FRANKENSTEIN by Mary SHELLEY

It’s about time to start our module on the great female writer, Mary Shelley, the writer of Frankenstein and wife of the romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Here’s my presentation.Powered by emaze

This EDPUZZLE  I made is about her troubled life we’ ve dealt with in class. It’ll give you a deeper insight into her psychological background. Write your SURNAME  before starting. Mary Shelley: A life about Death.

Everything you need to know to read Frankenstein by TedED. 

You know the novel pretty well since you read it as a summer set book but you can revise its main features through this 10 TopNotes video.

From the National Library of Medicine (thanks to EdTech teacher this exhibition FRANKENSTEIN PENETRATING THE SECRETS OF NATURE looks at the world from which Mary Shelley came, how popular culture has embraced the Frankenstein story, and at how Shelley’s creation continues to illuminate the blurred, uncertain boundaries of what we consider “acceptable” science.

The second video is a Summary of the novel you have already read 🙂 Just to revise it in a visual form before reading an extract together.

I’m also embedding a very interesting Frankenstein Google Literary Trip, so that you can visualize the places of the novel. It was meant for a teacher so you needn’t focus on all information, just select the relevant one. It lasts 6m‘. You can also see here the map made last year by two students. Francesca’s and Cristian’s version

Frankenstein from GoogleLitTrips on Vimeo.

FRANKENSTEIN IN MOVIES: It’s alive!!

The following video clip is taken from “Frankenstein the 1931 classic showing the trials and tribulations of the man and his monster, directed by James Whale and starring Boris Karloff and Colin Clive.

The second video is taken from Kenneth Branagh’s movie Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994 ) and it’s the scene of  The CREATION OF THE MONSTER.  Sticking close to the original novel, Kenneth Branagh guides us through the story of Frankenstein’s quest for knowledge and his creature’s search for his “father”. Director: Kenneth Branagh/Release Date: 4 November 1994starring  Robert de Niro, Kenneth Branagh and Helena Bonham Carter.

  • Assignment 1 After watching the clip answer the following questions IN YOUR NOTEBOOK.
  1. What leads to the creation of the monster?
  2. What does Dr.Frankenstein look like? How does he feel before and after the creation?
  3. What does he say DURING and AFTER the creation?
  4. Does the soundtrack contribute to the atmosphere of the scene?

You can (it’s optional) also have a look at this presentation I found while surfing the net. It’s incredible how many things you come across … by pure chance!

Here’s the funny website you are already familiar with: Frankenstein in 60 secondsI find the girl’s voice unbearable but you may like her. It’s a way of making literature very easy and understandable to everybody. As I see it it’s a way of trivializing great masterpieces, not my cup of tea 😉

Assignment 2  Leave your comment below answering to the following:

  • Which of the 2 monsters you have seen do you find more impressive and why?

24 thoughts on “FRANKENSTEIN by Mary SHELLEY

  1. I personally prefer the first video, the one directed by James Whale, because it satisfies better the concept of gothic novel that I imagine. Indeed, the black-and-white “colours” create a mysterious, gloomy and also a little bit’ anxious atmosphere which, I think, fits perfectly with the definition of this literary genre.
    I also really appreciate the fact that in the first video all we can hear are just the sounds of the electrical machines and the storm that is hitting the castle outside, instead of in the second video, in which the scene is accompanied by music.
    Furthermore, other aspects that I favour about the first video, is, first of all, the way the Creature is brought to life, by the electrical shock of the lightings, and, last but not least, the fact that there were people attending the brave and innovative experiment, conducted by Victor Frankenstein, and also their reactions. I like it because, in my opinion, they confer more realism to the scene, even though, nowadays, we could say that it is quite an “unreal” scene.

  2. Personally, I like watching black and white films because those colors that some people might consider “old” give to the whole story a touch of elegance and it’s more scenic. I tend to associate Frankenstein to a huge dirty creature with big, yellow, glazed eyes and a hoarse voice; black hair and almost green skin, big hands and temples pierced by two caps. For those reasons, I liked the most the first video clip, taken from “Frankenstein the 1931 classic” directed by James Whale. Furthermore, I’ve seen “Frankenstein Junior” a thousand times so I rather like the black and white Frankenstein 🙂

  3. I prefer the new one because it has more special effects and the creature is more realistic, more scary and the actor is more expressive.
    I don’t like black and white movies that much and I think that the recent one has more impact on who watches it.
    In addiction I really like Robert De Niro and I think that his way of acting is appropriate for the role he’s playing!
    The monster’s makeup is terrifying and has impress me so much, I was very scared about some scenes because were really connected to the gothic genre and the introduction of the horror.

