<p class="ql-block"><b>Frankenstein</b>, ever since the publication of Shelley’s book in the early 19th century, has been made into movies and TV series hundreds of times, yet I had never even once had the urge to see it nor had I read the book until Guillermo del Toro’s movie last year, I was not into horror or science fiction books / films, or so I thought.</p><p class="ql-block"> I watched this movie not only once, but twice, and even listened to the audio book for the first time, that shows how good this movie is.</p><p class="ql-block"> The story of Frankenstein is well known: Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant scientist, created a living creature from dead body parts, then horrified by its’ monstrous physique and low intelligence, he tried to destroy the creature, but eventually being destroyed by the creature, a.k.a. Frankenstein’s monster.</p> <p class="ql-block">Del Toro’s adaption was brilliant in a few aspects. </p><p class="ql-block">First, and most importantly, he did not make the creature look hideous and grotesque. Jacob Elordi, playing the creature, is 6’5” tall with a slim body and long limbs. Initially clumsy, as the creature learnt to walk and talk, there was certain grace and tenderness in him. Then as he told his tale in Part II, I started to feel for him, the loneliness, sorrow and pain in him, “I can not die, I can not live”, as he told his creator, “…there was silence again” (talking about him being shot, and thought he was dead), “then merciless life”.</p> <p class="ql-block">Second, Del Toro simplified the story line, and added / changed characters to give motive and means for Frankenstein’s experiment. His mother’s death and his father’s cruelty toward him became his motive, Herr Harlander’s (Christoph Waltz) money financed his experiment. Harlander did not finance the project out of his altruism, he had his motive. Hence the story is logical and sensible.</p><p class="ql-block"> Thirdly, although most of the dialogues are lifted from the original book, they are poetic and beautiful, fit to that era of how educated people spoke. When Frankenstein talked about the emptiness he felt after he “successfully” made the creature, he said “having reached the edge of the earth, there was no horizon left. The achievement felt unnatural …”</p> <p class="ql-block">Here are more of the dialogues I like: </p><p class="ql-block">“For every man there was but one remedy to all pain: death, a gift you too had denied me” (from the creature after Frankenstein denied making a companion for him).</p><p class="ql-block">“The tide brought me here now come to take you away, leaving me stranded” (again from the creature before Frankenstein died)</p><p class="ql-block">“If you have in your heart to forgive yourself into existence, if death is not to be, then consider this, my son, while you are alive, what recourse do you have but to live”? (Frankenstein called his creature, “my son”, they finally reconciled)</p><p class="ql-block">The movie ended with Lord Byron’s poem: “And thus the heart will break, yet brokenly live on”.</p> <p class="ql-block">There is an audio book on YouTube, brilliantly narrated by Nolan Reads, link here:</p><p class="ql-block"> <a href="https://youtu.be/aayraKF4UCk?si=h5_8g4P4o5Q-HUk5" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/aayraKF4UCk?si=h5_8g4P4o5Q-HUk5</a></p>