This version of the Frankenstein saga premiered as a made-for-TV movie on TNT in 1993, and is one of my favorites of any movie featuring the misunderstood unnatural creation. Starring Patrick Bergin as Victor and Randy Quaid, in the best performances of his career, as the monster, this incarnation is a lot more faithful to the novel than most of the others, but it still freely takes its liberties. This movie presented a few new ideas that were very interesting, but the most prominent difference is also the film's biggest disappointment (more on that in a minute). The movie starts out in the same fashion as the novel: in the icy seas of the Arctic. A ship finds Victor unconscious and brings him on board, and he immediately gives everyone the impression that he's a raving lunatic. Then, he begins his story...
The next few minutes of the movie show Victor as one of the main physicians helping out during the plague years of Europe, and how his friend Clerval tries to coax him into coming home. Then, the huge let-down is cast upon the audience! The monster was no longer an assembly of corpses, but a being cloned from Victor himself. And to be even more lame, they can feel each other's pain and emotions. This twist indicates a more "Jekyll and Hyde" relationship rather than the usual likeness of father and son. It was an original concept, but not really a good idea for a Frankenstein film claiming to be faithful to the book. Of course, the monster escapes after creation, and then experiences the oft-told rejection by society, until he meets DeLacey (played brilliantly by John Mills) the Blind Hermit. Meanwhile, Victor returns home to Switzerland and to Elizabeth (Fiona Gillies...bleh!), thinking the creature to be dead until the creature's pains and emotions start revealing themselves through Victor.
The monster enjoys his new life of peace and learning with DeLacey, but an encounter with some passers-by puts him in danger. Now knowing the true nature of humans (read: intolerance, bigotry, hate, and violence towards what they do not understand), he flees from the hermit's hut, making his way to Victor's home. Thus, the rampage against creator begins. For the sake of not spoiling any of what happens, I'm just gonna say that the monster's path of destruction leads to a chase that ends in the events depicted at the beginning. The end of the movie is "novel" (pun intended), with both creator and created perishing.
Other than the very, very lame creation story-arc, this movie is a much better entry into the series than the 1994 Robert DeNiro-Kenneth Branagh version. Although, Helena Bonham-Carter IS a hotter (and better) Elizabeth...
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