  4. I prefer the James Whale film because I believe that it’s more common to think that a monster is enormous, with big hands and a really strange green head. It’s the classic film with that every children imagines a monster. I grow up with this type of thought, so I believe more in it. This film is more cutest inspire of the other. It has more impact for all the people that maybe doesn’t like this type of film to other genres because it’s also similar with some cartoons that some people created for the children and for their growth.

  5. I prefer the film where the is the classical Frankestein: because it remind me my childhood because I used to watch Frankestein’s cartoon’s. It represents the ideological monster and I’m more attached to the classical version. Also the scenery shows in a better way my expectation of the laboratory and the monster.

  6. I really like the second video taken from Kenneth Branagh’s movie Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, because it looks more modern than the first one which dates to 1931, and If I had to decide which movie to see I’ll choose the second. Personally, I don’t like the old movies, especially when they’re white and black. They do not inspire me and they don’t capture my attention at all, principally for the style in which they were shot, but I’m aware that in that period they were not equipped with a cinema advanced technology like nowadays, where there are computers who can create imaginative effects, rebuild supernatural elements, create strange sounds… I loved this video because In my opinion the monster who play this character reflects the characteristics and the qualities described by Mary Shelley. The soundtrack it’s fits perfectly with the moment of the scene, the creation of the monster because it’s give a sense of fear and anxious.

  7. Personally I found more impressive the monster in Kenneth Branagh’s movie “Mary Shalley’s Frankestein” (1994), because of the monstrosity of his face and voice, but I found it impressive in a negative way. The interpretation in the film is perfect but didn’t catch me as in the classical Frankenstein that in my opinion is the best one, because is funny and cute in some scene, is lighter and also I prefer black and white movies.
    Kenneth Branagh’s movie really impress me, because I noticed passion in every interpretation, but I don’t know, the classic monster with green body, deep black hair with nails in the temples has always fascinated me, since I was a child.

  8. Both videos created are well made. I personally prefer the second one, because, as Alessia said, the first one (being in particular black and white) is much older than the second, and this, in my opinion, also affects the quality of the play (in fact I think that the film if are if more recent are more realistic, too)
    I must add, however, as somehow also Francesca said, that Kenneth has been able to recreate the atmosphere of the book with accuracy through the use of music, but also the actor De Niro has succeed to transfer to the audience (to me also in particular) different emotions even with the aid of make-up. Personally, when I watch films (or video, in this case) I identify myself with it, as if I was next to the characters, more so if the film is well done, very detailed aesthetically and if sounds, that in this case they wanted to convey anxiety and tension, are able to penetrate inside the bones. I love Mary Shelley, thanks to the emotionality of my English teacher when she had introduced her to us, because she is really a woman of strong spirit. And with Frankenstein she had showed it to the world. Congratulations to Kenneth. She did a great job: she succeed to transmit the emotions of the writer to the whole audience.

  9. They are definitely super different. The character of the scientist is well represented in both scenes: his decision and certainty while he’s giving life to the creature is evident and realistic. But for my own humble opinion, the first clip by James Whale it resulted being more realistic and it perfectly suited the situation that was going on. The figure of the scientist was so well played by Colin Clive that I could feel in first person the satisfaction and madness that you feel when you realize something you’ve been working on for so long, and seeing that all your efforts had a wonderful result. I found the interpretation of the scientist by Kenneth Branagh in the second video not so serious, with the character half naked with skinny black trousers. I mean, when I think about a scientist it doesn’t come up to my mind a half naked man with long hair and abs. The choice of the place in the first video is so good ’cause it gives me a sense of
    terror and anxiety own of the opera of Frankenstein. The place looks cold and scary and this helps giving an idea of terror for the moment when the horrible creature will come alive .

  10. Personally I have found more impressive the video taken from Frankenstein ‘ move directed by James Whale because like replied Alessandra , If you think about Frankenstein and his history , this is the first idea you have.
    I have to say that I don’t really appreciate watching ” black and White “movies , but in this case it creates the classic atmosphere you can find in the Gothic tradiction . Infact , according to me the sound and the setting is more likely
    than the video taken from Kenneth Branagh though the interpretation of Robert
    de Niro is spectacular and very well made .

