nkenstein” is no exception. The book is written as a frame narrative, but this sort of presentation is almost impossible to reproduce on screen. Robert Walton’s letters to his sister, and the monster’s long autobiographical narratives were both omitted from the film for this reason. A big asset to narrative voice is the reader acquires a more thorough impression of the charter’s thoughts and feelings. Without the use of this literary tool, Brannaugh had to rearrange scenes, add dialect where there was none before, and depend on the superb theatrical ability of the actors. The movie starts off very true to the text with Walton’s ship becoming logged in the ice in the arctic. Despite some minor changes, the film follows the book pretty closely until the death of Frankenstein’s mother is described. In the novel, she contracts scarlet fever after caring for Elizabeth, and “died calmly…her countenance express[ing] affection even in death” (Shelley, 72). In the movie, she collapses while dancing with Victor, and soon after dies while giving birth to his brother William. This scene is filled with screaming, blood and gruesome images as the mother dies in a fit of pain and agony. Victor runs into his mother’s room and is met by the site of her covered in blood and lain strewn on a broken chair. He then proceeds to throw himself on top of her and cry “bring her back, oh please bring her back.” This scene is very theatrical and perhaps a bit overacted as the actors try to transmit Frankenstein’s future motive for his actions. The book conveys the same motives but does so in a much subtler way.Shelley has been long critiqued for her portrayal of women in her novel. Both Elizabeth and Caroline are obedient subservient women who do not question the men of the household. However, in the movie there are instances where these characters show their stubborn natur...
