Fans of classic literature will hate me for this. Inspiring feminists will want be dead. How can I go with the movie on this one? Mary Shelley’s novel was so original and vastly different from film. All that lightning and laboratory stuff – that was sooo Hollywood! Maybe so. In the book, the details concerning the creation of the monster is purposely kept vague, as is the monsters’ appearance, allowing the imagination of the reader to get some exercise. And, I appreciate this. Shelley’s novel is a great piece, no doubt about it.
It’s James Whale’s fault. He be the director of the 1931 Frankenstein film and if he wasn’t such a damn good filmmaker then Shelley would win. I have come to appreciate his style; his use of shadows, his props and settings that bring an eerie life to his films. All this and more helped make the film a masterpiece.
The Books of Daniel 