65 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerfully acted, psychologically mesmerizing., January 10, 2002
This review is from: Gods and Monsters (Special Edition) (DVD)
At one point in "Gods and Monsters," Ian McKellan's character, James Whale, gestures to his head and remarks, "The real monsters are up here." The film spends its entire creating a way of life around this observation, portraying the last days of the well-known film director in ways that evoke humor, touching emotion, and above all else, emotionally haunting reflection on one's life.
It's a most unusual film, not completely a biopic, yet not entirely fictional; it's more of a speculation on his latter days, based on the novel "Father of Frankenstein," written by Christopher Bram. The reality of Whale's life, from his superior and delectable wit to the memories of war and Hollywood that delight and haunt him, is the basis of the novel and the film, as Whale relates them to a young gardener in whom he takes an emotional and physical interest.
The story begins by introducing us to Whale's way of life, from his slowly deteriorating health and mental state, to his luxurious home, where he lives with his maid, Hanna (Lynn Redgrave), who is caring yet keeps up a stern demeanor when it comes to his dealings in homosexuality. The presence of the new gardener, Clay Boone (Brendan Fraser), strikes a chord within Whale, who resumes his sketching by asking the young ex-Marine to pose for his drawing, offering a face-only clause as a way of quelling Clay's obvious insecurities.
The film's own openness with the issues of sexuality effectively portrays the flamboyance of its main character, who apparently saw no shame in his ways despite the resentment of homosexuality in the 1950's. The movie embodies this ignorance in Clay, who, at first, is unaware of his newfound friend's orientation. Once he discovers the truth from Hanna, his discomfort becomes even more unstable, to the point where he storms out in a rage of fury over the old man's excessive way with discomforting words. And yet, he returns to act as Whale's model, intrigued by the heartwarming and heartbreaking stories he offers as he sketches.
This is a most fragile and unsteady friendship, yet in spite of the discomfort that surrounds their bond, their is a certain degree of comfort to be found within it. This stems from director Bill Condon's avoidance of character glorification: in "Gods and Monsters," everyone has flaws. We see Whale's mood swings, his obsession with young boys in his old age, and his reluctance to recall his past; Clay also spends his time running, from his family, commitment, and stability. Ultimately, this makes their friendship mutually beneficial, allowing Clay a broader, richer view of life while allotting Whale the chance to face memories he would otherwise hide away forever.
All of this is painted in broad strokes by Condon, who employs humor, wit, and sadness into his stunning adaptation. The discomfort that arises as a result of Clay's discovery of his friend's sexuality is handled lightly in earlier scenes, slowly gaining resonance and meaning as the plot moves along its dreamlike path. Whale's memories of filming the "Frankenstein" movies are realistic in their approach, while his recollections of war and his lost love are emotionally charged. All of this is given a slow yet mesmerizing pace that allows us into the deepest subconscious of the characters, so that we not only see what is going on in their minds, but can feel it as well.
In the film's favor is its credible casting choices, most notably McKellan, who employs wit and real emotional range as Whale. Making sudden and drastic jumps from jubilant to unstable, McKellan's Whale is portrayed as someone whom we feel for, a man whose life is put into perspective in a manner that calls us to look at it with unblinking eyes. Fraser evokes a subtle sexual tension and eroticism as Clay, whose resemblance of Frankenstein's monster is the focal point of Whale's fascination. Redgrave makes a wonderful turn as Hanna, putting her wit and sarcasm to good use as the woman who embodies a maid, a wife, and a mother all at the same time.
Above all else, the most perplexing aspect of "Gods and Monsters" is its connection to Whale's film, "Frankenstein." Clay's resemblance and sense of naivety when in the presence of Whale is very much like the scene from that earlier film that this film's final scene. Seeing that final scene is to finally realize and acknowledge the film's purpose; it's one of those forceful moments in cinema that only come once in a blue moon. The film itself is a most touching achievement, deriving its success from its examination of Whale's life in a manner that makes it compelling rather than interesting.
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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Film Make You Silent and Mute, July 13, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Gods and Monsters (Special Edition) (DVD)
I'm a Chinese viewer living in Shanghai and I saw this film at the library of a nearby university. When I saw the film, I think it must be a classic or award-winning work because it has every element : superlime acting, intricate plot as well as unquestionablly excellent directoring & shooting. Though I thought I'm not yet prepared to give some so-called review for this movie, I decided to at least tell about my feelings about it to Amazon thus to give some applause to this good movie. It moved me so much. I did not cry. I did not feel like to cry, actually. But I was silent all the night for the feeling it casted on me and for the things it made me thinking. Only after reading Amazon, I found it's a new work in 98' and God, I think it deserves more than a mere some adapting of script award in the Academy. I think Ian McKellen (I knew the name for the first time today)deserves a Best Actor. But maybe, the content of it is too controvertial even in U.S. Yet I think it is a great work for telling a story in a beautifully and craftly way which attempts those ancient and intriguing questions of love, the meaning of life, humanity and art, in a most unimaginable and moving plot. There're two scenes impressed me very much: One is when Whale and the young man taking shelter from a sudden rain in the garden party, he saw, from the veils of rain, a young man in uniform standing under another umbrella, he thought he was his old friend in the army in WWI and he could see the young man smiling to him, backing 60 years, in the battle-field, under the same grey and raining sky, he is smiling so affectionately and so beautifully. The other is at the end of the film, the old man is found dead in his swimming pool and pulled on the bank by the young worker. But threw into the pool again for fear of involving the young worker in the case. When the body of the dead old man was threw into the water, the way he is floating in the water is just like a bird flying in the air. And the music sounds, he seems so free, finally free of everything, worsening health, ghost of the past, all the losses in the life. He's so free, so beautifully flying in the blue water.
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37 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gods and Monsters, and Fathers and Sons, October 27, 1999
Anyone who rents this movie should put aside their homophobic fears; Don't pass this Oscar material film because of its sexual nature. Yes, there are quite a few scenes that may make the weak at heart flinch ! The real story or hidden message is not so much the gay attraction Whale has for Boone or the disgust Boone feels towards homosexuality. They both have a longing or yearning to have some type of normal male sibling companionship that they did not have with their own fathers ! Both characters had fathers who were tough and mentally abusive towards Boone and Whale. Boone's father thought he was a weak coward for being discharged from the marines while Whale's father ( and mother) ridiculed his talent for drawing and placed him in a factory to work at a young age. This is the common ground that both men share. Also, Boone gives Whale a mental jolt or flashback everytime Whale sees him of his days past as a young man (rejuvenation) while Whale (whether intentional or not) shows Boone how to be almost a gentleman and not a knuckledragger without class. However, the true (non-sexual) hidden agenda Whale has in mind for Boone and himself is a real exciting twister !
The only downfall of the movie is that it is slow paced ( for some reason most Oscar material is; a thinking filmgoer's movie). Fraser deserves 5 stars for taking such a challenging role and losing the comical, big goofy guy role for a change. His young and fresh acting skills contrast with the other veteran actors for good intent and purpose to really add depth to the characters and story (his youthful persona contrasting with the seasoned and experienced). With all this said and including the top notch performances by all the actors this dvd version receives 4 stars ( bit of a slow movie, though).
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