Compare and contrast the way in which the Directors of 'Mary Shelley's Frankenstein' (1994) and 'Frankenstein' (1931) use diff

Compare and contrast the way in which the Directors of ‘Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein’ (1994) and ‘Frankenstein’ (1931) use different film techniques to build up atmosphere in their opening sequences.

Mary Shelley wrote her novel ‘Frankenstein’ when she was just a young girl of nineteen. She wrote it in 1816, when she went on holiday with her friend, Byron. Byron was already a famous poet, and it was him who suggested that whilst they were away, they should both write a ghost story. At the time it was just a way of passing time and having fun for Mary Shelley, but little did she know that her story would become famous worldwide. Many adaptations of ‘Frankenstein’ have been made for cinema in the 20th century. Two of the most significant being those studied in this assignment.

A man named James Whale directed the film ‘Frankenstein’ which was released in 1931. He was a British born director with a history of working in theatre, and this is probably the reason as to why his film imitates the stage in places.

It was filmed at Universal Pictures, which was a very powerful Hollywood studio. The film opened on 4 November 1931 at the Mayfair Theatre in New York’s Times Square and it caused an immediate sensation. It was voted one of the films of the year by the New York Times and earned Universal Pictures $12 million. The production cost only $262,000, thus made it even more successful than ‘Dracula’. In 1931, when this film was released, Hollywood was in its formative years, but at this time it was considered to be going through a ‘golden age’ when everything was new and very impressive. At the end of the 1920’s Universal Pictures was still a small studio, but nevertheless it had managed to build up a reputation as the sole creator of the horror film genre. Low budget productions like ‘The Hunch Back of Notre Dame’ and ‘Dracula’ had established it as a leading studio. In 1930 French-born director Robert Florey was hired by Universal Studios to make the new horror film ‘Frankenstein’ but he did not satisfy producer Carl Laemmle Jr, and so Director James Whale was hired to replace Florey. Whale, an acclaimed Director, chose 44 year old Boris Karloff as the monster and together with make-up specialist Jack Pierce they created the most influential horror image of all times. Boris Karloff’s career was launched by the huge success of this film. However, many changes had been made in Whale’s version from the original novel.

In contrast with this, ‘Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein’ was released in 1994, sixty three years after James Whale’s version, and unlike his version, it followed very strictly Mary Shelley’s original plot. Kenneth Branagh, who also starred in the film as Dr. Frankenstein, directed the film. Branagh is also a British born Director, with a distinguished career in theatre, both as an actor and a director.

Branagh is also famously known for adapting Shakespeare’s plays into films. “Mary Shelleys Frankenstein” was filmed in Shepperton studios in England, but with parts of the film shot on location in the Swiss Alps. Tristar Pictures distributed the film. The film had a very strong cast of established actors with Robert De Niro playing Frankesntein, Helena Bonham Carter as Elizabeth, Kenneth Branagh as Victor Frankenstein and the film also starred John Cleese. Branagh entitled his film “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein’, because he believed it followed the original plot of her novel.

During this assignment I will be comparing and ...

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During this assignment I will be comparing and contrasting the beginning of both the films, produced by James Whale and Kenneth Branagh, as well as looking at all aspects of film making. I will also be comparing the way in which the two Directors use sound, camera, editing, lighting and colour and also the way in which they use mise en scene. In comparing and contrasting each of these factors, we will see the way in which these two Directors use them effectively to build up atmosphere in their opening sequences.

