of a certain age, however, will find certain references to childhood quite touching. Using everything around the house, including Marx army figures and mom's muffin pan give a glimpse into a future filmmakers way of seeing the world.
This writing is dedicated to that film junkie who watched the Bride beyond 100 times, who would have watched it a hundred more and who would have adored Frankenweenie - although he certainly would have wanted the 'monster' to be a cat instead of a dog. We would have argued that point with delight.
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