Gods and Monsters is a 1998 period drama film that recounts the partly fictionalized last days of the life of film director James Whale, whose experience of war in World War I is a central theme. The film stars Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave, Lolita Davidovich, and David Dukes. An international co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States, the film is written and directed by Bill Condon, based on Christopher Bram‘s 1995 novel Father of Frankenstein. The film is produced by Paul Colichman, Gregg Fienberg, and Mark R. Harris; Clive Barker served as executive producer. Despite positive reviews, the film was a box office failure.
Gods and Monsters was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Actor for McKellen and Best Supporting Actress for Redgrave, and won for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film features reconstructions of the production of the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein, which Whale directed. The title Gods and Monsters is derived from a scene in Bride of Frankenstein, in which the character Dr. Pretorius toasts Dr. Frankenstein, “To a new world of gods and monsters!” The story has also been adapted as a play of the same name which premiered in London at the Southwark Playhouse in February 2015.
Plot
In the 1950s, James Whale, the director of Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, has retired. Whale lives with his long-time housemaid, Hanna, who loyally cares for him but disapproves of his homosexuality. He has suffered a series of strokes that have left him fragile and tormented by memories: growing up as a poor outcast, his tragic World War I service, and the filming of Bride of Frankenstein. Whale slips into his past and indulges in his fantasies, reminiscing about gay pool parties and sexually teasing an embarrassed, starstruck fan. He battles depression, and at times contemplates suicide, as he realizes his life, his attractiveness, and his health are slipping away.
Whale befriends his young, handsome gardener, Clayton Boone, and the two begin a sometimes-uneasy friendship as Boone poses for Whale’s sketches. The two men bond while discussing their lives and dealing with Whale’s spells of disorientation and weakness from the strokes. Boone, impressed with Whale’s fame, watches Bride of Frankenstein on television as his friends mock the movie, his friendship with Whale, and Whale’s intentions.
Boone assures Whale that he is straight and receives Whale’s assurance that there is no sexual interest, but Boone storms out when Whale graphically discusses his sexual history. Boone later returns with the agreement that no such “locker room” discussions occur again. Boone is invited to escort Whale to a party hosted by George Cukor for Princess Margaret. There, a photo op has been arranged for Whale with “his Monsters”: Boris Karloff and Elsa Lanchester from “ancient” movie fame. This event exacerbates Whale’s depression. A sudden rainstorm becomes an excuse to leave.
Back at Whale’s home, Clayton needs a dry change of clothes. Whale can only find a sweater, so Clayton wears a towel wrapped around his waist. Whale decides to try to sketch Clayton one more time. After some minutes, he shows his sketches to Clayton, disclosing that he has lost his ability to draw. After Clayton drops his towel to pose nude, Whale makes him wear a World War I gas mask and then uses the opportunity to make a sexual advance on Clayton, kissing his shoulder and neck, and forcefully reaches for his genitals. An enraged Clayton fights off Whale, who confesses that this had been his plan and begs Clayton to kill him to relieve him of his suffering. Clayton refuses, puts Whale to bed, then sleeps downstairs. The next morning, Hanna is alarmed when she cannot find Whale, prompting a search by Clayton and Hanna. Clayton finds Whale floating dead in the pool as a distraught Hanna runs out, clutching a suicide note. Clayton and Hanna agree that he should disappear from the scene to avoid a scandal.
A decade later, Clayton and his son, Michael, watch Bride of Frankenstein on television. Michael is skeptical of his father’s claim that he knew Whale, but Clayton produces a sketch of the Frankenstein monster drawn by Whale, and signed, “To Clayton. Friend?”. Clayton later walks down a street at night in the rain, miming the movements of Frankenstein’s monster.
Trailer
Cast
- Ian McKellen as James Whale
- Brandon Kleyla as young James Whale
- Kent George as 25-year-old James Whale
- Brendan Fraser as Clayton Boone
- Lynn Redgrave as Hanna
- Lolita Davidovich as Betty
- David Dukes as David Lewis
- Kevin J. O’Connor as Harry
- Mark Kiely as Dwight
- Jack Plotnick as Edmund Kay
- Rosalind Ayres as Elsa Lanchester
- Jack Betts as Boris Karloff
- Matt McKenzie as Colin Clive
- Martin Ferrero as George Cukor
- Cornelia Hayes O’Herlihy as Princess Margaret
- Amir Aboulela as The Monster
- Marlon Braccia as Starlet Elizabeth Taylor
- Jesse James as Michael Boone
- Arthur Dignam as Ernest Thesiger (uncredited)
Gallery
Reception
Gods and Monsters received positive reviews from critics, with McKellen’s, Fraser’s and Redgrave’s performances singled out for particular praise. Time Out called it “not a complicated film, but warm and clever”.
The film has a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 67 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The site’s critical consensus states: “Gods and Monsters is a spellbinding, confusing piece of semi-fiction, featuring fine performances; McKellen leads the way, but Redgrave and Fraser don’t lag far behind.” On Metacritic the film has a score of 74 out of 100, based on reviews from 32 critics, indicating “generally favourable reviews”.
Real Life
James Whale had several men (and women) pose nude for him, and some of these are shown in the making-of featurette. Several of his paintings were bought by a collector and loaned to the studio for the making of this film.
Whale suffered from strokes towards the end of his life, which affected his mental abilities, and he was found dead in his pool. There were rumours that this was a homicide, but the evidence only pointed at suicide.
In the documentary included on the DVD and in interviews, novelist Christopher Bram explains that the character of Clayton Boone is completely fictitious.
Streaming
Currently you are able to watch “Gods and Monsters” streaming on Tubi TV, Freevee Amazon Channel for free with ads or buy it as download on Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Vudu, Apple iTunes, Microsoft Store, Redbox, DIRECTV. It is also possible to rent “Gods and Monsters” on Apple iTunes, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Vudu, Microsoft Store, Redbox, DIRECTV online.
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Gods and Monsters – 1998
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