A Comparison of Film Techniques of Two Film Versions of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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A Comparison of Film Techniques of Two Film Versions of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Mary Shelley wrote her novel 'Frankenstein' when she was just a young

girl of nineteen. She wrote it in 1816, when she went on holiday with

her friend, Byron. Byron was already a famous poet, and it was him who

suggested that whilst they were away, they should both write a ghost

story. At the time it was just a way of passing time and having fun

for Mary Shelley, but little did she know that her story would become

famous worldwide. Many adaptations of 'Frankenstein' have been made

for cinema in the 20th century. Two of the most significant being

those studied in this assignment.

A man named James Whale directed the film 'Frankenstein' which was

released in 1931. He was a British born director with a history of

working in theatre, and this is probably the reason as to why his film

imitates the stage in places.

It was filmed at Universal Pictures, which was a very powerful

Hollywood studio. The film opened on 4 November 1931 at the Mayfair

Theatre in New York's Times Square and it caused an immediate

sensation. It was voted one of the films of the year by the New York

Times and earned Universal Pictures $12 million. The production cost

only $262,000, thus made it even more successful than 'Dracula'. In

1931, when this film was released, Hollywood was in its formative

years, but at this time it was considered to be going through a

'golden age' when everything was new and very impressive. At the end

of the 1920's Universal Pictures was still a small studio, but

nevertheless it had managed to build up a reputation as the sole

creator of the horror f...

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...es but

in very different ways. Branagh uses non-diegetic sound very

effectively to create a tense atmosphere. However Whale uses silence

to the same effect but in a very different way. Both Directors use the

theme of death in their opening sequences. Whale uses the theme of

death, setting his opening sequence in a grave yard and by using props

which all symbolize death and Branagh represents the theme of death by

using very pale make up and by setting it in a deathly cold place.

They also use isolation to create tension. They use their different

styles and techniques very effectively, by engaging their audiences to

create the same emotion. However, I do think that Branagh uses his

techniques, the sound and the mise en scene more effectively to create

a brilliant film and a very powerful, emotionally charged atmosphere.

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