GODS AND MONSTERS by DeWyNGaLe (John Sylva) Rating: A+
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Director Bill Condon delivers this brilliant look into one of the world's most famous motion picture directors, the director of Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein, James Whale. Gods and Monsters is about this interesting man in the last years of his life. Ian McKellen, who deserved to win the Oscar for this role, plays Whale with such enthusiasm and talent, developing his character to the fullest. James Whale, who has been out of the motion picture business for around twenty years, has been living in a relatively small home, with his maid Hannah, played by Lynn Redgrave, who also deserved the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, an elderly woman with a strange accent, who loves her boss. One secret that is not known among the public is that Whale is gay. One man that definitely doesn't know so is his gardener, Clay Boone, played by Brendan Fraser, who becomes friends with Whale as they discuss Whale's hard life, through directing his movies, through Whale's hard times at war, and losing his friends.
The relationship between the James and Clay becomes greater throughout the film, and is developed much like a father/son relationship, in which Clay starts to admire Whale, but at the same time doesn't realize that his friend is gay.
The screenplay, which was written by Bill Condon, is marvelous, using flashbacks and hallucinations that really let you into the mind of Whale while his mentally stable status plummets. Gods and Monsters isn't just a look inside the director's mind, but it shows what war can do to a man, years after the events occurred, in ways that will in turn, haunt the viewer. Looking back on the film, I still remember those disturbing sequences, and I get a chill.
The entire premise of this film is brilliant, for it's not too often we get to see what the people behind the films and plays are like. Much like Shakespeare in Love, which let us see William Shakespeare, Gods and Monsters has one of the best screenplays of 1998. James Whale is shown not only dramatically, but comically as well, as he asks men to remove an article of clothing for every question he answers in an interview. James Whale is much like another recent Ian McKellen character, in the film Apt Pupil, in which McKellen played a former Nazi who still held the memories, and changed the life of a young boy, played by Brad Renfro, forever. Unlike Apt Pupil though, Gods and Monsters isn't as intense, as it concentrates more on quality rather than the intensity Apt Pupil had.
Lynn Redgrave is almost completely unrecognizable as Hannah, using a hysterical accent, and walking around with a hunchback. Hannah added a lot to the overall effect of the film, showing how one can put up with the strange man.
Brendan Fraser gives his best performance of his career, making Gods and Monsters his breakthrough film that will make him mainstream. Clayton, Fraser's character, is one that seems like your average person, and as his life is completely changed by that of James Whale's, Fraser is able to go places with his character that he hasn't been able to in past roles, giving a dramatic and moving performance.
Gods and Monsters overwhelmed me, as I viewed this man's life come to a slow, moving halt, when I expected only a light and interesting drama, based on clips from the film. What moved me the most was the flashbacks, and this combined with the great performances by McKellen, Fraser, and Redgrave make for a memorable film which will be in my mind for days to come.
The Bottom Line- One of the most moving, compelling, and best films of 1998.
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