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Features: DVD
The year is 1957, and the brilliant and once-celebrated director James Whale (Ian McKellen), who helmed the classic films Frankenstein, Invisible Man, Bride Of Frankenstein and Man In The Iron Mask, has been relegated to obscurity--haunted by his memories and taunted by his brief taste of fame decades earlier. Frail from an earlier minor stroke, the 67-year-old Whale lives in seclusion with only his memories of a bacchanalian life and his German housekeeper, Hanna (Lynn Redgrave). One day he notices the new groundskeeper, Boone Clayton (Brendan Fraser), a handsome, not-too-bright 29-year-old, and his old sense of mischief is revived.
"Two Thumbs Up!" Siskel & Ebert
"A deeply touching, elegant and inventive biographical fantasy." Entertainment Weekly
"A spectacular performance by Ian McKellen. Better work by an actor will not be seen this year." Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
"Riveting..." Jack Mathews, Newsday
Editor's Note
Based on Christopher Bram's novel FATHER OF FRANKENSTEIN, Bill Condon's semi-fictional 1998 sleeper stars Sir Ian McKellen in a fantastic performance as director James Whale (FRANKENSTEIN, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, SHOW BOAT). It is 1957, and Whale is living in semiseclusion in Southern California with his scrutinizing maid, Hannah (Lynn Redgrave). His health is failing, and he is able to do little but lounge around and contemplate his younger days--his many male loves, his days in WWI, and the film world that has forsaken him. When Whale first gazes upon his musclebound gardener, Clay (Brendan Fraser), however, it is the beginning of an unusual (and platonic) friendship. Seasoned with multiple flashbacks to the sets of his films and to the battlefield, GODS AND MONSTERS is a haunting and touching look at the life of a man who was at the top of the Hollywood hierarchy but soon found himself out of favor--and the offbeat friendship he formed in his final days. McKellen and Redgrave were both nominated for Oscars, and the film garnered one statue for Best Adapted Screenplay.
| Features | Cast Bios | | Film Highlights | | Subtitles: English | | 30-minute Documentary The World Of Gods And Monsters - A Journey With James Whale | | Production Notes | | Theatrical Trailer | | Widescreen Version | | Audio: English 5.1 Surround Dolby Digital |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Trimark |
| Release Date: 6/17/2003 |
| Running Time: 106 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1998 | | Catalog ID: 8332-D | | UPC: 00031398833222 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Available Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew | Brendan Fraser | | Ian McKellan | | Lynn Redgrave | | Bill Condon - Director | | Stephen M. Katz - Director of Photography | | Virginia Katz - Editor | | Beau Rogers - Executive Producer | | Stephen P. Jarchow - Executive Producer | | Clive Barker - Executive Producer | | David Forrest - Executive Producer | | Carter Burwell - Musical Score | | Gregg Fienberg - Producer | | Mark R. Harris - Producer | | Paul Colichman - Producer | | Richard Sherman - Production Designer | | Bill Condon - Screenplay | | Christopher Bram - Writer (novel) |
| Awards |
Oscar (1999) |  | Bill Condon, Winner, Best Adapted Screenplay | | | Ian McKellen, Nominee, Best Actor | | | Lynn Redgrave, Nominee, Best Supporting Actress | |
Golden Globe (1999) | | Lynn Redgrave, Winner, Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture - Drama | | | Ian McKellen, Nominee, Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture - Drama | |
Screen Actors Guild (1999) | | | Lynn Redgrave, Nominee, Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Supporting Role | | | Ian McKellen, Nominee, Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Leading Role |
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
"...McKellan gives the performance of his career..." 11/12/1998 p.122Sight and Sound
"...A funny, darkening portrait of James Whale, the director of 'Frankenstein' brings this neglected auteur back to life..." 03/??/1999 p.34-42 Movieline's Hollywood Life
"...Beautifully crafted....Fraser gives the movie its shattering emotional impact..." 06/01/1999 p.91 Entertainment Weekly
"...Condon has made a deeply touching, elegant, and inventive biographical fantasy....An extraordinarily graceful film..." -- Rating: A 11/13/1998 p.53 New York Times
"...An immensely touching character study that is heightened by well-chosen glimpses of Hollywood's past....GODS AND MONSTERS creates a deeply resonant portrait..." 11/04/1998 p.E5 Box Office
"...Simultaneously poignant and tremendously entertaining....A triumph of both style and soul, a vessel well worthy of its esteemed subject matter..." 11/01/1998 p.155 Los Angeles Times
"...There are so many colors to McKellen's performance, so many diverse emotions fleetingly play on his face, that resisting his art is out of the question. Better work by an actor will not be seen this year..." 11/04/1998 p.C3 Box Office Magazine 9 of 10
