Gods and Monsters (1998)
Director: Bill Condon Cast: Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave, Lolita Davidovich, Kevin J. O'Connor Screenplay: Bill Condon Producers: Paul Colichman, Gregg Fienberg, Mark R. Harris Runtime: 105 min. US Distribution: Lions Gate Films Rated R: homosexual themes, nudity, profanity
Copyright 1998 Nathaniel R. Atcheson
When Gods and Monsters ended, I was confused. I wasn't confused by the film, but by the fact that I was unmoved by a story that should be moving, and by a performance that rates among the best of the year. The performance to which I refer comes courtesy of Ian McKellen, who plays James Whale, the director famous for such films as Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and Show Boat. Apparently, he's also famous for being a homosexual. Written and directed by Bill Condon, Gods and Monsters is a film with immense potential.
Unfortunately, it's also a conglomerate of missed opportunities. Much of the film is played for laughs, but not enough of it is taken seriously to the point where we can identify with any of the characters. The moments that are serious are so straight-faced that they seem to stick out, colliding with the playful tone that wants to overtake the film. McKellen's performance is a revelation -- it makes the entire movie worth watching. But it's one of those movies that makes you wonder what it would have been without the masterful central performance.
Condon doesn't provide a very strong narrative; this seems to be his intention, but the result is going to be a plot synopsis that doesn't sound like much: the film centers around the very-homosexual Whale in his later years, living in a nice home with his housekeeper (Lynn Redgrave), spying on young, muscular men who come to work on his house.
The man who catches his eye is the very-heterosexual Clay Boone (Brendan Fraser), a young go-nowhere type who finds Whale interesting but not sexually desirable. Whale wants to paint Clay's portrait, and, because he's curious, Clay agrees. From that point, the two men begin an interesting platonic relationship. Along the way, we see numerous flashbacks to Whale's memories of World War I and to his days making movies in Hollywood.
The first thing I found disarming about Gods and Monsters is Condon's use of flashbacks. I find flashbacks distracting in general, although they are sometimes appropriate when used in a non-intrusive manner. The problem with the flashbacks here is that they come at the worst time -- in one scene, Whale is telling Clay about the war as he paints his portrait; McKellen's acting here is wonderful and intense. But, just when I was getting drawn into the moment, a flashback jostled me out of it. Most of the memories that are explained by flashbacks would have been more effective as dialogue. I did, however, like the scenes that show Whale's passion as a director -- I think that side of him is necessary.
What makes the entire film worth everyone's effort is McKellen's performance. There's something about watching a seasoned, experienced actor play in a role that has so many levels as this one. Whale is an interesting character -- one of the more interesting layers is the contrast between his service in the military and his active homosexuality during that time. McKellen nails the role without being too flamboyant; you can see how much fun he's having in just about every scene. Of course, there are a few heavy moments -- the conclusion has little space for laughs, but McKellen never lets us down. I was also impressed with Brendan Fraser, who is vastly suitable for this role; he has that dumbfounded look to accompany the crew cut and perfectly square body.
The real problem with the film is that it just isn't very engaging. The flashbacks are one problem, but it also doesn't give us a whole lot to latch on to. The performances are more enlightening than Condon's script, which is based on the novel Father of Frankenstein by Christopher Bram. The ending, too, is anticlimactic; I can not say why without giving it away, but I can say that I wasn't sure what the characters were supposed to have learned from their experiences. What Gods and Monsters comes down to is this: there may be potential in the story of the homosexual director James Whale, but Bill Condon's version of it doesn't seem to find much of it. But thanks to Ian McKellen, it's still worth seeing. Funny how that works.
Psychosis Rating: 6/10
Visit FILM PSYCHOSIS at http://www.pyramid.net/natesmovies
Nathaniel R. Atcheson
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews