The Bride

"The Bride" is more Thomas Hardy than Mary Shelley, and more Gothic romance than horror. Director Franc Roddam points out (on his DVD commentary) that he wanted to make a very different version of the old story by eliminating almost all elements of horror; so only the first ten minutes qualify as authentic horror.

Roddam does not discuss the illogic of making a film devoid of the very elements its "target audience" was interested in seeing, but we already know that "The Bride" had a very poor showing at the box office. This target audience disconnect was most likely the cause. Nor does he comment on the failure to market the film to another audience segment; those interested in Gothic period pieces.

It is especially cool that 20 years later the film is finally being discovered by this other audience and they are finding it a beautifully photographed example of their genre that emphasizes story-line and atmosphere over blood and gore.

Even the much criticized casting of inexperienced leads Jennifer Beals and Sting (although both look great in period costume) takes on a different dimension when the film is re-classified into the Gothic genre. Suddenly you see that it was the director who was responsible for the apparent lack of chemistry between the two stars, particularly Beals lack of passion in the scenes they share. Roddam wanted these performances from his actors to advance his story; they are not not a reflection of inexperience or talent limitation. Which is not to say that Sting will ever be mistaken for a great acting talent but Beals has been unjustly criticized for a shallow performance when she simply gave Roddam what he wanted from her character Eva. Eva is only learning how to feel as the film progresses and when the events have all played out you realize that her emotionless attitude was meant to convey the indifference she felt toward her creator.

I highly recommend this movie as Roddam is an excellent stylistic director and has made a very good and very original Gothic romance. The fantastic production design unifies what are two stories as Roddam cuts back and forth between the Baron (Sting) teaching his creation Eva (Beals) while David Rappaport as Rinaldo teaches his other creation Victor, played by Clancy Brown. There is a psychic link between the two creations which will result in a interesting plot twist.

Roddam has created a visually gorgeous film that has held up much better than the 1980's mainstream features that outperformed it at the box office. Don't be scared away by the negative comments, if you know what to expect (gothic romance not horror) almost any fan of films will enjoy "The Bride". I recommend the DVD, it was made from a flawless print and the widescreen presentation really showcases both the top-notch photography and the terrific work of the production designer.

... 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.

In this wonderful movie, Sting plays Dr. Frankenstein, who after already creating his first monster and finding him disappointing and annoying has decided to create the perfect woman. He's successful in his pursuit, but the first monster, Clancy Brown in a heartwarming role, is chased away after becoming a little to possessive of his new bride.

The monster runs off into the woods and befriends a little person, Rinaldo the Midget, played wonderfully by David Rappaport, on his way to join the circus. He invites the monster along, and gives him the name of Victor. It is from Rinaldo, who's patient and understanding in a way Dr. Frankenstein never was, that Victor learns how to get by in life, how to behave, how to share, and to go after your dreams.

Meanwhile, back at the castle, Dr. Frankenstein is trying to educate and enlighten his newest creation Eva, a lovely and talented Jennifer Beals. He aspires to create the perfect woman, as intelligent and independent as a man. He does not, however, consider the full implications of his aspirations.

As Eva grows and learns, she begins to ask questions. She has been lied to about who she is and where she comes from. Much to Dr. Frankenstein's annoyance, she has become strong-willed and independent, just like a man, but obviously not quite what he had considered. He had also not considered how arousing he would find her.

Victor and Rinaldo successfully join the circus after much persuading, but Rinaldo longs for his dream to visit Venice, and Victor discovers he longs for his dream of Eva, his intended.

As the movie progresses, there is an obvious connection between the two characters which they are aware of, but aren't in contact with each other.

As Dr. Frankenstein introduces Eva into society with a few little mishaps, Eva discovers a handsome young soldier played by a very young Cary Elwes. He pursues her as he would any woman he would like to bed, much to agitation of Dr. Frankenstein.

The movie moves towards its climax, bringing with it an intensity and a heartfelt conclusion that makes it overall a remarkable movie.

Sting manages to convey Dr. Frankenstein's increasing frustration with his independent, disobedient, yet lovely creation, a dark character who also enjoys his opium from time to time. The scenes with Victor and Rinaldo are wonderful. Jennifer Beals is perfectly bewitching, at first unknowing and naive, then becoming strong and intelligent as the movie progresses, yet still revealing an innocence to her character.

I think anyone would be charmed and entertained by this wonderful movie, and I highly recommend it to all.

The lovely young student of Baron Charles Frankenstein tires of his strict tutelage and rebels, unaware she was indeed brought to life by the mad doctor--sewn together from corpses--and that a male counterpart to whom she was intended is roaming the countryside. Director Franc Roddam and screenwriter Lloyd Fonvielle's underrated rethinking of 1935's "The Bride of Frankenstein" hasn't much intrinsic spirit, though it does have lyrical scenes and interesting performances which qualify it as a fascinating misfire. As the Baron, rock star Sting poses sufficiently and glowers moodily, though he's all on one-note; Jennifer Beals is somewhat better as the Bride--with feminist leanings--and a number of her scenes (such as her first run-in with a cat and her dialogue with a derelict traveler) are quite beguiling. Critically-lambasted film has beauty, but little mystery--it's intriguing without truly being effective. Clancy Brown plays the initial (sympathetic) creation of Frankenstein, and his friendship with happy-go-lucky dwarf David Rappaport is marvelous, though this side-story really belongs to a separate picture (it holds the central action back, and keeps it from blossoming). "The Bride" is surprisingly ambitious and has rather grand moments, but a complete success it is not. **1/2 from ****

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!