Best known for his "Frankenstein" movies, legendary British director James Whale was the Steven Spielberg of his day. Despite his brief meteoric career in the 1930's where he rose to become one of the more prominent directors in Hollywood, however, in little more than a decade from his first release, and mainly due to creative differences with Universal Studios, Whale forever removed himself from moviemaking. He subsequently took up art, reportedly had a fondness for wild, gay parties and later became something of a recluse.
Found dead in his swimming pool some sixteen years after his last picture was released, the cause of his death -- accident or suicide -- remained a mystery for some thirty years. If that story sounds intriguing enough to be made into a movie of its own, you're in luck, because it now has.
A speculative account of Whale's degenerative last year following a debilitating stroke, "Gods and Monsters" is a slow moving, but nearly always captivating guess about what landed the once powerful cinematic force into the swimming pool he himself never used.
Featuring a stellar performance from Ian McKellen, and very good supporting takes by both Brendan Fraser and Lynn Redgrave, the film obviously won't be for all tastes, but it's clearly a well-executed, character-driven drama.
Although there's not much to the plot -- Whale recounts his memories of his WWI lover as well as the making of his movies to his new gardener -- what's there is constructed well enough to easily hold one's interest. It's the film's central performance by a legendary thespian playing an equally legendary director, however, that will earn the film its kudos.
Played with appropriate amounts of zest and zeal by Ian McKellen ("Apt Pupil," TV's "Rasputin"), the well-regarded British thespian simply becomes the legendary Whale, and is a delight to watch in this role that will surely earn him an Oscar nomination.
Whether humorously turning the tables on a young reporter anxious only to hear about the Frankenstein movies, or interacting with his overprotective housekeeper, McKellen hits a perfect stride with his character. Filled with funny quips and just the right contrasting touches of disgust regarding his medical condition balanced against self-induced amusement from his still sharp wit, McKellen's performance alone is worth the price of admission.
Of course a character drama needs more than one participant to work, and that's where Brendan Fraser comes in. Having put aside his sophomoric caveman ("Encino Man") and Tarzan-like ("George of the Jungle") characters, Fraser is quite good and surprisingly holds his own as the young, blue collar counterpart to McKellen's upper-crust persona.
The smaller supporting role of Whale's housekeeper is perfectly played by Lynn Redgrave ("Shine," "Georgy Girl"). Her "I know what's best for you, but I better keep my mouth shut -- at least most of the time" character is priceless, and by providing the film with her exasperation- based humor, Redgrave is continuously fun to watch.
Working from Christopher Bram's novel, "Father of Frankenstein," writer/director Bill Condon (the cult films, "Strange Behavior" and "Strange Invaders") knows that his audience, like an overeager reporter who appears early in the plot, wants to know about those Frankenstein movies (for which Whale had a love/hate relationship for their stereotyping him despite his other pictures such as "Showboat").
Delivering some fun, elaborate and convincingly constructed "flashback" moments on the shooting set of "Bride of Frankenstein," Condon more than adequately pays homage to those great films.
While Whale's movie career and some memories/flashbacks to his involvement in WWI nicely break up the film's methodical dramatic pieces, one wishes for more knowledge of both. For instance, the film never mentions that Whale was a German P.O.W. during the "Great War," or that a later German leader -- namely Hitler -- indirectly caused Whale's downfall at Universal (the studio's new owners feared Whale's "comeback" and antiwar picture, "The Road Back" wouldn't play well overseas, particularly in Germany, and that sparked creative "final cut" disagreements).
Although Condon is obviously more interested in Whale's final year and his fictitious attraction to his young male gardener, such matters would have made the film a bit more interesting and given Whale's character a bit more depth (by exploring in greater detail what helped forge his later years' demeanor).
Even so, the film is an interesting look at the man behind the monsters of his films -- their god if you will, hence one meaning of the title -- and the inner monsters he may have battled throughout his life. Featuring a great performance from Ian McKellen, the film might not please everyone, but anyone with a love of old films and an interest in who made them, should certainly find it intriguing. We give "Gods and Monsters" a 7 out of 10.
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