The recollection of Mary Shelley's waking dream that inspired the story of Frankenstein.
In Leicester (as some people may know) there is the Curve cinema in the 'culture district' or whatever it is meant to be called. I happened to be in a bar (which was a bit of an arty- farty place) sitting there with company and as I was leaving I picked up a brochure for the Curve cinema.
After flicking through some of the productions I happened to comes across the filmed production of Danny Boyle's Frankenstein play. It was on (as my sister later pointed out in conversation) a so called 'encore run' because loads of people wanted to see it.
Instead of going to the curve it turned out that myself and company would go to the special cinema in Nottingham. We bought our tickets and went.
Man, I love gothic literature. You could pick between two versions of the production (oh yeah and it's from the National Theater by the way), one in which John Lee Miller was the monster and Benedict Cumberbatch was Victor or you could have it the other way round, with Cumberbatch as the monster and Victor being Miller. I went to the production with Miller as the monster. I always imagined Cumberbatch to play the more scientist- y, suave type, characters anyway just by the general way that he acts... in person.
Here is part of the blurb of the play that was on the souvenir sheet program,
"Childlike in his innocence but grotesque in form, Frankenstein's bewildered Creature is cast out into a hostile universe by his horror- struck maker...the friendless Creature... determines to track down his creator and strike a terrifying deal."
The film/play went on for two hours and fifteen minutes and I was literally blown away by how brilliantly amazing it was.
The story starts with the creation of the creature, bursting out of his womb- like cocoon like a new born yet fully grown, stitched up baby. The first few minutes starts with a simple scene with the creature trying in several attempts to begin to walk. He is unable to talk so his initial frustrations can only be expressed through grunts. The first scene ends with Victor walking into the scene, looking with disgust at his creation, running away screaming.
As the play went on it went with the creature itself, allowing you to see into his early experiences of this new world that he has come into. Themes of fallen angels and the worth of all life spills into the play... a satisfying watch.
Whenever he met a human he is rejected and reviled... which leads him to find his creator to ask him to do something for him... to create a mate, made the same way he was so that he may leave human society and flee to South America...
... that is all I shall describe about the play because you should go to the appropriate cinema and watch the play and/or read the book.
By the way the story is far more complex and wonderful than the small description that I have written.
OH BOY WAS IT GOOD! The scenery... the acting... the heart rending portrayal of the monster (I sound like a right reviewer).
The climax of the play differed from that of the book... but didn't at all matter because it helped to express the point that was needed to be shown to the audience. The creature fighting his creator and the creator pursuing the creature... was there any purpose to it? Could both of them be each others keys to understanding the world... or be each others purposes for living? FANTASTIC!!!
Whatever type of thing is your 'thing'... then this 'thing' will be your 'thing' also no matter what 'thing' you normally like... this is something that you should see... as a favor to yourself you might say.
Nice one.
Over and Out.
ED.
P.S--- Johnny Lee Miller was a wonderful beyond believe Creature. Also where does the origin of the surname Cumberbatch come from... because it doesn't sound Anglo- Saxon or Scandinavian or anything like that... and yet it sounds English (?)
