IMDb > Gods and Monsters (1998)
Gods and Monsters
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Gods and Monsters (1998) More at IMDbPro »

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Gods and Monsters (1998) -- The last days of Frankenstein director James Whale are explored.
Gods and Monsters (1998) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
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Overview

User Rating:
7.5/10   15,197 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 6% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Bill Condon
Writers (WGA):
Christopher Bram (novel)
Bill Condon (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Gods and Monsters on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
4 November 1998 (USA) more
Genre:
Biography | Drama more
Plot:
The last days of Frankenstein director James Whale are explored. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 32 wins & 23 nominations more
User Comments:
More than just gay vs. straight. more (213 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Ian McKellen ... James Whale

Brendan Fraser ... Clayton Boone

Lynn Redgrave ... Hanna

Lolita Davidovich ... Betty
David Dukes ... David Lewis
Kevin J. O'Connor ... Harry
Mark Kiely ... Dwight

Jack Plotnick ... Edmund Kay

Rosalind Ayres ... Elsa Lanchester

Jack Betts ... Boris Karloff

Matt McKenzie ... Colin Clive

Todd Babcock ... Leonard Barnett

Cornelia Hayes O'Herlihy ... Princess Margaret

Brandon Kleyla ... Young Whale
Pamela Salem ... Sarah Whale
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Father of Frankenstein (USA) (working title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for sexual material and language.
Runtime:
105 min
Country:
UK | USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby SR

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
As of 2007, one of only three films since the advent of the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar to win the award without receiving a Best Picture nomination as well. The first was The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), the second was Sling Blade (1996). more
Goofs:
Continuity: Before starting his line about James wanting "to draw him like a statue" Clayton tosses away his towel. James turns from the window and Clayton punctuates the end of his line by tossing his towel away again. more
Quotes:
James Whale: Making movies is the most wonderful thing in the world. Working with friends - entertaining people - yes, I suppose I miss it. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Clive Barker: Raising Hell (2004) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Bride of Frankenstein more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
31 out of 42 people found the following comment useful.
More than just gay vs. straight., 18 January 1999
10/10

Originally, I thought this would be a film of gay man versus straight man. It is. But much more than that, it is a film that speaks of human strengths and weaknesses, one that studies with quirky charm and quiet strength the scenario of man versus man.

Without getting maudlin or preachy, "Gods and Monsters" goes about telling its story about ignorance, frailty, and unconditional love, the very themes that ran throughout most of James Whale's life and films.

Bill Condon has created a poetic masterpiece, a wonderful answer to the question "Can't we all just get along?". Ian McKellen as James Whale is fascinating and absorbing, his facial expressions and body movements mesmerizing. He does not give a stereotypical "queen" performance. Rather, his James Whale is a dignified, yet tortured man. Lynn Redgrave is comical for the most part as Whale's maid, though she does lend a certain down to earth quality. It is Brendan Fraser, though, who steals this film. As Clay Boone, Fraser holds his own in McKellen's formidibal shadow. He does not provide a stereotypical performance either. Boone prooves to be as dignified and monstrous as Whale.

The few problems I had with the film where two gimmicky scenes, one showing Boone's surrender to a request of Whale's that he pose "like a statue", the other a dream sequence that has Whale walking among his fallen comrades in the trenches of World War one, and one flashback on the set of "Bride of Frankenstein", a scene tainted by Arthur Dignam's awful portrayal of Ernest Thesiger.

Eventually, "Gods and Monsters' proves two things: that we are all at once superhuman and sub-human, and that Hollywood can still show this in a beautiful way.

Was the above comment useful to you?
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Message Boards

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Brendan Frasier did a horrible job. unlimiteddevotion
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