One of the elements in which both texts remain very similar is the approach to women. Both film and novel contain patriarchal attitudes to women, which is unsurprising as they were both composed in pre-feminist eras. Elizabeth is a passive character in both texts, suffering for the actions of her fiancée. The other women in the original text - Justine, Agatha and Safie - are not considered integral enough to include in the 1931 text, reinforcing the patriarchal view of women as secondary characters. From a feminist standpoint, this devalues women and demonstrates the patriarchal nature of the early 20th century, similar to that illustrated by Shelley during the Enlightenment.
The two texts both complement and contrast each other. They contain different themes and ideas, due to the separate contexts they were created in. However, each also contain similar ideas, due to the similar nature of the societies they created in. Frankenstein as a text and a movie of the 1930s fears the onslaught of science, as well as the appearance of monstrosities in our life. In this way, as a text, Frankenstein is about fighting personal demons, and the darkness that they represent.
Film: Young Frankenstein (1974)
Synopsis:
Fredrick Frankenstein is a young brain surgeon and medical lecturer trying not to live in the shadow of his infamous grandfather, Victor Von Frankenstein. However, this proves to be difficult when he is taken to his grandfather’s estate in Transylvania to collect his inheritance. He continues to be determined to estrange himself from his grandfather’s legacy as a scientist who created a monster. However, upon discovering a book by Victor entitled “How I Did It”, he decides that his grandfather’s work was not such idiocy, and decides to try and create his own legacy for the Frankenstein name. He accomplishes this with the help of his two comedic sidekicks - the assistant Igor and the pretty young Inga. However, the world is not ready for such a scientific advancement, particularly after the disastrous results of Victor’s experimentation, and Fredrick and his creature experience much discrimination at the hands of the creature. However, after Fredrick further experiments in the sciences, the creature is made more socially acceptable and allowed to live life with his bride, Elizabeth.
Explanation:
Young Frankenstein is a challenge to the way both the traditional Frankenstein text is read, as well as the whole gothic film genre. It parodies all the aspects that are considered “traditionally Frankenstein-esque”, such as the mad scientist shouting, “It’s alive!” and the lumbering, groaning creature. However, as a text, it recognises the value of the classics, and not only satirises, but pays homage to them also. “It wasn’t about saying ‘how can we make it fun?’, but ‘how can we make it real, which will make it more fun?’”. By recognising the artistic value but also the ultimate ridiculousness of traditional Frankenstein films, Brooks allowed Young Frankenstein to not have to resort to continuous slapstick in order to gain its hilarity.
The text was written in the context of the early 1970s, where people were more inclined to doubt and question the norms put forward by Hollywood and the media in general. Brooks, as a composer, has recognised this cynicism and used it to extract humour from a great modern classic. Unlike many of the predecessors of the Frankenstein genre, Young Frankenstein questions the original values of Shelley’s text and explores many themes which had traditionally been ignored by previous Frankenstein films, such as the creature’s ability to love and be human. It does not follow the exact storyline of the original text, choosing instead provide commentary on the preceding Frankenstein, Son of Frankenstein, and Bride of Frankenstein; to have a grandson who has not learned from his grandfather’s mistakes. Aside from the monster itself, the majority of characters in this text have been changed. However, Fredrick is much like his infamous grandfather - a scientific genius, and engaged to a beautiful young woman named Elizabeth. This pays homage to the protagonist of the original text, which still maintaining its status as a parody. These changes have been made to demonstrate the ultimate ridiculousness of the original Frankenstein, while still being able to examine its many themes through the use of humour.
Young Frankenstein is not meant to be a serious appropriation of Shelley’s text. Its main purpose is to challenge the traditional Hollywood interpretation of the Frankenstein monster, and to “have a little fun in the process”. However, through its use of humour and satire, it manages to explore the deepest theme of Shelley’s text - what shapes and defines us as humans? This text is valued in a number of contexts. It is considered one of the greatest comedy films of all time, and remains highly popular nearly 30 years after initially being composed.
Television: Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1991)
Main Episodes Used:
Season 4 Episode 13 – ‘The I in Team’
Season 4 Episode 14 – ‘Goodbye Iowa’
Season 4 Episode 20 – ‘The Yoko Factor’
Season 4 Episode 21 – ‘Primeval’
(Also referenced:
Season 4 Episode 16 – ‘Who Are You?’)
Synopsis:
A secret government program called ‘The Initiative’ is capturing demons and other mystical creatures in order to experiment on and neuter them. One of the leading scientists involved in the project, Professor Maggie Walsh, is experimenting with different body parts, of man, machine and demon in order to create a being - Adam. He is intellectually and physically superior to man, and kills his creator, only to reanimate her as a worker. Buffy Summers, a girl chosen from birth to fight supernatural forces, is determined to overcome Adam, despite his superior physical strength. A vampire in alliance with Adam, Spike, works to defeat her by estranging her from what she draws strength from - her friends. However, Buffy overcomes this estrangement, and rebuilds her friendships. They then band together to destroy the source of Adam’s power, succeeding by combining their most human elements - heart, mind, spirit and body.
