James Whale's Frankenstein (1 point)

 

If Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is the story of a father rejecting his son, then James Whale’s Frankenstein is the story of society rejecting a child. In the film Vic-- I mean Henry Frankenstein does not reject his son immediately. At first, he is defending his creation from the others. However, their words get to him as he sees the creature reacting poorly to certain things (such as fire and light) and is convinced that the creature is a monster. It’s similar to how a parent can be turned on their LGBTQ+ child by society. There’s even the (presumably) heterosexual professor telling Henry that the brain he used was the criminal brain, not the normal brain, like how some bigots believe that being gay or trans is a mental illness and isn’t normal. In the end, of course, the bigots have a happy ending and the son is presumed dead. Like the novel, it’s a tragic end for the child that’s seen as a monster Aside from evidence from the film itself, this reading is supported by the fact that James Whale was openly gay. Although it’s possible Whale didn’t intend to imbue the film with LGBTQ+ themes (though I doubt), I do believe that his sexuality at least subconsciously led to this outcome; in my experience, being LGBTQ+ colors how I consume and create stories.


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