Gods and Monsters (1998)

Director:

Bill Condon

Writers (WGA):

Christopher Bram (novel)
Bill Condon (screenplay)

Release Date:

4 November 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot:

The last days of Frankenstein director James Whale are explored.

Plot Keywords:

Frankenstein | Friendship | Gardener | Homosexual | Stroke

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 32 wins & 23 nominations

Cast

Ian McKellen	...	James Whale
Brendan Fraser	...	Clayton Boone
Lynn Redgrave	...	Hanna
Lolita Davidovich	...	Betty
David Dukes	...	David Lewis
Kevin J. O'Connor	...	Harry
Mark Kiely	...	Dwight
Jack Plotnick	...	Edmund Kay
Rosalind Ayres	...	Elsa Lanchester
Jack Betts	...	Boris Karloff
Matt McKenzie	...	Colin Clive
Todd Babcock	...	Leonard Barnett
Cornelia Hayes O'Herlihy	...	Princess Margaret
Brandon Kleyla	...	Young Whale
Pamela Salem	...	Sarah Whale

Also Known As:

The Father of Frankenstein (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual material and language.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Iceland:12 | Singapore:R(A) | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Germany:12 | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | South Korea:18 | New Zealand:M

Filming Locations:

Arbor Mansion, Pasadena, California, USA

Company:

Lions Gate Films

Trivia:

As of 2007, one of only three films since the advent of the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar to win the award without receiving a Best Picture nomination as well. The first was The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), the second was Sling Blade (1996).

Goofs:

Continuity: When James invites Clayton for some ice tea, by the time Clayton gets to the door the sweat and most of the dirt on his shirt have disappeared.

Quotes:

David Lewis: You only embarrass yourself.
James Whale: Oh dear, I'll never work in this town again.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: The Best of Tracy Morgan (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Just Might Be Tonight

Remembrance Of Things Past

Ian McKellen is superb as James Whale, the man behind the celluloid Frankenstein. Departing from that point, everything works. We're taken by the hand of this elderly celebrity in a world - and a town -that worships celebrity. The town also worships youth and box office grosses. For Whale, youth and box office grosses are way back in his distant pass. That's why, I imagine, the arrival of the gardener with Brendan Fraser's body, awakens in the old man some kind of spark. Their relationship is filled with a sort of emotional suspense that makes the entire movie, riveting. The story is told with a sort of personal melancholy that Bill Condon, the young writer/director, seems to understand fully. Compassion is in his eye and in his soul. The scene in which Ian McKellen remembers his swimming pool crowded with naked young men is one of the most beautifully reminders of how the aging heart remains alive within his memories. Very moving, very sad and very, very good.