Explanation:
There are three central figures to this story arc - the scientist (Maggie Walsh), the experiment (Adam, and to a certain extent, Riley Finn), and the hero (Buffy Summers). Although, like the original text itself, there are a number of other characters, the storyline depends primarily on the actions of these three figures. In many ways, the Adam story is almost entirely true to the original text, in that it focuses on two main issues of Shelley’s text: the nature of isolation, and the effect of man overstepping scientific boundaries. Additionally, it partially examines the nature of behaviour, namely whether evil is intrinsic or circumstantial.
The creation’s name - Adam - a direct inter-textual reference, referencing Milton‘s Paradise Lost -“I ought to be thy Adam” (p128) and the Bible story in Genesis, which articulates ‘Adam‘ as the first man. Regardless, his name, meaning ‘first born’ is significant because, like Frankenstein’s creature, he is the first of his kind, and remains the only one of his species. Like the original text, he learns of himself through his creator’s diaries. “I’m a kinematically redundant, biomechanical demonoid. Designed by Maggie Walsh. She called me Adam and I called her Mother . . . Mother wrote things down. Hard data, but also her feelings. That’s how I learned that I have a job here. And that she loved me.” (“Goodbye Iowa”). The issue of intrinsic evil is potently illuminated here. Unlike Frankenstein’s creation, who is abandoned by his creator and shunned by society, Adam himself says “she loved me” and was considered his mother, but he kills her regardless. The original plan for his existence had been to create a race of those like himself, to diminish the U.S.A.’s military vulnerability. He also offers the demons something humans cannot - full use of their power, thus strengthening the army he is building to bring his ‘new race‘ into power. Throughout many of the episodes in which Adam features, it is implied that he was built for the purpose of creating a new, indestructible species. In “Primeval”, he says to Riley “This is how [Mother] planned it… Only she thought she’d be alive.”
Like Victor in the original text, she is a victim of her own vision, drive and selfish lust for success. “Maggie Walsh’s vision was great, but ultimately insupportable.” (Primeval) She has altruistic intentions of wiping out death and weakness in the human race, like Victor, claiming, “This is for the greater good”. (The I in team). However, similar to Victor, she has no real sense of the moral implications this entails. She is different to Victor in that she has some sense of the consequences of her actions. However, both are unable to face those consequences. This represents the idea of the scientist with no idea of the moral implications of playing with the natural order of life. Both in an 18th and 21st century context, the idea of leaving the natural order alone is discussed, implying that although between Shelley’s time and now there have been a great number of scientific advances, some boundaries remain philosophically rigid.
Like Shelley’s Frankenstein, God and religion are hardly mentioned in the Buffy text. Religion is mentioned in two contexts - one, where Adam encourages a nest of vampires to conquer their fear of the holy by entering a church and massacring the worshippers in “Who Are You?”. Similarly, the idea of the Christian God is discarded, as one of the Initiative’s soldiers (turned a right-hand man of Adam) claims “God has nothing to do with this.” (Primeval). This is representative of the secular nature of 21st century Western society - unlike the Enlightenment in which Frankenstein was initially composed, the traditional Christian values seem to be disappearing under exploration of alternate spirituality and lifestyle choices. Buffy’s ultimate defeat of Adam comes from witchcraft and Eastern spirituality, further implying this abandonment of the traditional.
The idea of nature versus nurture is explored in relation to the actions of individuals. Adam seems somewhat of a contradiction, bound by his programming, yet able to philosophise and make his own decisions. He is able to sympathise with others, and understand the bestial nature of those he ultimately seeks support from. “You feel smothered; trapped like an animal . . . Pure in its ferocity, unable to actualise the urges within . . . I will make you whole again”. (The Yoko Factor). Unlike Frankenstein’s creature, he does not commit evil acts out of circumstance and isolation. Instead, he is pleased by what has been programmed into him, and finds pleasure in the grotesque, yet seeks further knowledge. Like Frankenstein’s creature, he wants to know not only what he is, but also who he is and why he exists. He asks a small boy in the woods, “What am I?” and almost seems resigned to the fact when told, “You’re a monster.” Despite this resignation - “I thought so” - he is also curious. “I saw the inside of that boy and it was beautiful. But it didn’t tell me about the world. It just made me feel. So now . . . I want to learn about me. Why I feel, what I am”. (Goodbye Iowa). Similarly, Frankenstein’s creature asks “Why did I live?” (p132). This represents the ultimate ambiguity of the human condition. Although the question is put forth by unnatural beings, every human ponders the meaning of their existence at some point. Both texts use allegory to explore the chief philosophical questions which mankind constantly address, again implying that as much as the world changes, some aspects remain very similar. This reflects the complexity of the human condition and the fact that whilst we seek answers, they often are not explicated through experience
The idea of Frankenstein and his creature has been contextualised to fit into the Buffy universe, as well as a more modern context. The fear in relation to the uncontrolled proliferation of embryonic technologies is manifested in the scientific focus across these episodes. Christian concepts relating to birth are replaced by secular interests of science. The manifestation of the monster Adam is perhaps the visualisation of the monster that 21st century science has the potential to make. The military nature of Adam’s creation is particularly significant as it signals the growing fear of invasion, particularly in the U.S.A. Overall, it is successful at contextualising the fears of man’s involvement in science as it becomes more invasive and pervasive.