Highlighted by a stunning tour-de-force performance from Ian McKellen as famed film director James Whale, Gods and Monsters is precisely the kind of lean, top-notch storytelling of which the real Whale would have been enormously proud. Simultaneously poignant and tremendously entertaining, this excellent effort from writer/director Bill Condon (Candyman 2) manages to be a triumph of both style and soul, a vessel well worthy of its esteemed subject matter. Adapted by Condon from Christopher Bram's fact-based novel, Father of Frankenstein, Gods and Monsters concerns itself mainly with Whale's twilight years, when the legendary director of such films as Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein had already been long-ostracized by Hollywood for his open and surprisingly exhibitionistic homosexuality. Using Whale's unlikely friendship with his handsome young gardener Clayton Boone (Brendan Fraser) as a vehicle for psychological exploration, Condon pushes the envelope of traditional biopics into uncomfortable and invigorating new territory, blending in occasional flashbacks and a surrealistic dream sequence or two to help punctuate the emotional tragedy that was Whale's life. McKellen's Whale, however, is far more complex than even his films or the vagaries of his life would indicate. The portrait that emerges suggests an almost Shakespearean figure, a man consumed with conflicting emotions and hidden passions; loathsome yet sympathetic, sadistic yet wry, vengeful yet magnanimous. Not to be overlooked is Brendan Fraser's superbly nuanced performance, without which McKellen might not have had the chance to excel so magnificently... Gods and Monsters is much more than simply another incestuous film industry conceit. It is a parable about the elusiveness of happiness, contentment and fulfillment, an all-too-timely reflection for the modern age. - Wade Major
New York Times 9 of 10
Gods and Monsters features a performance by Ian McKellen that richly deserves to be remembered at the end of the year... He works wonders with the character of a marvelously urbane English homosexual who becomes obsessed with an Adonis from a different world. In this case, it's Brendan Fraser, also impressive, as the hunk who mows the lawn... Condon is at his most impressive when weaving their peculiar bond into the spirit of the Frankenstein movies, something he does with tenderness and insight. An inspired section of the film finds all of its principals watching The Bride of Frankenstein on television and responding to it in revealing ways. Condon segues through memory into the moviemaking process itself. Real Hollywood figures (Elsa Lanchester, Boris Karloff) are ably impersonated. Particular attention is paid to George Cukor, a target for Whale's cattiness and an emblematic figure in the closeted gay subculture of his time. With a cast that also includes Lolita Davidovich as Clayton's occasional girlfriend and Lynn Redgrave, warmly attentive and unrecognizably plain, as Whale's devoted housekeeper, Gods and Monsters has been capably made in all regards. What especially elevates it is the razor-sharp cleverness of McKellen's performance, which brings unusual fullness and feeling to a most unusual man. - Janet Maslin
Austin Chronicle 9 of 10
Some of the best films seem to come out of nowhere, unexpected, unheralded little gems that arrive full-born and catch everyone off-guard with their striking originality and refreshing vitality. Bill Condon's new film, Gods and Monsters, is the perfect example, a modestly budgeted adaptation of novelist Christopher Bram's Father of Frankenstein... Unlike anything else released in 1998, Gods and Monsters paints a grimly comic and affecting story of Whale's mysterious twilight (the real Whale was found dead in his pool in 1957 under nebulous circumstances) while providing a bravura showcase for the talents of McKellen, who just last month was named best actor for his performance by the National Board of Review (which also named Gods and Monsters as best picture) and the Los Angeles Film Critics. Both the picture and McKellen have also been nominated for Golden Globes... - Marc Savlov
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| Customer Reviews | ![]() | | Cinematography |  5 | | Plot | 5 | | Acting |  4 | | Overall Satisfaction | 5 |
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5 of 5 A World of Gods & Monsters... Saturday, July 08, 2006
B.B. from Missouri
I first caught this movie by chance on Cable TV. I nearly turned the channel until I heard the mention of James Whale. Being a kid of the 80's & 90's my main focus was on slasher films and horror tv shows like Tales from the Darkside, but I remember the very first movie that scared the pants off of me at the age of 5. 1931's Frankenstein -- A movie that has stayed with me all through my life and starred the great Boris Karloff as the Monster.
--It wasn't until I reached my late teens that I learned that James Whale was the mastermind behind Frankenstein's visuals. Sure, some say that it's not all that scary nowadays, but for it's time, reports were that people were very disturbed and terrified by what they saw on the big screen back in the 1930's. I guess that scene where the Monster throws the little girl in the water had a big part in it. But that's all for another time and place.
--Gods and Monsters is a tale of the later years for James Whale as he spends most of his time reflecting on the past and what he used to be. You'll learn that not only did he bring Scary Monsters to life on the big screen, but also had many monsters in his closet. Anywhere from regrets of the past, flashbacks to war and how he had a taste for young men. Sir Ian (Lord of the Rings Trilogy) McKellan plays the part of the withering Whale, and was probably the sole reason I was sucked into this movie. Sir Ian, well, he does a masterful job portraying James Whale.
--My only problem with this movie? Brendan Frasier. Not for the life of me could I ever take this guy serious. After all, he was in Encino Man, a very silly (not in a good way) movie that had no brains to it and was quite laughable for how bad it was. Although Frasier was not bad in Gods and Monsters, to me it just seemed like this was a bad casting pick.
--All Frasier complaints aside, this is a very informative, inspiring, and beautifully shot movie. My dad passed on Frankenstein to me as a child and I will do the same for my children. James Whale will never be forgotten and neither will his vision for great film. Was this review helpful?  
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