Gods and Monsters (Special Edition)
starring: Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave, Lolita Davidovich, David Dukes
directed by: Bill Condon
directed by: Bill Condon
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9780783234090
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 0783234090
Label: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Universal Studios
Region Code: 1
Release Date: June 08, 1999
Running Time: 105 minutes
Sales Rank: 12494
Studio: Universal Studios
Theatrical Release Date: November 04, 1998
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
One of the most critically acclaimed films of 1998 and winner of several awards including the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, Gods and Monsters is a compassionate speculation about the final days of James Whale (1889-1957), the director of Frankenstein and 20 other films of the 1930s and '40s, who was openly gay at a time when homosexuality in Hollywood was discreetly concealed. Adapted and directed by Bill Condon from Christopher Bram's novel Father of Frankenstein, the film stars Ian McKellen in a sublime performance as the white-haired Whale, who is portrayed as a dapper gent and amateur artist prompted by failing health into melancholy remembrance of things past. Flashbacks of lost love, World War I battle trauma, and glory days in Hollywood combine with Whale's present-day attraction to a newly hired yard worker (Brendan Fraser) whose hunky, Frankenstein-like physique makes him an ideal model for Whale's fixated sketching.
The friendship between the handsome gardener and his elderly gay admirer is by turns tenuous, humorous, mutually beneficial, and ultimately rather sad--but to Condon's credit Whale is never seen as pathetic, lecherous, or senile. Equally rich is the rapport between Whale and his long-time housekeeper (played with wry sarcasm by Lynn Redgrave), who serves as protector, mother, and even surrogate spouse while Whale's mental state deteriorates. Flashbacks to Whale's filmmaking days are painstakingly authentic (particularly in the casting of look-alike actors playing Boris Karloff and Elsa Lanchester), and all of these ingredients combine to make Gods and Monsters (executive produced by horror novelist-filmmaker Clive Barker) a touchingly affectionate film that succeeds on many levels. It is at once a keen glimpse of Hollywood's past, a loving tribute to James Whale, and a richly moving, delicately balanced drama about loneliness, memory, and the passions that keep us alive. --Jeff Shannon
Average Rating: 
Rating:
- One of Hollywood's Best Gay-Themed Films"Gods and Monsters" boasts an elegant and insightful script, fine acting from all the principals (Ian ... Read More
Rating:
- Quite simply beautiful.This movie is quite simply perfect. Life and death, love and friendship they're all explored here in ... Read More
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- We aren't made of sugar!I thought this was an excellent, well cast movie. I really liked the concept and the look that it gave ... Read More
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- Yuck!I never would have bought this except that I lost the copy I naively borrowed from the library, and I needed ... Read More
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