What Maggie Gyllenhaal did in her reimagining Bride of Frankenstein you are completely confused. And we thank God.
There is no shade from brilliant director James Whale, who followed in 1935 Universal Bride of Frankenstein it’s fun and cheekily queer. But – as Gyllenhaal has repeatedly said The Bride!’s press tour — his giant monster doesn’t say a word in a few short minutes of screen time. Still, like that original Bride, Elsa Lanchester makes this monster into a compelling wonder that has become truly iconic, an intoxicating mix of the sublime and the terrifying.
Gyllenhaal cleverly pulls off these stylistic elements in himself Bride!, as his renewed Bride coughs up the black bile that stains her lips with Cupid’s bow, with a sweet and undaunted complexion that creeps over her high cheeks. Gyllenhaal also borrowed from Whale the inspired choice of having his protagonist play the Monster’s Mate (as Lanchester was originally named) and the author who gave birth to him, Mary Shelley. However, far from prim, giggling lady introduced in Bride of FrankensteinGyllenhaal’s Shelley (played by Hamnet Academy Award nominee Jessie Buckley) is a ghost from beyond the grave who is insane, in both senses of the word.
Presented in close-up black and white, the moving Mary Shelley presents the story as one she still wished to tell, even from the grave. His hushed anger reverberates through the years, running a gangster’s moll in 1930s Chicago. And from there, Gyllenhaal weaves in Whale’s references Frankenstein again Bride of FrankensteinShelley’s novel Frankenstein, and a Mel Brooks parody young frankenstein, This is Arthur Penn’s place Bonnie and Clyde, and Lizzie Borden’s 1983 dystopian classic, He was born in Flames.
It’s a chaotic mix of wild and messy, and a lot of fun. With punchy dialogues, gory visuals, and even spirited dance numbers, The Bride! it blends together into a dark, campy, romantic tapestry.
The Bride! pits Frankenstein’s monster against 1930s Chicago gangland.
Jessie Buckley uses a gun in “The Bride!”
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
The story of The Bride begins at a long table in a Chicago nightclub, where a moll named Ida (Buckley) is having a good time with a gang (Our Flag Means DeathMatthew Maher). But something defeats him, and its name is Mary Shelley. Being held by the writer, Ida lowers her happy smile and spits at the animal. His American accent is overshadowed by a shrill British voice bemoaning the crimes of the local kingpin. Ida can’t stop Mary from talking through her mouth, and soon Ida will pay the price with a fatal fall.
Elsewhere in this bustling city, Frankenstein’s monster (Christian Bale), who prefers to go by “Frank,” has arrived at Dr. Euphronious (Annette Bening), a mad scientist interested in raising the dead. Pointing to his published books, the century monster begs him to take pity on him and make him a bride, meaning a resurrected dead girl who can end his lonely wanderings. Reluctantly, Euphronious agrees, and after robbing the tomb, Ida is revived and has no memory of who she was before and alt-girl-up.
Annette Bening as Dr. Euphronious in “The Bride!”
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
This intense experiment shakes Ida’s bob all white, eliminating the previous dark roots. The bile he spews not only stains his face, but leaves lines down his neck to his breasts, down his arm to his fingers. She is scarred or tattooed, providing a constant reminder of the darkness within her, as her burnt orange silk dress flutters in black threads.
Inside Ida there is a fire, which causes her to drag Frank into an underground nightclub to dance and misbehave. But when two strangers reject Ida’s rejection of their advances (“I don’t like it!” are her words), Frank intervenes with deadly violence. Now, these monsters have to escape from the law. Like the tale of Bonnie and Clyde, they chase their bliss, exploding heads along the way – while seemingly doomed to a more violent end. But until then, female copycats mimic the Bride’s look and bite finger, while she and her monster partner make love.
Mashable Top Stories
Maggie Gyllenhaal combines romance and anger.
Penelope Cruz as Myrna Mallow and Peter Sarsgaard as Det. Jake Wiles in “The Bride!”
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
The politics of The Bride! they are not hidden, as women’s speech is presented as a threat to a negative situation. From the beginning, Shelley looks at how patriarchal society suppresses women’s speech as it is. Ida is dangerous to criminals because of what she can say to the police. As The Bride, her angry speech about “brain attacks” inspires characters who share her feminist rage. After that first attack, Frank intervened, he would use a gun to defend himself from another attempt at sexual assault by a man. She’ll spit out the phrase “me too” and talk about the “angry dead,” showing an army of women who want to be heard from beyond the grave.
