Frankenstein it Can Be Stated

Frankenstein

It can be stated that one of the most famous stories in the world is the one of Frankenstein. The author of the book which tells the story of Victor Frankenstein and the creature that he created is Mary Shelley. Given the popularity of the story one can easily understand the reason for which tens of movies with the same subject have been made in time. The movie that we are considering is Frankenstein, aka Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, made in 1994 and directed by Kenneth Branagh. Robert de Niro plays the creature, Kenneth Branagh stars as Victor Frankenstein and Helena Bonham Carter interprets Elizabeth.

The book is very beautiful, rich in descriptions which create a strong visual impact. Beyond the plot itself, which is very interesting, the author of the book addresses philosophical issues such as human nature, freedom, power and the consequences of having too much power. The genre of the movie can be considered drama, although there are various elements which make it rather horror. If reading the book one gets to meditate about the above mentioned issues, the movie makes the viewer experience a series of strong emotions, having the advantage of a very good musical background. The plot in the movie is the same as in the book, but there are several changes which are worth mentioning.

Victor-s mother had died of a contagious disease in the book, while in the movie she dies while giving birth to a child. The modification was meant to get the viewer emotionally involved and even more sensitive to the subject's case. Enrico Cleval is a lifelong friend of Victor but in the movie they meet at the university. I believe it was simpler to introduce the character in this manner than it would have been to make the viewer understand that they had a very long relationship.

Another modification regards professor Waldman who is said to be the first who created a monster using pieces of corps. There is no such assumption in the book. Victor's relationship with professor Krempe was modified. In the book they have a cordial relationship while in the movie they often themselves in conflict states. The change was meant to make the story more interesting and attractive, assuming that more conflict means more audience. In the book Elizabeth dies while in the movie Victor saws pieces of her dead body with others from the body of another girl the monster had killed and is brought back to life. I is known that people usually prefer a happy ending, especially when it comes to romantic affairs. In the book Robert Walton first sees Victor and then the monster while in the book the order is reversed. The purpose is again to trick the viewer emotionally and create a higher impact.

The alteration of the relationship between Victor and professor Krempe does not change the meaning of the story, it only makes it more intense. I believe that the most important change regards the character of Victor. Reading the book one has the freedom to make his own judgement and evaluation of the character while the movie imposes a certain evaluation. Reading the book I had the impression that Victor was sorry for what he had done. He realized his error and what he was living was actually a drama. In the movie he is depicted as a person who is concerned with bringing the dead to life and that's that. In a certain way he seems to be punished for his ambition. His drama was that while trying to win the battle with death he did nothing but bring even more death in his life. In the book he loses everything, even the woman who he is supposed to marry. Ion the movie Elizabeth is reborn, which makes him a successful scientist. I believe that this changes the meaning of the story a bit and I personally dislike it. With the book the reader gets to meditate upon the condition of the human being who is so weak in front of death. Eventually you get to feel powerless. Shelley demonstrates that science can not make us immortal and even if it could it would be wrong. One does not get to reflect upon these things only by seeing the movie because the visual impact is too big. One gets distracted by the plot of the story. Reading the book one can identify himself with Victor while the movie draws you in a whirlpool of emotions and the viewer remains outside the story.