National FIlm Theatre Production of Frankenstien at the @mediamuseum

[miss_s_b]

Was very faithful to the book, apart from in one important aspect which I will get to shortly. Had beautiful set design, and amazing, AMAZING make-up. Had stunningly good performances from all concerned, even the little lad who played William. And having seen it, I feel sick to my stomach.

You see, nobody told me that the one major change they made, after being very faithful to the spirit and letter of the book throughout, is that before the Creature kills Elizabeth he brutally rapes her and screams "Now I am a MAN!"

If this had been a film, there would have been a warning about strong sexual violence and I wouldn't have gone to see it, because I know my triggers well enough. I have no desire to ban this sort of thing, or any sort of artistic expression, but I would like to make an informed choice about what I hand over money to see. But it wasn't a film, it was a filmed theatre production, so there were no warnings. I would have really appreciated a warning. If I had had a warning, I would not have gone, because the performances were really very good, and I won't sleep tonight they were so convincing.

So next time I am planning to go see a national theatre production I will be waiting until someone I know and trust has seen it, and then I can ask them about it. And then they can tell me Oh yes, it's very faithful to the source material, well, aside from the fact that they inserted a completely gratuitous and unnecessary brutal rape scene which adds nothing to the plot and will traumatise you. But apart from that it's very good.

I'm going to shout at Question Time for a bit now. Hopefully that will work as brain bleach.

Comments

[karohemd]

I didn't know you were going. :/
Which version did you see? I saw Cumberbatch as Frankenstein.

[miss_s_b]

Me too. I'm glad I saw it this way around, because I would have had real problems watching Sherlock again had I seen Cumberbatch as the creature. I really wish the performances hadn't been so good.

[etoile]

Oh fuckweasels, is this the Danny Boyle directed one or another one? Also, this is why I have to wiki the plot of everything before viewing / reading because of reasons etc.

Hope you're coping okay and Nurse Roxy is looking after you properly. *hugs*

[miss_s_b]

Yes, the Danny Boyle one.

And yes, I have Roxy at my feet and I am shaking my fist at Andy Burnham.

[etoile]

Bloody hell, I was going to go and see that in Huddersfield today but was saved by my sister turning her hair grey. If it had been in the book, then fair enough but gragh :(

I'm watching it too, though killing things in WoW to stop me from throwing things at the telly / causing another median nerve pileup in my carpal tunnel.

Give Roxy an earscratch from me <3

[miss_s_b]

Tis done. She says grurph.

[davegodfrey]

Fuck. I haven't seen this one, but I really wanted to (possibly both ways round). Now I don't, which is a shame because as with you everything I've heard says its fantastic.

*hugs*

[miss_s_b]

It is very good, it really is. IF you can cope with the rapeyness.

[magister]

Yeah. A couple of absolutely electrifying scenes with Miller and Cumberbatch on stage together and all round well acted, designed, directed, true to the spirit of the book. And then, just - what the fuck was that?

If it weren't for that one scene, I'd've come out wanting to watch it again straightaway. As it is - no thank you.

[sir_guinglain]

I'd really not heard about the rape scene. Unjustifiable, and not in the spirit of the book.

[von_geisterhand]

It's not? It may have been a decade since I last looked at the book in detail but I remember thinking that it is not really big on womens' autonomy (despite the female author).The Creature wants a mate/somebody to mate with, Frankenstein will not give it to him and so the Creature kills Frankenstein's woman. Elizabeth is, at best, a pawn between them.
I think in the Brannagh-version the Female Creature is actually brought to life or rather Elizabeth brought back to life and reacts along the lines of "Did anybody actually ask me whether I wanted this? No! Because I don't!

[miss_s_b]

There's a difference between the creature killing Elizabeth off page and Victor discovering her body (as it happens in the book) in which case, yes, she MAY have been raped but we don't see it and it's inferred at best, and the extremely brutal and visual rape scene I saw last night, which ended with the creature snapping Elizabeth's neck at the moment of orgasm and then screaming out "now I am a MAN!"

[von_geisterhand]

Oh, absolutely. My comment was in response to sir_guinglain's comment (I may have clicked the wrong "reply"-button :-S) that this is not in the spirit of the book, a story ultimately about men trying to find a method of getting women uninvolved from the whole "creating life"-business.
What ended up onstage is ultimately Dear and Boyle's interpretation, much like all these sexy Draculas.

[drunkwriter]

Ick. And there's me having been very gloomy that I've missed every opportunity to see this production, for various reasons.

However, there is some evidence in the book to suggest that the Creature has his way with Elizabeth. I remember not particularly agreeing with the interpretation in the lesson in question, but it is there.

[miss_s_b]

As I say above, there's a difference between the creature killing Elizabeth off page and Victor discovering her body (as it happens in the book) in which case, yes, she MAY have been raped but we don't see it and it's inferred at best, and the extremely brutal and visual rape scene I saw last night, which ended with the creature snapping Elizabeth's neck at the moment of orgasm and then screaming out "now I am a MAN!"

[drunkwriter]

Oh dear. No, there's certainly a departure from the source text there.

Though one wonders if you've seen Atonement on the evil!Cumberbatch front.