#frankenpost?

[grantaireble]

Tortured Poets & "The Bride of Frankenstein"

To a new world of gods and monsters!

Alright this is soo long now and I came about this revelation the weirdest way (while watching world class color guard) but I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. All of my ttpd thoughts were rattling around in my brain as we were watching videos and one group put out a Bride of Frankenstein show last year and they used this quote as a V.O:

“What do you expect? Such an audience needs something more than a pretty little love story. So why shouldn’t I write of monsters?"

And, man, something about that got the neurons firing, especially because I had already been thinking a lot about the connections between Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and TTPD. Here are some of those:

Frankenstein visuals in the Fortnight MV

“The 1830s” Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was originally published in 1818, but she made some edits for an 1831 edition

Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, and Lord Byron were sort of their own little TPD, writing horror stories together one rainy summer.

TTPD and Frankenstein seem to reference many of the same things

Both Taylor on TTPD and Mary Shelley in Frankenstein reference the Rime of the Ancient Mariner and the albatross

“I am going to unexplored regions, to “the land of mist and snow;” but I shall kill no albatross, therefore do not be alarmed for my safety, or if I should come back to you as worn and woeful as the “Ancient Mariner?” – Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

Both Taylor and Mary Shelly reference Greek Myth 

Frankenstein: “The Modern Prometheus” (often compared to the Christian story of Christ)

Cassandra: gifted the power of prophecy but cursed to never be believed

Does the headpiece above not give Medusa?

Both Taylor and Mary Shelley reference the Bible

“I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel...” (Frankenstein) / “I got cursed like Eve got bitten,” etc. 

Both Taylor and Mary Shelley reference principles of Alchemy! 

"The modern masters promise very little; they know that metals cannot be transmuted, and that the elixir of life is a chimera." (Chimera = lion's head, goat's body, and a serpent's tail, more Greek mythology)

Some lyrics from TTPD also feel like direct references to Frankenstein quotes or themes

“I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend.” ― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein / “I was tamed, I was gentle ‘til the circus life made me mean.” – Taylor Swift, Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?

“I am alone and miserable. Only someone as ugly as I am could love me.” ― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein / “Down bad like I lost my twin.” – Taylor Swift, Down Bad

“I am malicious because I am miserable” ― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein / “Because I’m Miserable!” – Taylor Swift, I Can Do It With A Broken Heart

“One wandering thought pollutes the day” ― Mutability, Percy Blythe Shelley (Quoted in Frankenstein) / “One bad seed kills the garden” – Taylor Swift, The Albatross

“This feels like the time she fell through the ice” – Taylor Swift, The Bolter / In Frankenstein, ice is symbolic of isolation and alienation.

“Wretch” or “Wretched” is a huge word in Frankenstein / “That I’m fearsome and I’m wretched and I’m wrong.” Taylor Swift, Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?

“In the streets there’s a raging riot” / In the story, the Monster gets chased by angry mob of townspeople 

The First Two Pages of Frankenstein by The National (The Alcott appears on this album and The National toured it with Patti Smith)

Bonus: Dr. Frankenstein is something of an anti-hero. He, along with his monster, are also sometimes referred to as Tragic Heroes. Greek philosopher Aristotle first laid out the attributes of a Tragic Hero.

So all of this to say, I had originally only been thinking about TTPD only in the context of Mary Shelly’s original Frankenstein, even though that Fortnight imagery was definitely inspired by the films. But then that quote just really felt like it had Taylor written all over it.

So I googled Bride of Frankenstein.

It's basically an "everyone lives" AU sequel to Frankenstein lol. It's the 2nd of a trilogy (...hmmm?) although the third film Son of Frankenstein has a different director. The line I heard in the guard show is said by a fictionalized version of Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, who "appears" in the Bride of Frankenstein movie, along with poets Lord Byron and Percy Shelly.

