The Creation by heather gearty

How do the films match up to Shelley's text?

hgearty — 2014-03-04 15:56:13 UTC

Which version captures the tone of the creation scene?

hgearty — 2014-03-04 15:56:31 UTC

Gaby

2014-03-06 23:55:03 UTC

In the 1931 version Victor Frankenstein seems rather excited about what he had done which is not how Shelley's text write it. In the story he simply walks away from the "monster."

Gaby

2014-03-06 23:56:32 UTC

I believe the 1994 film captures the tone better because it shows how Victor is not really sure of what he did and whether or not it was the right thing to do.

Gaby

2014-03-06 23:56:50 UTC

Also in the 1931 version Victor had others around watching as the "monster" came to life, which is also not how Shelley depicted the creation scene in the text

Gaby

2014-03-07 00:16:51 UTC

In the 1994 film Victor acts like more of a self-involved lunatic which is how I believe Shelley's work depicts Victor.

Gaby

2014-03-07 00:18:19 UTC

also in the 1994 film victor acts more astonished and discouraged with his reaction when his "monster" comes to life and he realizes what he has done.

Julia

2014-03-07 00:21:26 UTC

I agree with Gaby. I think that the 1994 film relates the most to shellys text because it shows the scientist alone and so involved in this one project witch is how victor is in the book.

Julia

2014-03-07 00:23:15 UTC

I don't think either scene really captured

the creation scene that good because

they are both very different from what

Shelly writes about. If I had to pick one I

would say the 1993 one because the 1994

one made it seem like it was a huge scene

that involved so much things and that's not

how It was in the book, the 1993 one was more

fast and evil witch is how it should be.

Julia

2014-03-07 00:26:04 UTC

I thought it was strange how in the 1993 one there were so many people in the room because its the oppisit in shellys novel. Its only victor because he cuts everyone else off. I am interested to see what the 1993 one looks like at the beganing to compare the two.

Kristen

2014-03-07 00:57:19 UTC

I think that in the 1993 film it was weird and didn't match Shelley's text as well in the beginning when there were multiple people in the room. Where as in the story it was about Frankinstein being alone.

Cori

2014-03-07 00:59:56 UTC

I agree with Julia, in the book she makes is so that he looks like he is alone and doing this all by himself because he really cut himself off from everyone else to focus on his work, and in the 1993 version there are people around talking to him and watching and I think that it definitely changes the message that shelly was trying to get across about him and his work and his creation.

Kristen

2014-03-07 01:01:58 UTC

In the 1994 film it did follow the text a little better showing that Victor is alone and is very involved in his work. I think that this film did a good job of showing the "birth" connection. Shelley had birth on her mind because of what she went through in her life. In the 1994 film it did a very good job of representing the connection of birth. The film did this by having the monster in water, and having him trying to stand up.

Cori

2014-03-07 01:02:12 UTC

I agree with Gaby, I think that the 1994 captures it better if we had to chose between those two, I think that because it really shows how he feels about his creation and the power put into making it, and then it shows him in distress realizing what he did was horrible and he's not really sure what to do next you could see how overwhelmed he was, but on the other hand I think that this director made it too over the top, I think that it was a little too powerful and dramatic and that is not how shelly intended to be. I think that a mix of the two would be best, maybe the process of the 1993 one and then the reaction at the end from the 1994.

Cori

2014-03-07 01:05:30 UTC

in the 1994 version, I think that his reaction to his monster being alive is close to how shelly expressed it, they both showed him being kind of scared of what he has just done and overwhelmed with it.

Kristen

2014-03-07 01:10:05 UTC

I agree with Cori, that if the two films were mixed together it would be best. I do believe that the 1994 film does a better job of capturing Shelley's text.

Conner

2014-03-07 02:09:56 UTC

In both films and the book, the weather was stormy while the creation was being brought to life. This brought drama to the creation and brought a feeling of turmoil to what was happening.

Conner

2014-03-07 02:19:12 UTC

I think that out of the two films, the 1994 version is more similar to the book because he is alone with his creation. In the book, Shelley makes it a point to show how Victor cut off family and friends and became obsessed with his creation. The 1931 film, goes against how the book is written and shows both an assistant to Victor and an audience to the creation. He wanted to show his work to people but in the book this was not something he wanted to share with others at this point.

Conner

2014-03-07 02:23:44 UTC

I think if you remove the fact that there is an audience in the 1931 film, Victor's attitude resembles the book more closely. This is because in the 1931 version, after his creation has come to life, Victor yells that he knows what it feels like to be God. This matches how Shelley described Victor's feelings and one of the reasons for making his creation.

Conner

2014-03-07 02:30:10 UTC

In both the 1931 and 1994 movie, Victor is shown as being happy when his creation comes to life. When he sees movement he screams. However, in the book, Shelley describe Victor as saying that his "beauty and dream vanished" after his creation has come to life. There is not the same level of excitement in the book.

Ivone

2014-03-07 11:46:13 UTC

The first one we watched where Frankenstein was some big experiment between between people wasn't accurate to what Mary Shelley wrote. Frankenstein was suppose to be alone and having a bad experience the first time he opens his eyes. The one with the weird guy with his shirt off was the closest to what Mary Shelley had written because Frankensteins birth was a series of unfortunate events. From him not being able to get up and move because of all the liquid. And then he gets banged on the head and stuck in all these chains. Although Mary Shelley's version had victor not caring very much about Frankenstein but in these versions they praised they're work.

Ivone

2014-03-07 11:51:34 UTC

Both films captured the tone of the setting. Both described the dark stormy night and everyone knows when it's dark and stormy you have a sense of vulnerability because it's a time where you can't see what's around you and loud noises are going off. This created a creepy feeling for the audience. The version with all the people I think captured the scene the most because you could hear the bangs of thunder and rain. While the other, you were watching victor race around doing who knows what with his shirt off.

Hailey

2014-03-07 12:39:56 UTC

I agree with gaby, the 1931 video Victor frankinstein

goes crazy about his creation and in the book he really doesnt go that crazy.

Hes excited, but not that excited and the book focuses on when it actually comes alive.

Shayla

2014-03-07 12:44:23 UTC

The 1994 film is more of how I imagined Victor to be from the text. I think it did a good job reveling the amount of passion Victor put into his work and it showed how he felt differently once his creation was born. The 1931 version was a lot different in a few ways. In the novel Victor is completely isolated but in the 1931 version he is surrounded by a group of people. Also Victor seemed to be proud and caring about his creation when in reality he deeply regretted it.

Hailey

2014-03-07 12:57:48 UTC

Also I agree with Ivone, both scenes really put emphases on the scene, a stormy night, which creates a intresting setting, feel like youre right in the creepy scene

Nick

2014-03-07 13:00:08 UTC

The films both have pretty much the same way of showing Frankenstein coming to live. The second one had a little better way of showing because it was newer and the way he came to life made more sense

Shayla

2014-03-07 13:21:11 UTC

I think when his creation comes to life he realizes why others viewed this as wrong

Shayla

2014-03-07 13:23:55 UTC

I think the 1994 captured the tone better because after all the years of hard work, the moment has finally come where he discover life and this is a big deal and the novel doesn't exactly explain how he does it so I think this version is very believable and depicts the novel accuratly.