In the opening sequence of Whale’s ‘Frankenstein’, there is no form of non-diegetic sound used, all the sound is diegetic. Diegetic sounds are noises that are heard by the characters as well as the audience and therefore non-diegetic sound can only be heard by the cinema audience or the viewers at home and is not heard by the characters. The soundtrack of a film is an example of non-diegetic sound. I think this is because Whale was trying to build up a realistic atmosphere and when there is no background music, or soundtrack, it helps the audience to believe that the scene is realistic. However, when diegetic sound is used it immediately builds up a very strong soundscape, you immediately know as the audience that there is a funeral because the death knell, wailing and Priest’s blessing creates the strong image of a funeral in the mind. These sounds are appropriate to the setting, which helps to create a more realistic scene. The sound of people wailing helps to create a sombre atmosphere. This sound also shows that people are respecting the dead, and this is completely disrupted and contrasted when Dr. Frankenstein and Fritz bring back up the body from the coffin. The loud, harsh sounds of Dr. Frankenstein and Fritz digging up and pushing out the coffin create a very stern contrast to the people quietly wailing, and respecting the dead. This contrast also resembles the fact that Dr. Frankenstein and Fritz are disregarding life. The religious connotations are strong which sets up the idea that Dr. Frankenstein and Fritz are acting against God. The overall effect of the sound used in the opening sequence is one of death and creating a sense of realism in the graveyard. The sound is used to create a strong soundscape of the setting and therefore all the sounds used are parallel and not contrapuntal.

However, in Branagh’s version of ‘Mark Shelley’s Frankenstein’ there is both diegetic and non-diegetic sound used, unlike in Whale’s version, where only diegetic sound is used. Branagh uses non-diegetic sound to help build up the atmosphere of fear. The sound track running alongside the drama is very often played in the minor key, which immediately saddens the tone and is stereotypical to be played at times of tension. The non-diegetic music is orchestral and often a flute can be heard, which creates an eerie effect but it is still unobtrusive. The non-diegetic music helps build up the drama and excitement subtly. But throughout the opening sequence, silence is used a lot at intervals to punctuate what is happening on screen. Branagh still uses the diegetic sound effectively, which helps bring realism to the setting, like in Whale’s version. He uses the sounds of wind howling which is very atmospheric.

Branagh has chosen to use non-diegetic sound in his film because he can accentuate the tension wherever he wants. For example, when the captain and the sailor are talking, it is obvious that Branagh wanted to accentuate the word ‘mutiny’, because the use of the word is accompanied by orchestral music using very strong chords to reflect the drama. I think that although the tones of the actors voices can be used to build up tension, it can be done far more effectively with non-diegetic music. That is one of the reasons why I think the drama is built up far more in Branagh’s version than in Whale’s version. The monster’s howl in Branagh’s version builds up a sense of mystery, because the howl can be heard and yet nothing can be seen. There is a constant threat that you can’t see what is there. The monster’s howl is isolated. There is no other sound over it. It would not be possible to isolate the sound of the howl without the effect of stopping the non-diegetic music. It is the non-diegetic sounds in Branagh’s film which makes the opening scene so tense and dramatic.

The Mise en Scene used in James Whale’s ‘Frankenstein’ suggests to the audience a very strong atmosphere of death and evil. He uses Mise en Scene very well in his opening sequence and it certainly helps to build up the suspense. At the very beginning of the film there is a man ringing a bell. The setting is a cemetery and props such as skulls and tombstones are used. All of these props immediately tell the audience that the sequence is set in a graveyard and what they can see on the set is augmented by the sounds, such as the bell ringing, the wailing and the priest’s blessing. A lamp is also used as a prop in the opening sequence and this creates a strong contrast between light and dark, which also introduces one of the main themes of the opening sequence, which is the contrast between good and evil. There are also many crosses used, which reminds the audience that what Dr. Frankenstein is doing, when he brings someone back to life, is sacrilegious.

The fact that the opening sequence is set in a graveyard builds up an eerie atmosphere and puts an emphasis on death. There are no houses which makes the graveyard very isolated. The chosen gravestones used as props are very plain. They are neither ornate nor finely carved. I think this is because it helps build up the grim atmosphere by offering no comfort to the mourners. The props used are very austere. The trees are decaying which also adds to the theme of death. I think Whale, would have chosen to have the dead trees as props because they were pointing downwards towards the ground. This is very symbolic because the trees are pointing down towards hell and to where the bodies lay in the coffins.

The costumes worn by the people attending the burial are very old, and their make-up is extreme. The clothes worn by Dr. Frankenstein are very smart and the clothes worn by Fritz are old and dusty. This portrays the Master and Servant hierarchy and their difference in class. Fritz’s make up is very extreme – to make him appear more ghostly, he has bad teeth and large eyes. The expressions of Dr. Frankenstein were theatrical and at one point melodramatic. The positioning of many items in this scene was very static and positioned by a camera as though they were on stage. At the very beginning, the camera was looking up on people looking down which created quite an horrific effect. The overall impression which I got from the Mise en Scene of Whale’s ‘Frankenstein’ was the very strong emphasis on death and almost all the props, costumes and gestures could, in some way, be related to this general theme.

The clothes worn by the sailors in Branagh’s opening sequence are very suitable to the environment surrounding them. The opening sequence is set in the arctic, so there is ice and snow completely surrounding the characters. The sailors are wearing thick fur coats, which are covered in ice, and the coats are worn, which shows the audience immediately that the sailors have been on a tough expedition. When Dr. Frankenstein enters the scene he is wearing a large hooded fur coat, the hood covers his eyes and his face is concealed. Therefore the hood conceals the identity of the person. I think Branagh chose this hooded coat because the characters and the audience are uncertain as to whether it maybe the monster whom they can hear, and the hood prolongs the uncertainty of knowing the identity of the character.

The setting of this opening sequence is very much like the setting in the graveyard of Whale’s version, where a similar sense of isolation is created. Dr. Frankenstein has weary expressions, and when he arrives on scene he is out of breath, this adds to the realism of the sequence.

Whale’s version of “Frankenstein” is in black and white. This is because colour was not widely available in 1931. It could be argued that as his film is in black and white, feelings and contrasts are very hard to emphasize.

Branagh’s version however, does use colour. He probably chose to use colour because it is the popular expectation of today’s generation. It can also be used to bring out detail, and Branagh used it very effectively to bring out detail and contrasts. It also helped him to add realism to his film and particularly the opening sequence. In Branagh’s opening sequence, the colours are muted because of the mist. The colour of white is used a lot, because of the snow and bleak outlook. White also is a natural colour and symbolizes innocence at the end of the opening sequence. When the monster is murdering the dogs the red of the blood is used effectively to add a contrast to the white surroundings.

The lighting in Branagh’s Frankenstein is used more effectively. For example, when the character of Dr. Frankenstein is walking towards the ship, he is backlit, and this adds a more ghostly aspect to his concealed identity.

The editing used in the two sequences differs a lot. In Whale’s opening sequence, which lasts for approximately 4 minutes, there are just 18 edits. However in Branagh’s opening sequence there are over 57 edits in just 2 minutes. Branagh also uses the style of the edit effectively to add movement to the sequence. An example of when he uses the style of the edit very effectively is when the dogs are being murdered. He uses a series of jump cuts at a very quick speed to add dramatic movement.

I think that both Directors are trying to create a strong atmosphere and tension. They both want their audience to be full of suspense after the opening sequences. In doing so they set the mood for the rest of the film. Both Whale and Branagh use the same techniques but in very different ways. Branagh uses non-diegetic sound very effectively to create a tense atmosphere. However Whale uses silence to the same effect but in a very different way. Both Directors use the theme of death in their opening sequences. Whale uses the theme of death, setting his opening sequence in a grave yard and by using props which all symbolize death and Branagh represents the theme of death by using very pale make up and by setting it in a deathly cold place. They also use isolation to create tension. They use their different styles and techniques very effectively, by engaging their audiences to create the same emotion. However, I do think that Branagh uses his techniques, the sound and the mise en scene more effectively to create a brilliant film and a very powerful, emotionally charged atmosphere.

Emma Harvey -