In the scene, Mary Shelley explains that she wanted Frankenstein to show its audience the consequences of mortal man trying to play god. She then reveals that there is more to the story than everyon thinks. This, of course, got me thinking about the term "playing god" and the Mastermind of it all, along with all of the religious/worship imagery Taylor uses on the album. Bride of Frankenstein also uses Christian/crucifixion imagery to convey this theme. 

The movie picks up right where the original Frankenstein left off. Both the doctor and the monster somehow make it out of the original story alive. Dr. Frankenstein, despite wanting to step away from his experiments after his horrific first attempt, gets pressured/blackmailed by his mentor to create a mate for the monster. While this is happening, Frankenstein's original monster is sort of bumbling around out in the world trying desperately to make a friend. This never works, as everyone is too afraid of how different he appears on the outside.

This is around where the queer reading of "The Bride of Frankenstein" comes in. I'm getting most of my info from this video, which definitely clicked things into place for me.

The queer reading is based on a few things:

The relationship between Dr. Frankenstein and Dr. Pretorius (two men creating life together)

The monster as a figure that does not fit into the norms of society and the effects of that on his search to find someone "like him"

The director, James Whale, having been one of only a few openly gay men in Hollywood at the time

The character, Dr. Pretorius', "campy" queer coding

The Bride of Frankenstein was subjected to censorship from the Hay's board while in production and by censorship boards once released

"In the decades since its release, modern film scholars have noted the possible gay reading of the film. Director James Whale was openly gay, and some of the actors in the cast, including Ernest Thesiger and, according to rumor, Colin Clive, were respectively gay or bisexual." (Wikipedia)

This reading focuses on Dr. Frankenstein's inability to stay away from his "experiments," despite having a new wife and a potential regular life waiting for him at home. He is rejecting "the natural" in favor of "the unnatural.”

This reading also looks at the monster's deep desire and inability to find belonging in a world that fears otherness. The Monster tries multiple times to make a friend, but is always rejected.

He saves a woman from drowning but she screams in fear at his appearance.

He does befriend a blind hermit and they bond and become friends! But soldiers find the Monster there and they are separated. (At this point in the story the Monster wishes he were dead again.)

Finally, the Monster gets to meet the the Bride, who was literally made for the Monster. Unfortunately, the Bride, horrified at having been brought alive for the sole purpose of being a companion, also rejects him.

Here are some connections that relate to the Frankenstein/ Bride of Frankenstein films:

"Such an audience needs something more than a pretty little love stories" / "Are you not entertained?"

Safety Pins, Bride of Frankenstein / Hairpins, Fortnight video

“Strings tied to levers"? –Taylor Swift, Robin / At the end of Bride of Frankenstein, the Monster pulls the “self-destruct” lever, killing himself, the Bride, and Dr. Pretorious (might be a stretch, but this movie is the origin of the "mad scientist self-destruct lever")

In Son of Frankenstein, Dr. Frankenstein's grandson is named Peter (definitely a stretch?)

In Bride of Frankenstein a maid character, Minnie, tries to warn the town that the Monster is still alive, but no one believes her and she says "Nobody'd believe me! All right. I wash me hands of it. They can all be murdered in their beds." (It's giving Cassandra)

In Bride of Frankenstein the Monster saves a young shepherdess from drowning / "She almost drowned in frigid water" -Taylor Swift, The Bolter

Frankenstein freaks out and accidentally burns down the hermit's cottage (the only place he found human connection, hidden away from judgmental eyes) when they are found there by two hunters

Anyway this is so so long and and doesn't even include any real analysis (I might save that for a more cohesive post) but once I got started I just kept noticing things.

Right now I think the question I'm currently trying to answer is: Frankenstein Taylor Swift the Monster or the Doctor? The Bride? The drowned girl? The almost drowned girl? The Author??

[reallyhardy]

"the creation" animatronic figure in the monsters unchained: the frankenstein experiment pre-show at EPIC UNIVERSE.

[panthermouthh]

I’ve seen this comment a few times on my art here and on insta and I’m genuinely curious— WHERE did people get the idea that the Creature “just had creepy eyes”?? That Victor only ran away because the Creature’s eyes freaked him out?

