Frankenstein via National Theatre Live, Revisited

[eldritchhobbit]

I just took advantage of the glorious opportunity to see the encore screenings of the National Theatre's Frankenstein (play by Nick Dear, directed by Danny Boyle, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternating the roles of the Creature and Frankenstein). I first saw it last year.

Comments

[febobe]

I would have LOVED to see this; as it is, I'm grateful for your detailed review! I fell in love with Frankenstein (the original novel) during undergrad...its various interpretations that fall close to the book rather than pure Hollywood stereotypes have fascinated me ever since. :D

*hugs you*

[eldritchhobbit]

I'm so, so glad this was of interest to you! Thanks for your lovely comments, my friend. <3

[eldritchhobbit]

My pleasure! Thanks so much for reading and commenting.

[eldritchhobbit]

Oh, thanks for sharing my review with him! I'm so glad this was of use/interest to you.

This was a wonderful treatment on how actors bring their own life to a character.

Yes, that's it exactly. (And very interesting to contemplate in light of the different Sherlocks...)

Thanks

[virtualjean]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I, too, was struck by Mr. Cumberbatch's interpretation and remember feeling so chilled when he told Elizabeth that he had learned to lie. You have already expressed the admiration I have for BC's performance, but I do want to say that it's shown that even The (male) Creature has more freedom than Elizabeth does. I'm sure Dear's play deliberately paralleled the lack of control that both Elizabeth and The Female Bride had over their own lives.

Re: Thanks

[eldritchhobbit]

Thank you for your terrific comments! You make an excellent point! The parallel between Elizabeth and the Female Creature was well drawn. It was also underscored very effectively, I think, how Victor confused education with intelligence (and thus assumed - very wrongly, as becomes clear - that because Elizabeth had been denied the one, she lacked the other). Naomie Harris did such a fantastic job of communicating Elizabeth's rather profound moral understanding (identifying Victor's sin of pride, offering her friendship to the Creature, etc.).

[rilestar]

I really enjoyed your review, thanks for sharing it! Like you, I prefer the BC-as-Creature version. The remorse and anguish he feels when he commits these atrocities rip at my heart, while I am less moved by Jonny's emotionally undeveloped, aggressive-child approach. Don't get me wrong, I think both versions are fantastic and valid, but the BC/Creature version really moves me. I also preferred BC's birth scene, as I felt JLM's Creature was up and moving too quickly

[eldritchhobbit]

I'm so sorry I haven't responded to you sooner. Somehow I didn't receive a notice of your comments! I really appreciate your kind words. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

I was absolutely fascinated at how the approach to the Creature so affected the portrayal of Victor. JLM's Victor matches up with BC's Creature so well - his anguish over his faults and short-comings is palpable. And the chilling coldness of BC's Victor matches perfectly with the more aggressive, less emotionally-developed portrayal of JLM's Creature. You could not have BC's Victor paired with BC's Creature - the portrayals would not mesh at all.Yes! You make such an excellent point here. The degree to which each of the two actors crafted his performance/interpretation to respond to his counterpart's is stunning. It allows the two different shows to be in conversation with each other rather than simply reworking the exact same ground. I'm so glad I saw both performances

[litlover12]

Wonderful review!

[eldritchhobbit]

Oh, thank you so much! :D I really appreciate it.