Relevance to DS: DS did their take on "Frankenstein" with the Adam storyline!
I am interested in only two movie versions of "Frankenstein": "Terror of Frankenstein" (aka "Victor Frankenstein") directed by Calvin Floyd in a coproduction of Ireland and Sweden. I used to promote this version whenever the subject of movie versions of Frankenstein came up as this is the ONLY movie version that follows the book faithfully (a few things are left out, such as the Justine subplot). However, on viewing it for about the third time (it's available on a cheap DVD, which at least looks a heck of a lot better than the print I had taped from a TV airing a few years back), I'm not sure I can enthusiastically endorse it to anyone other than those who have a great interest in Mary Shelley's novel, or perhaps to a class that is studying the novel. The settings, scenery, and atmosphere are good, but the acting is pretty dreadful, and the Swedish accents are, well, it's hard not to laugh, especially at the Creature's accent (my apologies to any Swedes out there)! The late British actor Nicolas Clay (Lancelot in "Excalibur") gives the film's best performance as Henry Clerval.
Dan Curtis' version, well, I bought the tape from MPI, but I just couldn't make it through the tape ... the only other film I remember not being able to make it through (though I finally did with gritty determination and at least 3 tries) is "Citizen Kane," but that's another story ... Maybe it got better after the first hour; some day I'll give it another try when I have absolutely nothing better to do or to watch.
The version I am most enthusiastic about at this point is the 1973 NBC-TV late night two-part adaptation "Frankenstein: the True Story" with Leonard Whiting, Michael Sarrazin, Jame Mason, and Jane Seymour (and delightful cameos by Agnes Moorhead, John Gielgud, and others). I remember being sorely disappointed in this version when I saw it while in grade school -- I had just read the novel upon my aunt's recommendation, and although the novel's philosophical themes went over my head, it was clear that the "True Story" was anything but a faithful adaptation of the novel. Still, I remained curious about it over the years but never saw it again until a couple of years ago when the complete mini-series aired on cable. As I watched it again and did some reading on it, I saw that this was a highly original and interesting re-visioning of the novel. I've since learned that the characters were actually molded on the real-life circle of the Shelley's: Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, Dr. Polidori, Claire Clairmont, et al. So the story works on several levels. All of this had certainly gone over my head as a kid, as did the homoerotic elements and other aspects. I've been reading the script recently which is somewhat different from the version that aired on TV, at least in some introductory scenes with Mary, Percy, Byron, Polidori, et al. I feel that this script, which was widely available as a mass-market paperback at the time (I think I remember seeing it at supermarket checkouts, that type of thing) inspired whomever wrote the movie "Gothick" which picked up on the Shelley circle (in a rather bizarre movie that I didn't care much for). The script, by the way, was co-authored by Christopher Isherwood, who apparently was dissatisfied with the way the TV production was toned down or changed from his script.
I have a question regarding the recent (maybe 2 yrs ago) airing: does anyone recall what station aired it? I think it was AMC but can't be sure. The airing was completely unscheduled ... people here were anticipating the Dan Curtis version, which is what the station had announed it was showing. I know people here were disappointed at the time, but they actually were treated to a version that has been highly praised by critics and which many, many people would have given a lot to have known it was airing (people had been searching for the film or waiting for a re-airing for 30 years at that time). I would like to contact whichever channel it was that showed it and request a re-airing so I could tape it again (I missed the very beginning last time). Apparently this appeared on VHS a few years back in a very shortened form that completely destroyed the film's integrity. It has not been made available on DVD.
