Gods and Monsters (1998)

Directed by

Bill Condon

Genre

drama film, biographical film, LGBTQ-related film

Country

United Kingdom, United States

Runtime

1h 45m

Rated

R

Rating

6.9 of 10 from 397 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

An aging film director named James Whale, famous for making the Frankenstein movies, lives out his final days. He forms an unlikely friendship with a younger gardener named Clayton Boone. They share memories and confront the director's past.

contemplativemelancholicintimatebittersweetslow-pacedcharacter-drivenemotionally restrainedreflectivepoignant

What happens

Gods and Monsters is a 1998 period drama film written and directed by Bill Condon, based on Christopher Bram's 1995 novel Father of Frankenstein. The film stars Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave, Lolita Davidovich, and David Dukes. Its plot is a partly fictionalized account of the last days of the life of film director James Whale (McKellen), known for directing Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935). A veteran of World War I, the aged Whale develops a complicated relationship with his gardener, Clayton Boone (Fraser), a fictitious character originally created by Bram for the source novel. An international co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States, Gods and Monsters is produced by Paul Colichman, Gregg Fienberg, and Mark R. Harris; Clive Barker served as executive producer. As well as featuring reconstructions of the production of the Bride of Frankenstein, the film's title is derived from a scene in Bride of Frankenstein, in which the character Dr. Pretorius toasts Dr. Frankenstein, "To a new world of gods and monsters!" Gods and Monsters was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Actor for McKellen and Best Supporting Actress for Redgrave, and won for Best Adapted Screenplay. Despite receiving positive reviews, the film was a box office failure. It was later adapted as a play of the same name which premiered in London at the Southwark Playhouse in February 2015. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

More like this

• Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (1998)
• Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
• What Dreams May Come (1998)
• Frankenstein (2025)
• High Art (1998)
• Velvet Goldmine (1998)
• More (1998)
• Loving Vincent (2017)