I’ve seen people say this repeatedly and it couldn’t be further from the truth like. He is explicitly described as an eight foot tall cobbled together corpse with skin that barely covers his veins, yes his eyes are creepy but that would probably be the last thing anyone would notice about the Creature tbh 😭

[k1lltheparty]

pursuit of holiness

(image described in alt text! please reblog ^_^)

[kattitude130]

happy pride to The Creature

[waateeystein]

I made a letterboxd this year and I'd like to share my review of Victor Frankenstein (2015):

[mr-tarnation]

*lying sick in my dorm* “Omg you guys this is just like Frankenstein!”

[frankingsteinery]

i miss my first true love peter wiggin

[vinilatothemax]

He's just standing there like a toddler.

"wHy iS hE fEmALe bUiLt?" HE IS A MOTHER!!'

[boogeywooman]

Okay so I posted this in the Lisa Frankenstein discord but I don't want to lose it so I'm posting here too. I've been thinking about the "Can't Fight This Feeling" at the piano scene. Bear with me, it's a little long, but every time I watch it, I have this thought and I have to put it somewhere.

The last time Lisa sat at the piano was with her dad. She would turn the pages for him and sing like she did with the Creature, maybe even doing the whole theatrical song and dance she did too. It did seem very childlike. It took her back to a happier time where she could let go and be herself, but also it was the last time she had any kind of meaningful interaction with her father. Imagine this cute little family unit they used to be, just her and her mom and dad. She was the apple of their eye. She got all of their attention and all of their praise.

Fast forward to this scene. She's barely acknowledged now. The father clearly favors the new perfect daughter. The only time Lisa gets any attention is when she's in trouble with her stepmother. Even then, her father barely acknowledges her to discipline her. Literally the only person in her family that has her back is Taffy and even she's kind of a dick to her sometimes (even though I think she's trying to help). It's just so sad thinking of where she is now compared to how things used to be for her.

Zelda's commentary says Creature starts crying at the end of that scene because he's moved by the beauty of the moment. I remember not understanding because it's not like she gave any kind of moving performance. She was just having fun. But maybe he realized what was happening and that's what she meant (aside from the obvious fact that the song is literally about falling in love with your friend and the last time he cried it was because she told him she didn't want to be with him).

[sepal-sea]

the best thing about frankenstein is he was basically like one of those ppl that gets sucked into conspiracy theories like geocentrism and stuff and then he went to college and realized he was totally wrong about everything

[reallyhardy]

anyway here's an EXTREMELY funny thing my sister got me that im so utterly enamoured with

i've put him on my fridge. looooove him

[panthermouthh]

Frankenstein’s creature IS a monster but not for the reasons he thinks he is

[chippedteacupchat]

Tip: don't read Frankenstein if you are depressed, it will make you feel worse.

[eddseddede]

i HATE mary shelley's frankenstein (the movie)

(Very long rant under the cut)

First off im gonna be clear im absolutely NOT talking about the novel frankenstein written by mary shelley. This book is my favorite story ever and i could rant for hours about how much i love it. Im specifically talking about the movie titled "mary shelley's frankenstein". If you ask literally any frankenstein fan they will tell you that most movie/show adaptations are relatively inaccurate. Thats why when i found out that "mary shelley's frankenstein" was considered to be the most faithful and book accurate adaptation, i was super excited to watch it. I was incredibly wrong.

At first, i didnt really know how to feel. The movie was fairly entertaining, i liked how they expanded on a few characters and made a few story changes, but thats about it. What makes me dislike this movie SO MUCH is the fact that it feels like instead of actually reading and analyzing the book, the creators just read the sparknotes of frankenstein and tweaked the story a bit. It removed some details/plot points that seem insignificant at first glance, but any further analysis will show those "small details" were super important story-wise. It lacked so much of the depth that i was hoping for.

