Frankenstein in Print and on Film

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that Whale's 'Frankenstein', although based on Mary Shelley's classic tale of a young Victor Frankenstein seeking ultimate knowledge through experiments with the dead, was also based on a number of earlier stage versions. Thus, the differences between Shelley's novel and Whale's film version in the context of what was gained and what was lost can be explained by the artistic need to simplify and condense Shelley's long and complex plot into an enjoyable ninety minutes of sheer terror, mayhem and murder. It should be mentioned that Whale's version of the novel has come to epitomize our current vision of the Frankenstein monster, created by Universal Studios rather than from the original novel. The writer concludes that there are many scenes in Whale's film version that adds substantially to Shelley's original tale, yet because it is a film, it cannot convey the true depth and pathos of Shelley's novel in a mere ninety minutes.

From the Paper:

"First of all, the inclusion in the film of the mad and physically-deformed Fritz, played brilliantly by Dwight Frye, as Dr. Frankenstein's lab assistant introduces a major deviation in the plot by accidentally stealing the diseased brain of a murderer from the dissecting room of the local university. The scene which portrays this theft of a dead man's brain shows Fritz entering a window and climbing down to the lab, where he first picks up a jar containing a normal brain. But after dropping it, he picks up another jar holding the diseased brain and quickly leaves the lab. As a result, the Monster ends up with the brain of a murderer, rather than the brain of a normal person.
"Although this scene does not appear anywhere in Shelley's novel, it does add a certain ghoulish flavor to the film. In contrast, Shelley's most basic philosophical tenet in the novel revolves around the Creature's rejection by his creator and by humanity which drives him to commit evil deeds, meaning that his brain is that of a normal human being. Yet Shelley does not even mention this in her novel; rather, she leaves it to the reader's imagination."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
• Frankenstein, James Whale

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