  11. I prefer the monster in the second video like other of my classmates. I find it more impressive, realistic and detailed instead of the first monster who is covered for the entire video. At the end of the Kenneth Branagh’s creation you can see the long scars that cross the being’s face, its watery eyes, its pale skin. Also this representation is the best because of the fantastic and involving soundtrack and at the same time for the location. Even the use of electricity, the power of water and the big machines used by doctor Frankenstein, help you to imagine better the scene, in a more realistic way.
    But it is in the first clip that, in my opinion, the protagonist’s feelings are more visible. In “that Victor Frankenstein” you can see clearly the tension, the anxiety and the enthusiasm that he feels in the exact moment of creation.

  12. From the time I was little when I hear the word Frankenstein, I always think about a giant and ugly man with big hands and feet. A man who isn’t able to speak so he only grunts. My idea of Frankenstein is pretty gloomy, therefore for me the second video is more impressive than the first one. I really appreciate it because it’s full of details like the electricity, the chains and all that sounds making the atmosphere and as well as the scene very real. I liked that Victor is always moving because from his movements I feel the hard work for the creation of the monster (obviously it hasn’t been easy create such a masterpiece).

  13. When you say Frankenstein you immediately associate this word with a green,enormous and with two nails on the neck monster, but nowadays we tend to reinterpret this figure with more meanings and make it more scary for children…But no matter how we can change his appearance he still remains the famous character that suffered for being created and being rejected.

    If I have to choose one of them, I will choose the second one because in my opinion his scars suits perfectly with the feelings that accompany the entire story (films included) and more over, the soundtrack has also an important part…in fact what blowed my mind away when I saw him was pain, fear but also a mixed feelings of compassion and tenderness.

    In my opinion, the monster imperfections made him perfect because his scratches describes him wonderfully both for his past events and also for his external appearance but for me the greatest monster should be a mix of the first and the second interpretation.

  14. In my opinion, the video taken from Kenneth Branagh’s movie Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994) is better than the other video because I think the second video personifies entirely the adjective “Gothic”. The first video represents the classic vision of people about Frankestein: pinched skin, black hair with majestic stature. For being the first film about Frankestein, it is so accurate and precise, but I prefer the second video because it is full of details that give terror and suspense during scenes. Details are fundamental for this type of books or films. Furthermore, I think the monster in the second video is more impressive for scars and his facial configuration.

  15. Reading what my classmates have written about both of the 2 monster’s versions, I get more and more uncertain about my preference ’cause they all express something I agree with!
    By the way, having to make a decision, I gotta say that (even though both of them are very impressive!) the second one (1994) hits me a little bit more ’cause it looks “truer”, almost real. It seems to me close to us (because of his modern look) and it makes me believe he could nearly exist. Moreover, like Francesca said, the face of the monster doesn’t leave you emotionless: on the contrary, it makes you feel disgust, terror and anxiety…all together!
    Nevertheless, in wider terms (therefore talking about the whole scene of the creation), I do believe the first one, in black and white, is more original and transmites more excitement than the other one, which has, moreover, an “epic” soundtrack, definitely dynamic, but not as engaging as the electic sound of the first clip.

  16. I personally appreciate more the second version of the monster, because of his resemblance to a human being; I find it very realistic and impressive, and the make up of Robert de Niro is amazing.
    The other monster, as Alessandra said, embody the common stereotype of the monster of Frankenstein but doesn’t really scares you, the second monster instead reminds me one of that disturbing fail experiments of science and makes you understand the disgust all the characters feel each time they meet him.
    I believe it really look like a patient after a rudimentary surgery but with a strange evil look that mark him just from the composition of his face and that you can hardly remove from your mind.

  17. Even if the first video represents the monster as all we imagine him, I’ve found more impressive the second version.
    Kenneth Branagh created, using also special effects, a “real” monster. With the scars in all his body and the imperfections of the features of his face the director gives the idea of how Frankenstein created the monster, taking the parts of the body of some corpses like we can see in the movie “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein”.
    Also the soundtrack impressed me a lot, cause it makes me anxious and involved, as Franscesca said and the addition of the fire and the electricity makes the video more modern and exiting.

