Gods and Monsters

Released 1998
Stars Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave, Lolita Davidovich
Directed by Bill Condon

Frankenstein. The Old Dark House. The Invisible Man. The Bride of Frankenstein. Show Boat. Although this may sound like one of those "which doesn't belong" games, there is a common element to all five '30s motion pictures - they are the enduring legacy of director James Whale. Whale, an Englishman who started on the British stage, came to Hollywood in 1930, and, with the release of Frankenstein in 1931, established himself as a premiere horror film maker. Whale's career spanned the '30s, but, after the spectacular failure of 1937's The Road Back (a picture on which he claims to have lost creative control), his star dimmed. By the mid-'40s, he was out of the motion picture industry and had turned his attention to painting. Gods and Monsters presents a fictionalized account of the last month of Whale's life, and is replete with flashbacks to his boyhood, his time in the trenches during World War One, and his movie-making heyday.

The force behind bringing Whale's story to the screen is executive producer Clive Barker, the creator of the Hellraiser series. Barker has a great deal in common with Whale - their nationalities, preferred genres,, and sexual preferences are the same - so it comes as no surprise that he would champion this motion picture. The director, Bill Condon, shows the kind of skill behind the camera that one might not associate with a film maker whose most impressive previous credit was Candyman II. But Condon has a fine screenplay and a superlative cast, and, with those two elements in place, he creates an engaging and effective movie.

Summary written by James Berardinelli

This is a fascinating fictional/factual account of a very interesting person near the end of his life. It takes the facts and weaves them into a speculative portrait of what James Whale's mental state may have been at the end. It's sad to watch this life-loving person lose his faculties and come to the point where he no longer wishes to live, but his life stories are enthralling. I would have been as enraptured as the fictional Clay Boone. It's funny because in most situations I would have reacted similarly to Clay. I'm homophobic in that I don't like to see other men's bodies or have men touch me--I couldn't care less what other people do in their bedrooms, but I don't want to hear about (male) gay sex in any way, shape or form. I would have objected to Whale's sex talk also, but I would have enjoyed his company and his other stories just like Clay.

Some of the film's humor comes from the people around Whale. There's his maid, Hannah, who plays a cross between a peasant and Igor. I loved every time she referred to "the master." There there's Clay with his flat top crew cut and muscular build, who bears a resemblance to Frankenstein's monster. The story builds the idea that Whale is shaping Clay (symbolic name perhaps?) into his final monster. I don't think this thread works, but it's subtle enough that it doesn't affect the picture.

The best part of this film is Ian McKellen's brilliant performance as James Whale. He perfectly portrayed the lust, frailty, and anguish of this man. I can't believe Roberto Benigni won the Oscar for Best Actor over McKellan. My only complaint was the ending. It should have ended with the pool scene, but Hollywood hates a down ending.

Clive Barker and Bill Condon should be very proud of this film. When their careers are over, this may end up being their crown jewel--their "Showboat." If it were me, I'd be very proud to be able to say that. --Bill Alward, August 17, 2001