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Product Page
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| Format: |
Paperback, 192 pages |
| Publisher: |
Newmarket Press |
| Pub. Date: |
November 1994 |
| ISBN: |
155704208X |
| Dimensions: |
8.44 × 0.46 × 10.85 inches |
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Description
"I busied myself to think of a story...one which would speak to the mysterious fears of our nature and awaken thrilling horror...." —Mary Shelley
Never out of print since its debut in 1818, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a novel of surprising psychological depths as well as a masterpiece of horror. It has been adapted for the screen again and again—yet until now, film versions have bypassed the novel's rich complexities and given us only a caricature of its plot: a madman who builds a monster.
British actor-director Kenneth Branagh, best known for his fearless and lucid film adaptations of Shakespeare, has at last given us the real Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. His film, a TriStar release, mates a literate, dynamic screenplay with a brilliant cast—Robert De Niro as the Creature; Branagh himself as Victor Frankenstein, the doctor obsessed with reclaming life; Helena Bonham Carter as his beloved Elizabeth; and comic genius John Cleese in the dramatic role of Victor's mentor, Professor Waldman.
This book is a comprehensive and accurate reflection of Branagh's landmark film, reproducing the script virtually as it appears on screen, illustrated with stunning production stills by David Appleby. Photos and illustrations (85 in color, 100 in black and white), including set blueprints and costume sketches, also take the reader behind the scenes at London's Shepperton Studios to watch the film artists at work. The largest production ever mounted in a British studio, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein boasts remarkable achievements in set design and decoration, re-creating a German university town, the Frankenstein mansion in Geneva, and a sailing ship marooned in polar ice, among other settings; as well as gorgeous costuming by Oscar®-winning designer James Acheson and groundbreaking special effects makeup that creates a completely new look for the Creature. With the image of Boris Karloff's Monster from the 1931 Frankenstein indelibly etched in filmgoers' memories, De Niro is among the few living actors capable of remaking the role in his own image, and his multi-layered portrayal is depicted in many photos here.
The Frankenstein story resonates anew today, in our age of genetic cloning, "designer babies," and replaceable human parts—and Branagh's interpretation brings it back to vivid life for contemporary audiences. Branagh, who for the fifth time in his meteoric career takes the demanding dual role of director and co-star, also took a director's role in shaping the book. He contributes a preface and introduction that illuminate his aims and methods in making the film—the first to truly earn the title Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
Shelley's own life and the strange circumstances that led to her writing Frankenstein are profiled in a biographical essay by horror authority and literary scholar Leonard Wolf, who also contributes an afterword about the novel and its enduring place in the movies, illustrated with archival photos.
Includes the complete script; stunning production stills; an exclusvie introduction and special chapter on the making of the film written by Branagh; behind-the-scene details on special effects, makeup, production design, casting, a bio of Mary Shelley and essay about the horror genre in literature and film by scholar Leonard Wolf. 185 illustrations, 85 in color.
"Newmarket's pictorial moviebook is quite interesting, with not only the film's screenplay and photos, but also a thoughtful director's note by Branagh himself, and an introduction into Shelley. " —American Bookseller |
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Product Details
| Format: |
Paperback, 192 pages |
| Publisher: |
Newmarket Press |
| Pub. Date: |
November 1994 |
| ISBN: |
155704208X |
| Dimensions: |
8.44 × 0.46 × 10.85 inches |
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