Analysis of Composers and Contexts
Throughout human history there have been many social, historical, and political ideologies and movements that have affected concurrent mentalities. The analysis of these ideals and movements not only leads to a greater knowledge of such contexts, but also a deeper understanding of and a more balanced perspective on its nature. By examining the composers of the texts studied above, we may delve deeper into the reasons why the ideas portrayed in these texts exist.
James Whale – Frankenstein 1931 – was a Hollywood film director renowned for his works in the horror genre. Interestingly, his changes to the Frankenstein story are remarkable and are skewed to fit a conservative Hollywood model – the folly of the man playing god in his pursuit for knowledge. Such conservative values and reactionary views have dominated the Hollywood cinemas since its very beginnings.
Such ideals are also evident in Whale’s interpretation of the reason for the monster’s misdemeanours. In a scene preceding the theft of a brain, Dr. Waldmann explains how a person’s actions are a resultant of their normal or abnormal brain. In recent times we have tended to believe a person’s actions as more a reflection of their social circumstance and experiences, therefore blaming society on their misfortunes not the person themselves. This blatant misrepresentation of Shelley’s most intrinsic theme demonstrates the attitudes of the era of the Great Depression – a time of hunger and fear. This in turn feeds the patriarchal approach to women, at a time when women were being blamed for taking the jobs of men and all the while being paid less. This continuous fear campaign was endorsed by the media and is evident in Whale’s 1931 production of Frankenstein.
The 70’s, however marked a time of increased social change. Major trends included a growing disillusionment of government, advances in civil rights, increased influence of the women's movement, a heightened concern for the environment, and increased space exploration. It was during this time of radical ideas and movements that Mel Brooks directed Young Frankenstein in his challenging spin on the entire gothic horror genre. The film contains more of a focus on life’s overall sexuality, indicative of the values of its time, in which sex was not considered such a taboo subject as it had previously been.
As Brooks capers through classic horror, he plays on its clichés satirising the genre. We have seen this done more often in modern times with spoofs and send ups of clichés in all genres of film and literature. It captures the cynicism of our age to the classics – a form of rebellion against what is constantly thrown at us by television and newspapers. People have become aware of follies concerning social expectancies and standards, and thus it is becoming less and less popular to conform to what is being expected of us.
Nearing the end of the 20th century, Buffy the Vampire Slayer created a cult following amongst teenagers for with its themes on dating, competitive, achievement-oriented and corrupt American high-school culture, adolescent transformation and alienation, the fragmentation of the family, instability of gender-role, and the generation gap. But it also aroused much interest in adults and academics in its ‘post-modern’ reflexivity and ‘post-feminism’ agendas.
The creator of Buffy, Joss Whedon, turned the traditional horror cliché of the diminutive blonde girl in need of rescuing, on its head with the casting of an ostensibly “vulnerable” blonde as his heroine. Buffy presented a fresh paradigm which has been embraced by many as an emblem of female power. Although the show is ultimately part of the gothic/horror movement, it has been appropriated into its modern context with the dynamics of adolescent themes and challenged conservatism. Sexuality is perhaps one of the themes most intimately explored amongst the agile blend of genres such from horror through to farce. It is this depth in thematic structure, and experimentation that has led to its success amongst the world’s teenagers, and academics.
It is in these more recent times, the original Frankenstein story has become more appropriate, with the exponential rise in technology; especially in biotechnology with advancements in human cloning, and stem cell research, the reality of a Frankenstein-esque story emerging has become increasingly credible. Texts with rich and provocative themes such as Frankenstein have lasted to be appropriated into ever-changing contexts. The moral lessons they provide have been updated, however, their ethical significance is fundamentally the same. Such stories provide a moral base that challenges the groundwork on which societies are built and it is the analysis of these changing environments that are invaluable to the understanding of any text.
Taken from “Making Frankensense of Young Frankenstein”, documentary on the making of the text
Taken from “Making Frankensense of Young Frankenstein”, documentary on the making of the text