One thing i noticed from the very start was the portrayal of victor and his family. I will say that i dont really mind how william and elizabeth were written. I tgink my main gripe would be that they feel so flat and one dimensional (especially elizabeth), but i kind of understand since they arent really given much depth in the original story either. i thought it was cool that they made justine have a little bit more depth and they showed her close relationship with william, i thought that was cute. I think they couldve done that better without having her have a one sided crush on victor though. It just felt like a lazy attempt to make her seem more interesting.

What i HATED was how victor was portrayed. No hate to the actor, but he is NOT victor at all. Some of my gripes are personal things (blond hair, beard, etc) but others just straight dont make any sense. Like... he just seems so much more outgoing and friendly than og victor. It wasnt the vibe he had in the book and was a very.... interesting creative choice. And WHY in the world did he have ABS. Victor spent 2 whole years making his creature and its obvious he barely takes care of himself in this time. Even if he was well built beforehand (even then. does he really seem like the type to work out) i really dont think he'd still be in shape after the trauma his body goes through during the creation process. The narrative also lowkey felt very... apologetic towards victor. A lot of scenes that highlight victors selfishness and flaws are cut from the movie, which made me really upset because it takes so much away from victors character. Victor's complexity and moral gray-ness is what makes his character so interesting and appealing to me, so this victor portrayal just overall felt very flat and bland.

One of the two things that really frustrated me was the lack of justine's trial. The trial is SO incredibly important because it is the first scene where victor truly has to face the consequences of his actions, yet he lets another person take the fall. However, in the movie, william is killed and justine is found next to his body. The town immediately carries her with pitchforks to the town center (?) with victor and elizabeth chasing after them yelling to stop. Justine is immediately hung without any questions or anything. This change is so terribly detrimental to the plot, i was shocked they changed it. The fact that the trial in the og novel spanned several days gave us time to see elizabeth spiraling into depression, justine eventually accepting her death, and most of all, the guilt eating victor alive. We see him contemplating saving justine, but in order to save himself, victor stays silent the entire time. This conflict highlights victor's selfishness and his tendency to run away from his consequences. Victors guilt does not purify him.

The other thing that infuriated me was henry clerval's lack of importance. Basically all he does in the movie is lighten the mood at certain parts. This is such a superficial way of portraying his character, and i was super disappointed as someone whose favorite character is clerval. In the movie, Frankenstein and clerval meet in college, both studying science/medicine. This immediately gave me a bad feeling, since the whole point of victor and henry is that theyre opposites, but love each other nonetheless. Victor is into science and sees everything very matter-of-factly, while henry is into poetry and sees the beauty in life. The two balance each other out and their opposite traits give them great chemistry. Them being childhood friends is also super important, which is taken away in this movie adaptation.

I wont go into depth because if i do ill ramble for hours, but clerval is so incredibly important to the story, especially victors character. He represents victors happy and relatively carefree life before his obsession with reanimation, and provides comfort when victor is at his lowest. One of the most important clerval scenes is actually his death. Victor is left absolutely devastated by the death of his best friend, to the point where hes pushed to thw brink of insanity. Why? Because the death of clerval symbolizes the death of his old self. The consequences of his neglect and selfishness have ruined his life so much, to the point where he can never be happy like he used to be. Clerval, the man he describes as the most pure being, the (literal) light of his life, is gone forever because of his actions. As you can tell, this effect is not achieved when victor and henry only know each other for their short college careers, and it's definitely not achieved when clerval doesnt die. It feels like they only added henry just to say they had a character that is typically forgotten by adaptations in their movie (btw if you really wanted this achievement then add ernest frankenstein into your movie cowards). If thats your motive, then id rather you a stereotypical mad scientist frankenstein movie instead.

If you like this movie, absolutely no hate to you at all. I can def understand why and i really liked some parts of the movie. The reason why i hate it is mainly because it is advertised as a book accurate, faithful adaptation, when many crucial parts of the book are discarded

(Please dont bully me about grammar/structure im writing this purely off passion 😢)

[the-gay-prometheus]

Teaching me how to do this was a mistake, tumblr.