Frankenstein (1982 / 1984)

[leoniedelt]

It was run on tv here in the UK in 82, and then out in the US tv circuit in 84.

I liked it. Limited budget, and i wanted to see so much more of that animation sequence. I had the pleasure of already knowing the actor who played Henry Clerval from Doctor Who episode Black Orchid, which was groovy. A cast of stars.

The effects were cheesy, but come on, it was Yorkshire TV in the 80s - what do you expect?

David's monster had me in tears a few times. Might be coming down off drugs, lol, or it might be that he was genuinely moving and played a truly sympathy-evoking monster. Probably a bit of both.

I did laugh when Justine fell off the cliff, though! DOH.

It needed a further 30 minutes of length. So  much more could have been shown and explained. Grief for William and for Justine could have been properly shown. Etc.

But worth watching, and worth the fiver, even if my bloody sound keeps switching from hi-fi to regular...what do you expect from VHS?

Comments

[mooncove.livejournal.com]

Yay, you got to see it. And we agree on this one completely (except I didn't already know Henry Clerval)! I'm glad I wasn't the only who laughed at Justine falling off the cliff. I mean, it all happens so fast, it's like a scene from the Keystone Cops or Monty Python. (Like the sketch where the two office workers are calmly betting on who'll be the next body to fall past the window.)

I just saw an ad that Dr. Who is coming to the Sci-Fi Channel on Fridays--I might actually have to start watching it (if I remember it's on, which I'm really bad at doing). From the commercials, I think I already like David Tennant better as Dr. Who than as Barty Crouch in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. As a teen, I always wanted to like Dr. Who (starring Tom Baker), but somehow I could never quite stick with an episode long enough to catch on to the premise.

[leoniedelt.livejournal.com]

Yeah, i know the sketch well - they are disputing who it was that fell, and at the end they're encouraging a guy to jump - Come on Parky!

There was just so much more they could have done with it, had they had more runtime and budget. David was so sympathy-evoking, YES. Carrie Fisher wasnt totally wasted (literally, i heard she was alot in those days) and Powell made a great Frankenstein.

Yes, I knew Henry Clerval from Black Orchid, he played Lord Cranleigh, in full cricket gear. He was a bit disguised minus the 'stache, but i did instantly recognise his voice. http://www.shillpages.com/dw/story/d5/st--6a07.jpg and http://www.shillpages.com/dw/story/d5/st--6a29.jpg are caps from it. Good actor, yes. Very Victorian.

As for New Who, you probably know how i feel about it - i react each time it's on, and my reactions are out there for everyone to read.

[leoniedelt.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I dont 'do' Harry Potter :/