Mary Shelly Essay

In this essay I will be commenting on the effects Kenneth Branagh, the director and actor, has used on the â€Å"creation scene† in the film â€Å"Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein†. The film was released in 1994 but before it was a film it was a novel that was published in 1818 by a writer named Mary Shelly. The film version of this was then named with the writer’s names in the title in order to make it sound authentic. The film has a gothic/horror genre or theme, and I will try to analyse the different types of effects used e. g. camera angle, sound and music, lighting and special effects, costume, make-up hair and props. Robert De Niro plays the monster in this film. The reason that such a famous actor was picked to play this role and not just any random person in a suit is because then Kenneth Branagh can put Robert De Niro’s name on the front cover of the film to show that they have at least one famous person in the film. Another reason might be because then other people, considering watching or buying this film, might want to watch it to see the famous actor. When Victor Frankenstein, played by Kenneth Branagh, first enters the laboratory he is dressed in a red cape with gold embroidery, this has connotations of royalty and power. A boxer might wear this type of cape before he begins to fight to show that he is scared of nothing and is a hard man. Branagh, knowing this, is trying to project it on Victor. Victor has got nothing else on his top half but on his bottom half he has tatty trousers and shoes to show that he hasn’t had much time to spend on appearance. Another technique Branagh uses to make Victor seem strong and/or bold is by filming him through a low angle shot, making it seem like he is towering above everyone else. Also, non-diegetic, fast paced, loud music is played to make it seem like what he is doing is really important but also that he is in a rush to finish it and make history. Not only is Victor made to seem important but so is the monster by pulling it up with the pulley on to the track and as it ascends, a bright light is shone directly above it. Since this light is so strong it creates a circle of light around the creation. I believe that the effect of this is to suggest the creation as a gift to God or even to make it seem like it is so close to him that Victor can show God he is about to create life just like he did. Victor is filmed using a high angle shot running at the same speed as the monster on the cradle. The effect of this is to show that Victor is completely dependant on the creation of the monster, therefore not letting it out of his sight. If Victor didn’t care as much about it, he would have waited by the tank where the track finishes. Lots of diegetic sound is used when the log knocks the cradle and as it is running along the tracks. When the creature is put into the tank, and is above the fire, Branagh uses a series of extreme close up shots as the spikes are being stabbed into the monster. This type of shot is used so that you can almost feel the spikes going into you as you sit at home or in the cinema. This also creates sympathy for the monster. As the camera shots dissolve through all the bits of machinery and all the electric lines, which have sparks coming out of them to show that they are high voltage, it shows that there are loads of different things going on at the same time. The effect of this is to show that the task of creating the monster is extremely difficult because there are a lot of things to do and think about. While Victor is fastening a tube to the tank the camera slowly zooms out and pans to the right to show that the tube is connected to a big sack, which is shaking, that retains electric eels and a lot of amniotic fluid. The effect of this is to suggest that this is like a real birth because Victor uses amniotic fluid held in a sack or a container like in a real mothers womb. The sack is also filmed in a low angle shot to make it seem as it is a main part in the creation of the monster. As the eels are released into the tank they start to attack the monster at first. Then it looks like they are trying to heal him as they go for stitches to make it seem like they are repairing the monster. The first of this part is filmed using a close up, panning shot running up the monsters body, then an over the shoulder shot of the eels repairing him is employed. There is a lot in the mise en scene when Victor is standing on the tank. Victor himself standing on the tank, with the sack that held the amniotic fluid in, shaking the chains, looks to me like he has got eight hands due to the way the light is shone onto the sack. I think that if this was deliberate then it is meant to portray that he is Godlike with eight hands meaning that he is more powerful than an everyday man. The fire under the tank looks like it has been over fuelled so it is jumping up the side or even dancing.