  18. Personally I find more impressive the last version of the scene for many reasons that I’m going to explain. First of all the special effects: I really think that the meticulousness and the attention for details of the special effects ( like the electric sparks ) add to the scene something more that was impossible to give to the first version shot in 1931. Then I was really impressed by the soundtrack that amplify the state of agitation and excitement of the scene. I also think that with modern technologies obviously the final result is better defined and the scene can be represented in its entirety. All the movements made by dr.Frankestein are perfectly in line with the soundtrack and that’s very important for the development of the act .

  19. I’m not sure but I would say I prefer the first monster, the one with short lustrous black hair, less scars and those typical bolts in his neck that reminds us instantly of Frankenstein. Actually they are electrodes from where the creature would obtain his life energy. But apart from this, I prefer the former Frankenstein because, although the latter one is more loyal to the description we read in class (the real book’s one) with all those scars, the shrivelled skin and the unique features, still the image of monster stuck in my mind is the one represented in the 1931 movie. The atmosphere is eerie and gloomy and it all fits perfectly good in that version though is one of the oldest ones. Also the fact that the movie was shot when there weren’t colours yet, it makes it more and more dark and insane.

  20. I find more impressive the first version, because the madness of Victor, the black and white photography standout the “monstrosity” and the frightening features of the monster. Like Alessandra said, the version of year 1931 is the classic version we have all in our minds, that we know since we were children.
    On the other hand the second monster seems to be closer to the Mary Shelley’s idea, with all those scars and stitches.
    I think that the two express two different atmospheres of “Frankenstein”, the first one express the madness and the darkness of Victor’s researches, and the second one his purpose to save lives and the medical aspect, like the organs, the “chemicals liquids”….

  21. In my opinion the second monster is more impressive than the first one because in the last seconds of the scene we can see his face and some details, for example his eyes, his shrivelled complexion, his scars caused by the seams made by Frankenstein. So the monster is very strange and rather striking, also for me who I am the observer. Furthermore I think that the atmosphere of the scene is very important, the soundtrack, the sounds of electricity and of all the instruments Frankenstein has in the big room. All these elements make the scene enigmatc and when I watch it I want to wait until the end, to see the result, so it is very involving and full of cliff-hanger. I’d like to make a criticism: I think that the first one reflects better the traditional vision of the monster, like Alessandra said; I mean, the second monster could be considered like an exaggeration of the first one, but it isn’t my case. To me the second version is an original and different way to show the creation of the monster that personally I appreciate.

  22. I appreciate more the newest clip of Frankenstein for several reasons.
    First the impact with colours is basic for me because the black and white films make me think of something very old and boring. Then the sounds in the second one are varied and differents and they all have the task to bestow specific feelings such as anxiety,suspence and fear which are the typical feelings that we have when we think about a horrific monster. Another relevant thing is the dynamism of the character: In the second clip Victor Frankenstein moves frantically in various directions and he never stops, instead in the first clip the characters are more static and so they don’t make me feel involved.
    Furthermore in the second we can see the monster opening his eyes and this is rather impressive compared to the first in which we can only see a little movement of the hand.

  23. I prefer the first one beacause it’s the classic vision of Frankestein we all have in mind 🙂
    Tall, with big hands, big feets, a big head and voice, the creature made the history. Every child imagines him like James Whale did. It’s the classic stereotype of the monster, it’s a combo of magic and fear.
    Anyhow that doesn’t detract to the Kenneth Branagh’s movie the necessary compliments.
    Robert de Niro with all those scars is very impressive.

  24. I personally find more impressive the Kenneth Branagh’s one because of his face full of scars and his skin full of stitches. It impressed me the most because of the soundtrack, too which plays an important role. It makes you feel involved and anxious so that you absolutely want to see the final result, the finished and mysterious creature even though you may have already got an idea by yourself. It increases your level of impression both the storm in “Frankenstein the 1931 classic” and the entertaining soundtrack in “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein”. The scene is also very fast and there are a lot of details that makes you wonder and wonder and wonder such as the fire, electricity, chains, water,… I can imagine from the little we have seen in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein that he’s going to have horrible, irregular, yellow teeth and a terrifying, disturbing and evil look. Nevertheless, I have always thought about Frankenstein as the first one, with his wide forehead and his temples pierced by two little kind of caps. I have always imagined him as this tall creature, with dark and short hair, very big feet and long arms, dressed with a shirt, a jacket and a pair of trousers.

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