Both Mary Shelley and Kenneth Branagh acknowledge Victor as a bad creator in their interpretations of Frankenstein. Branagh, however, dissimilarly to Shelley uses his visual medium in order to expand upon the opposing creator styles of God and Victor, both in the sense of Victor’s loss of Elizabeth, and creation of the monster, in a way left unsaid by Shelley. He successfully accomplishes this by focusing on extending Shelley’s original ideas as well as by using his medium to speed up and slow down his scenes in order to allow his audience to give their full attention at his intended places.
In the Branagh version of the monster’s creation, Victor is not only seen as a bad creator, but his bad creator persona is intensified through the contrastingly unnatural images of the monster and Jesus Christ’s births. Both individuals were created devoid of natural human law; however God created Christ as a good creator in order to save human kind from its sin. In contrast, Victor Frankenstein created the monster to fulfill his own personal scientific goals. Branagh presents Victor and his monster covered in amniotic fluid as Victor attempts to show the monster how to stand. The sight is one which undoubtedly makes an audience cringe due to the stark contrast between Victor’s normal body and that of the monster’s naked clumsy one. The camera shows the two bodies side-by-side in an awkward, slow, and unnatural way. This is an intentional transition, further emphasized by the dramatic change in the pace of the scene, which just moments before was loud, fast, and filled with music. In addition, the elimination of a female figure in the birthing scene, again seems unnatural.
In failing to connect with the monster Victor gives up on him by allowing him to be caught and elevated in chains. This act is not simply a connection to Christ’s crucifixion but also a solidification of Victor as a bad creator. Still covered in amniotic fluid, the monster falls into the chains, and springs several feet off the ground as the chains cacophonously clank together. The monster appears to be hung from the chains, his arms and feet spread slightly, in a symbolic form of crucifixion. In this case, Branagh’s version shows the scenes jumping quickly from the birth to the suspected death of the monster, as he lays limply suspended in the air. Victor abusing his power as a creator neither places inquiry into the monster’s well being, nor mourns his assumption of the monster’s death.
Despite the horror and resulting consequences that incurred from Victor’s creation of the monster, elements of bad creation again show forth in his revival of Elizabeth. Victor’s act is contrary to the creation of Christ, as God created Christ for the good of man kind and with the knowledge the his son would have to be sacrificed to save humanity. God’s intentions in his bringing Christ back from the dead were therefore good, and for the good of mankind. Victor, however, recreates Elizabeth after the monster has killed her. He performs her revival in the same fashion in which he originally brought his monster to life. This is proof that Victor is not only a bad creator, but one that unfortunately refuses to repent and learn from his mistakes.
Branagh’s version of Frankenstein injects the scene in which Elizabeth is recreated in order to provide the audience with a more dramatic ending than originally provided by Shelley. Branagh strays from Shelley’s intended closing by adding the scene, which in reality is more of a reference to the Bride of Frankenstein as opposed to Frankenstein itself. Additionally, Branagh’s emphasis on gender and lack of femininity in the birthing scene is again revived in Elizabeth’s recreation. The mother figure is again removed and replaced by Victor. Yet, even more unsettling is the fact that Elizabeth scarifies herself when both the monster and Victor begin fighting over her. Branagh’s creation of Elizabeth, in contrast to the awkward birthing scene of the monster, moves exceedingly fast. This leaves the audience wondering whether Elizabeth gives her life because of her new and unfortunate appearance, or due to the fact that both men are arguing over possession of her. Regardless, Victor’s plan to live with this new construction of Elizabeth obviously backfires, as his pursuit of his own selfish desires leads him to refuse to comprehend and abide by natural human laws.
In Shelley’s version of Frankenstein the parallels between Christ and the monster are not etched as clearly in her penmanship as in Branagh’s visual interpretation. In conjunction with this, Branagh’s use of additional scenes and visual effects allows his interpretation to exceed the limited allowances of the written word. He further highlights the issues of both Victor as a bad creator and gender in order to provide his audience with a greater, more intense effect. Because of the visual aspect of Branagh’s film, the viewer is able to get a clearer picture of gender interaction, specifically that of Victor, Elizabeth, and the monster. Through changing certain aspects of Shelley’s original Frankenstein, Branagh is able to make a more exciting, thrilling film than could not have been achieved if his interpretation had stayed strictly true to Shelley’s text.