Dependence on the type of The Bride! encourage Buckley to make a clever play that is often over the top, but this is cleverly constructed as Ida is a woman driven mad by the dead. One moment, she’s a working gal, enjoying dancing or watching a movie with Frank’s favorite movie star, the singing, tap-dancing Ronnie Reed (a brilliant Jake Gyllenhaal). Next, he is angry and screaming. And Frank is never amused by his feelings, instead reeling in his own mind, even if he doesn’t understand his own turmoil. This is where love lies; he doesn’t like her in spite of his terrible behavior, but to all of them.
Christian Bale and Jake Gyllenhaal in “The Bride!”
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
How many of us feel divided, pressured to please and be happy, but driven to rage by an injustice that threatens to electrocute us like lightning, tearing our flesh from our bones? With her Bride, Buckley juxtaposes the oppressive duality of being a woman in a world ruled by violent men.
In a tricky B-plot, Gyllenhaal also criticizes the so-called collaborators of Detective Jake Wiles, played by her real-life husband, Peter Sarsgaard. Jake is tasked with tracking down monsters on the road across state lines. But Jake is not much of a detective. He calls himself “Gal Friday” to his “secretary” Myrna Mallow (a brilliant Penelope Cruz), who is the real mastermind behind his operation. Although their relationship is playful and platonic, Jake is the handsome fool who gets all the credit, while he does all the real detective work and only gets the scorn of the police. Once again, Gyllenhaal lets out a cry of frustration. And yet…
The Bride! he refuses to take himself or cinema too seriously.
Jessie Buckley is renewed for “The Bride!”
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Some aspects of Gyllenhaal’s gender politics can feel disturbingly sharp amidst the richness of the genre, such as one speech from Sarsgaard about how women are used and ignored by the men around them. However, The Bride! it avoids sounding preachy by embracing the same level of sincerity as Gyllenhaal’s wildly idiosyncratic style.
The colors change from black and white to a series of grave digs filled with a dreamy blue. The party sequence features a bisexual light soundtrack, with dancers swirling around in pinks, blues, and purples. Neon lights twinkle in the dirty cities, while the Bride’s dress screams bright yet sad colors. Emotions move in blue, yellow, red, and green.
Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley play Frankenstein’s Monster and his bride in “The Bride!”
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
It’s not a bright, flattering, or fun palette. These colors are an expression of the Bride’s need to be heard, to be seen. He will not discourage you; you want to stand out. The show is also enhanced by the aforementioned dance numbers. The film is not only the story of Frank and the Bride, but also their dream. After long clinging to Hollywood movies for solace in a lonely life (relative!), Frank envisions meeting his bride as something out of a movie. He even imitates a Ronnie Reed dance he saw on the silver screen to woo her. Later, they will see themselves on screen – as lovers of dance, as monsters in disguise – and they will bring both these dreams on their journey, as they decide who they will be for each other.
In one of the film’s most shocking sequences, the couple let loose at a lavish party, disrupting the official veneer with furious bursts of movement. Some will be in the spirit of Mary Shelley, compelled to participate, creating a flashmob full of fun. Yes, seeing Frankenstein’s monster dance reminds us young frankenstein, but if you only think that strength in a nod to the Mel Brooks classic, Bale bellows, “Putting on the ritz!” There is no doubt. Gyllenhaal doesn’t see his cues; he urinates with his mouth wide open, ready to yawn.
Gyllenhaal rejects a fluid or rigid form that adheres to genre conventions. Instead, he boldly combines elements of horror with humor, romance and disgust, creating an unapologetically wild and campy adventure. Others can call The Bride! dirty or young. I would call it lively and rebellious.
Gyllenhaal and his cast aren’t just ripping off a classic story for a safe cash grab. (When I look at it, Disney live-action remakes!) It crosses the spectrum Frankenstein repetition bits, and create a beautiful corpse from the pieces, decorating it with elements from other films about violence, rebellion, and lawlessness. The result is an absolutely empowering film, sure to stir something in the hearts of young and old.
While I enjoyed the wild ride of this film, I also laughed at the thought of girls watching it like I did. ArtI admire its joyful nature and, more than that, I find myself angry and feminine at its core.
The Bride! opens in theaters and IMAX on March 6.
