The container that the monster is placed in has a shape similar to a cradle but also a coffin. This shows life and death; the cradle holding the new born and the coffin holding the dead. The monster inside is dead but it is soon going to be newly born.
The fires that heat the cradle could be the fires of hell showing that what Victor is doing is wrong. The fires of hell also link with the sub-title “A Modern Day Prometheus” In this story “Prometheus” steals fire from the Gods so he can use it to create life. For this, he gets punished by the Gods. I think the main reason for showing the fire is to remind us of when Mary Shelley lost her child. Mary had a dream that she warmed her dead child by her fire and it came back to life. This dream is being brought into reality by Victor because the monster is made out of dead bodies which he sews together and then brought it to life.
The machinery used directly with the birth of the monster look like human parts. The parts representing the penis and testicles looks realistic. The phallic images involved at this point in the scene is to show the male input of child birth.
When Victor looks at himself in the mirror, he is confronting himself. This means he has to judge himself. He can see that the good side of him has been tainted by what he has done for the past two years.
Where Victors bed is, there are black curtains hanging. When Victor closes them it suggests mourning for the dead. Victor believes that he has killed the monster when he hung him in the chains. He has lost everything for the monster and now he has nothing.
Colour and Lighting
Both Victor and Elizabeth are in high key lighting. Around them both is low key lighting. This makes the room seem even more dirty and awful than it already is. The windows in the room are very bright but this light is not dispersed. This shows that the light isn’t welcome in there.
When Victor opens the door to where the monster is the light is cast on a white sheet that is covering something. Because of the light it makes us assume the body of the monster is under here because there is a rough outline of a figure by shadows.
Victor’s shadow enters the room of the monster before he actually does. This shows that the dark side of him is in control now and leading the way.
The electricity is a strong vibrant blue. This stands out because of the low key lighting that is used. The magnificent glow makes it seem powerful.
When the monster is hanging from the chains one can only see his silhouette. The monsters’ face is hidden by the shadow. This is eerie because we don’t know whether the monster is dead or alive.
When Victor is writing into his journal there is high key lighting around Victor but in the background where the monster is hanging there is very low key lighting. This shows that Victor has become more important than the monster.
Sound – Diegetic
When Elizabeth says “Goodbye” she says it very whispery. This is because she is crying and very emotional.
Victor begins to whimper in sadness. He moans and groans, which could be because he is upset. I think the main reason for this groaning is to show that Victor is in a sense coming into labour.
When Victor is inside the big room with the monster there are chains clanging, containers moving, steam hissing and machines working. All this movement and noise creates a sense of energy.
The electricity sparks are very loud. This shows massive amounts of power. Electricity is needed in Galvinism so this reminds us that Victor is using Galvinism to bring the monster to life.
When Victor thinks the monster is alive he shouts “live, live, live, LIVE!” All Victor wants is the monster to live. We can see this by his desperate shouting.
The amplified bang by the monster on the porthole of the coffin is very loud and echoes around the room. This shows that the monster is here, alive and a lot stronger than a normal man is.
When Victor says “its alive, its alive” this is intertextual with an earlier version of the film which was made in 1931 by James Whale. Viewers would see this intertextuality if they had seen the earlier film.
When Victor says “What have I done, what have I done,” it is used as a rhetorical question. Victor says this in a whisper. He whispers because he is ashamed of what he has done.
When Victor says “Oh God” when he is looking in the mirror he is begging for help from God even though he has betrayed him by creating new life.
Non – Diegetic
There is romantic music at the beginning until Elizabeth says “goodbye” when it turns very sad to show the emotion of Victor and Elizabeth.
When Victor is in beginning his work the music is very energetic and determined, showing that this is what he has been waiting for and he is determined to get it right. The beat of the music is fast representing his heart beating.. this music keeps going like this for a long while until Victor shouts “live” for the last time. This is when there is silence. This creates tension. There is no music played until the amplified bang by the monster. After this bang the music builds up again to when the lid bursts off. This is where it stops again. Again tension is being built up until a short burst of the music. This is played to shock the audience when the monster jumps out of the coffin. The silence after this when Victor and the monster are wrestling intensifies the fact that the monster wrestling with Victor isn’t normal. There isn’t any music with the diegetic sounds until the camera swoop down to Victor from the monsters view in the chains. There is a craning sweep with the music. There are long notes of music playing whilst Victor is speaking. The music quickens and then lows down to long low beats.
We can see that at the beginning of the birth the music was fast and energetic to show Victors’ feelings. At the end of the scene the music is slow and solemn. This reflects the sorrow that Victor has for killing the monster.
