The Bride
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Movie Reviews of The Bride
Movie Review: movie, The Bride, Sting, Frankenstein
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the better serious, as opposed to comedy, Frankenstein story lines and it has a good ending. If you like any of the Frankenstein movies you are sure to enjoy this one over and over.Movie Review: Interesting and Dark
Summary: 4 Stars
In 1985 when both Sting and Jennifer Beals were huge draws, this movie was created: A retelling of The Bride of Frankenstein. On a dark and stormy night, Baron Frankenstein works feverishly in his lab trying to bring to life the agreed to Bride of the monster previously created. Sting, as Frankenstein, is intelligent, determined, and methodical. He brings to life his newest creation and quickly discovers that the mistakes he made when creating the man have been corrected, bringing to life a beautiful woman. Upon seeing his bride, the monster (Clancy Brown)inadvertently hurts her. Frankenstein strikes the monster and removes the bride from the creature's grasp. A fight ensues and the monster flees into the night. The next day Frankenstein names the woman Eva and decides to teach how to be "as bold and as proud as a man." Meanwhile, the creature runs into a little person named Renaldo (David Rappaport) who understands what it is like to be an outcast and befriends him. As the movie progresses, we see two stories take place. Eva becoming "the new woman" and the creature learning about life and friendship.I have always enjoyed this movie. Sting is great as Frankenstein and plays him with a hint of madness that such a man would likely have been. Jennifer Beals plays Eva with childlike innocence early on then shows the maturity of a bold, intelligent woman, but still she is disturbed about who she truly might be. (Check out the scene when she does discover the truth. Fantastic!) Clancy Brown, too, shows growth and maturity in the development of the creature (later named Victor by Renaldo) from clumsy, confusion to brave determination. Cary Elwes has the role of Josef, one of the Countess' guards. And how can we forget the late David Rappaport as the compassionate and insightful Renaldo. Through him we see the pain and prejudice he faces by being a little person.
The extras on the DVD are few, but nice to have. I don't recall ever seeing the trailer before so having it on the DVD was a plus. The Director's commentary could have been better. He admitted that it had been so long since he had seen the film. Knowing this, he should have watched it a few times and made notes. As it was, he forgot a lot of the information. Later in the film, he would comment that the movie never addressed this or never addressed that when in actuality, the movie had established those things earlier in the movie. To me, a great commentary is when the person commenting on the film is discussing the scene: either the actors or the background, or something relevant. This director sometimes went on little tangents that had nothing to do with the movie at all. I kept thinking "can we please talk about this movie?" There was some good information though about the French scenery, how Sting got the role, the relationships between the actors, and the loss of David Rappaport. So the commentary wasn't a total loss, but could have been better if the Director was better prepared.
Movie Review: "The Bride" Is A Warmhearted Departure From The Frankenstein Saga
Summary: 4 Stars
Rock legend Sting ("Dune") gives a superb performance as Baron Charles Frankenstein who brings a beautiful dead woman to life. Instead of allowing her to mate with his male creation, he decides that he must have her for his own. The enraged creature (Clancy Brown) destroys the tower laboratory and flees. What follows is a touching, warm-hearted relationship between him and Rinaldo, a midget (David Rappaport) he rescues from children who are teasing him. The two misfits develop a close friendship and decide to travel to Budapest to join the circus. Rinaldo gives his friend the name of Viktor. Meanwhile, Baron Frankenstein names his female creation Eva (the gorgeous Jennifer Beals of "Flashdance" fame). Refusing to believe she was simply found in the woods, Eva becomes increasing more agitated as she searches for her true identity. Somehow, she shares a psychic bond with Viktor. They can feel each other's pain.
"The Bride" is a beautifully photographed gothic film with lush settings and costumes and a great musical score composed and directed by Maurice Jarre. It deals primarily with the strong bond of everlasting friendship. Also, it emphasizes the timeless theme found in "Beauty and the Beast" - true beauty comes from within. You can be hideously scarred on the outside and still have a beautiful heart. This version of Frankenstein has one of the most happiest endings I have ever seen. Baron Frankenstein, as usual, is greedy and selfish and it was fun to watch him receive his just reward. However, those he has harmed escape his evil clutches and are given a chance to make their dreams come true. "The Bride" is highly recommended for those, like me, who enjoy gothic horror, especially when it has a strong element of romance.
Movie Review: An uplifiting Frankenstein film? Read on...
Summary: 4 Stars
First of all, this isn't at all close to anything from the original novel by Mary Shelley. In the book, work begins on a bride for the creature, and is then abandoned, which leads to all sorts of unpleasantness.This film is sort of a exploration of how the story might have developed if work on the creatures mate had continued. Sting, of the Police, plays the Doctor, and Jennifer Beals plays his second creation. Obviously, his skills have improved from his first effort, however an accident in the lab leads to a fire, and the loss of the first creature, or so he believes. He then sets out to educate her as a continuing experiment. Meanwhile, the first creature is being educated by different experiences as he wanders the countryside, eventually befriending a dwarf who helps him find employment. Eventually, the creature and his intended bride cross paths again...with results which are perhaps unexpected, given their different backgrounds. This is perhaps the only Frankenstein film with an positive ending, attempting to show that even artificially created humans might have a soul, or a spirit, which seeks to rise above the limitations of the flesh. The set design of the film was good, especially 'the masoleum'. Jennifer Beals is gorgeous as 'The Bride', and the performance by Clancy Brown as the 'creature' is also good, as is David Rappaport as the dwarf. I enjoyed it.RonMovie Review: Underrated remake of all time classic
Summary: 4 Stars
First, it must be said that it helps to have seen the original 1935 Bride of Frankenstein. The original is an all time horror classic and it is viewed by some as the best horror movie ever. So if you haven't seen the original, you're missing something special. This remake is 50 years later and naturally is in color.
Sting is a quiet reserved and brooding Dr. Frankenstein and this film is a different take on the classic story and not an exact remake. Sting is good as the doctor and Jennifer Beals is great as the title character. She brings a sexiness to the role that Elsa Lanchester could not. Boris Karloff can rest comfortably in his grave knowing that no one has topped his performance as the monster and that is very true here. The original had some great supporting performances and every role is perfectly cast in the 1935 film- this one is more focused on the 2 leads and the Bride character is much more prominent in this movie. I think critics hammered this movie because it is not the equal of the original but what is? Taken on its own, this is a fine movie if not the equal of one of the all time classics of the horror genre.