The Bride

MORD39 RATING: ** out of ****

This movie is too wrongly maligned. It's at least enjoyable half of the time, since it functions as two different stories which merge together later on.

The best part of the movie regards the adventures of the Frankenstein Monster (well-played by Clancy Brown) and his friendly dwarf companion (the excellent David Rappaport) as they roam the exquisite countryside trying to discover their dreams. When this half of the movie is playing, you can't help but be moved.

Unfortunately, the other half consists of rock star Sting (it hurts me to say this, but I think he makes a good Frankenstein) and the gorgeous Jennifer Beals as his latest creation. They don't add anything to the whole mix, though,, and only get in the way and slow things down. This film could have been quite good indeed had these parts been removed, and the exploits of the monster and his pal been fleshed out.

I think my opinion is a popular one among critics and fans, but one thing is clear: this film is not as bad as some think, and it's in no way intended to be a re-make of 1935's BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN.

... but fails to add up to much. For some reason, the doctor's name is Charles this time around. Rock star Sting stars as Chuck Frankenstein, who has already created his original monster (Clancy Brown) as the film begins, and he's in the midst of creating his piecemeal bride. Assisting him are Quentin Crisp as a stand-in for the old film's Pretorius, and Timothy Spall as an Igor-type. Things go south, and Clancy goes on the run. Chuck decides to "raise" the beautiful bride (Jennifer Beals) as his ward, and introduce her into high society. Clancy meets a traveling dwarf (David Rappaport) who decides to name the creature Viktor, and they eventually start to work in a circus. Much of the film is a split narrative. Half follows Chuck Frankenstein and the bride, now named Eva, while the other half follows Viktor and his life in the circus.

Also featuring comedian Alexei Sayle, Anthony Higgins, 60's supermodel Veruschka as a Countess, Cary Elwes as a dashing young courtier, and Geraldine Page as Chuck's housekeeper and tutor to Eva. The costumes are nice, and there's an old-fashioned score by Maurice Jarre. The problems come from a lack of narrative flow, little momentum, and some underwritten characters. Frankenstein completists should see it for the variations on the theme, but most viewers will be bored when they're not rolling their eyes. This was originally touted as being a feminist take on the story, but I didn't really see that then or now.

Too bad Jennifer Beal wasn't justly compensated for "Flashdance" two years earlier - she only got 15K for her role! - or she might have had better roles to choose from than this.

Scripted by Lloyd Fonvielle from the novel by Mary Shelley, this is a fairly interesting revisionist take on Shelley's legendary story. Rock star Sting stars as the icy cold Charles Frankenstein, who as the film opens has already created his male monster (Clancy Brown), and is now in the process of constructing the monsters' mate (Jennifer Beals), whom he names Eva. During the subsequent destruction of Frankensteins' lab, the male monster escapes, soon making the acquaintance of amiable dwarf Rinaldo (David Rappaport). Rinaldos' ambition is to eventually make it to Venice, but for now he wants to join a circus to make ends meet, and the monster - who *Rinaldo* dubs Viktor - tags along. Meanwhile, Frankenstein works hard at creating, in his eyes, the perfect woman to introduce to high society.

The lovely friendship between Rinaldo and Viktor is the true heart and soul of the film, and makes it worth seeing. Rappaport is so endearing - he's the real star of this show - and he and Brown work so well together, that they make the segments with Beals and Sting less intriguing by comparison. There is a theme here of men harbouring a fear and distrust of the empowered woman, and Frankensteins' desire to basically be in charge of Evas' life is part of his undoing. Brown is wonderful as Viktor, and while Sting and Beals do decent jobs, they're not as much fun to watch. A superb supporting cast consisting of Anthony Higgins, Geraldine Page, Alexei Sayle, Phil Daniels, Veruschka von Lehndorff, Quentin Crisp, Cary Elwes, Timothy Spall, Guy Rolfe, and Tony Haygarth lends a great deal of respectability.

"The Bride" has the absolutely perfect look in terms of classic Gothic horror, but in the end it's much more of a drama, and romance, than a horror film. Its opening scene is certainly great horror in the old tradition, and the lab set is amazing. The period recreation is impeccable, and Maurice Jarres' music is beautiful.

Overall, a good film worth a look or revisit for fans of this kind of literature.

Seven out of 10.

A beautiful movie! It was really quite lusciously filmed, where everything - the set designs, the costumes, outdoor locations, and luscious depiction of an early 18th century Transylvania setting – are absolutely top-notch, and give the film an almost magical sort of quality. This is "must see" film making.

The movie basically deals with the lives and fates of two living creations of Dr. Frankenstein (played by Sting): one, Viktor, (whom you might think of as "Frankenstein's Monster") is a big scary guy. The other, Eva (played by Jennifer Beals), is a beautiful young woman. Both have been created from spare body parts, and then brought to life by Dr. Frankenstein in the laboratory. There is a storm and a fire, the tower in which the laboratory is housed is destroyed, and Viktor escapes to fend for himself out in the countryside of Transylvania. Eva is taken care of by Dr. Frankenstein who, along with others in the castle, helps to educate the helpless young woman.

That, essentially, is the setting for the movie, and it is told in a surprisingly effective "dual tales" sort of technique. In one story, we watch as Viktor goes out on his own, and meets up with Rinaldo, a sly but very lovable midget (played by David Rappaport). Rinaldo convinces Viktor that the two of them would make a good living by going off to join the circus, and so off they go, getting involved in a couple of amusing scrapes along the way. Eventually they do indeed end up with the circus, where both are mercilessly exploited by the circus entrepreneurs Magar and Bela (played by Alexei Sayles and Phil Daniels).

Meanwhile, back at the castle... We watch how Eva is carefully groomed and schooled in the finest European fashion, and meticulously transformed, Eliza Doolittle-style, into quite the proper upper class young lady.

The movie carefully, and with nicely-timed pacing, switches back and forth between these two stories, and these stories prove to be very enjoyable watching.

I didn't find it distracting whatsoever to see Sting playing Dr. Frankenstein. Sure, they could have found a different and arguably better actor to play the good (?) doctor, but at the time this movie was made (1985) Sting was "the Man" – you know, the dude with the star-power name who could pull in the teenagers. And probably the same could be said for Jennifer Beals, who was still riding high from her recent fame in 1983's Flashdance. They need to fill those seats in the theaters, folks! No, they aren't that bad: don't let that deter you from seeing the movie. (And if you are a Sting fan or a Jennifer Beals fan (and we know how painful THAT can be) then you will be even more delighted with this film).

Oh yes, I said in the summary bar above that this is also a thought-provoking story. Well, basically, both Viktor and Eva are subjected to varying degrees of exploitation by their "benefactors," and one can't help but feel that the movie is an allegory for how the strong exploit the weak. This was especially true back in the days of old, where man exploited man. Now, thankfully, we live in a modern and enlightened age, and it's just the opposite!

I love it when I find a movie in the bargain bin, watch it, and it turns out to be really good. Such is the case with The Bride. The cinematography is beautifully done, creating a rich atmosphere and setting for the story. Filmed in England and France, the locations add some real authenticity to the story; this is no Hollywood back lot. Some may criticize the acting skills of the leads or the degree of depth in the story line, but one thing is sure, the movie is consistent in story, direction, mood, and content from beginning to end, a well delivered package. I also enjoyed this spin on the Frankenstein monster; he's got personality and character. Instead of being only an object of horror as in other films, the viewer gets to know and identify with him as the movie progresses, coming to care for his success and well being. As another viewer stated previously, approach this movie as a Gothic novel instead of a horror story, and you're sure to find some enjoyment from it.