Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein Essay

The director has actualise it clear to the audience that the film will be about life and death by having a statue of Jesus almost toppling over, next to a large figure of the grim reaper representing death. When Frankenstein is digging the enter up, he throws dirt over the statue, perhaps representing how he has no respect for death. The props and costumes be apply reflect the setting and atmosphere. Dr. Frankensteins clothes differ from the rest of the cast, wearing a cravat and white raiment the director may remove done this to represent his higher status in society, compared to the mourners or Frankensteins hunchback assistant.In Branaghs film the costumes are all rattling similar, they play no study part in the first four minutes studied. However they help to keep in with the single-channel colour of the ice and pale faces. These bland colours create a stark and dramatic oppose to the bright red blood which comes on screen when the monsters hand dramatically appears. Th e make up worn by the characters in giants film is heavy, pronounced and very theatrical performance designed so that people in the field of study could see the faces from uttermost away, but on camera it looks exaggerated and over the top.Branagh has utilise make-up subtly and realistically, creating red cheeks to show cold conditions alongside untidy hair and unshaven faces to represent the length of time since the characters have been near civilization. goliaths theatrical past suggests why all the facial expressions and movements are prominent and exaggerated. Although Branagh also has a distinguished business relationship in theatre, Whale was working in the beginnings of Hollywood when cinema was portrayed much want theatre on screen.In the first close ups of Fritz and Frankenstein they are both wide-eyed which connotes stereotypical mad scientists and both characters creep around the graveyard with dramatic stage whispers. The facial expressions and emotions in Bran aghs Frankenstein are far less obvious and it is due to this fact that there is a lot more transport in emotion over a short space of time. During a few minutes, the expressions of one character limitingd from affright, to pride, to ingress and then anger. This emotion change is slightly exaggerated to let the audience engage and empathize with the characters. integrity way that Branagh lets the audience use their imagination is by his use of positioning within the frame. to the highest degree shots are very closely cropped to the faces so that we can see expressions clearly. However, when the monster was killing the dogs, Branagh cleverly clipped the shots so that the suspense could be continued and prolonged. This mode of positioning is a big contrast to Whales. Most of the shots in his version are mid or long and there are very few point-of-view or close ups. This is partly due to the lack of technology and experience.Branagh may have used more adventurous and interesting angles but he has had 60 years of Hollywood to look back on Whale was at a huge disadvantage in this respect and this should of course be considered when deciding who is the better director. Whale did try and be adventurous in some respects he used an useful high angle shot towards the end of the four minutes, it showed Fritz and Frankenstein walking towards the gallows, which heightened the feeling of a change of setting, and it clearly showed the rocky landscape, which also increased the feel of fear.Whale has placed the characters so that they were very profound within the frame. The camera sticks to the action and dramatizes it, much like if one were watching a play, a method most probably influenced by Whales history in theatrical directing. Branaghs alter is a great deal faster than Whales so this gives him more scope to change the camera angles. However, the reason for this difference in speed could be down to the settings of the expositions, not effectiveness of directi ng.Branaghs film begins in a chaotic storm with lots of action, whereas Whale tries to connote sense of fear and slow eeriness. Branagh tries to create an emotional impact and takes it for granted that the audience will understand and follow the action, whereas Whales style is more conventional and his editing is used for practical purposes and to see the setting and to follow the action. As an audience in the 20 and 21st century, we are so used to the conventional jerk tactics, that we fail to take into account their effect in older films, such as Whales Frankenstein.Although aspects of Whales production may seem dated to todays audience, theres an atmosphere present that would be hard to re-create, even with technological advances. Kenneth Branaghs Frankenstein, for all its use of sophisticated technology, lacks the atmospheric build up that Whales seems to have. Whales film is more like the nineteenth century novel his style suits the slow unveiling of narrative, as in the book , whereas Branagh conveys a sense of action and fast moving suspense to satisfy the ever-demanding audience.The fast moving action means that Branagh has not had a chance to build up a sense of fear everything is over dramatized and with a very fast pace. Although Branagh has indeed created an atmospheric build up, using all the modern technology available, James Whales Frankenstein has stood the test of time and, although it was directed 63 years before Branaghs, has used the most effective techniques available to build up an atmosphere of tension and fear.If an audience of today find Whales directing more or equally effective than Branaghs then imagine how well it would have worked on audiences unaccustomed to this level of horror within a film. Show preview only The to a higher place preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mary Shelley section.