Thirty Great Movies You've Probably Never Seen: Gods and Monsters

 Year:  1998

Director:  Bill Condon

James Whale was one of the most successful film directors of the early 1930s.  His legendary work includes Old Dark House, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein and The Invisible Man.  He was also openly gay during an era when few had the nerve to be so.  His film career ended early and he then had a long decline, decaying quietly in his mansion.

Gods and Monsters tells he fictionalized story of the latter part of his life.  Ian McKellen plays the director, who is pretty feeble after a series of strokes, and whose live-in housekeeper of many years (Lynne Redgrave) is loyal to him but quite judgmental about the whole gay thing.  Brendan Fraser plays a hunky young gardener who comes to work for him.

Naturally the old coot is attracted to the nice young stud, who is decidedly straight.  However, they forge a curious and, in its own way, rewarding friendship.  Or do they?  Fraser’s character is never quite sure just what the old man’s intentions are. 

The movie is a beautiful portrait of an artist haunted by his own brilliant past and present malaise.  In dark moments, Whale actually sees creatures from his old horror films lurking around his house. 

Writer/director Bill Condon hired a great trio of actors for his leads.  McKellen was one of the most admired actors in the world even before he got so famous playing Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings.  I first saw him when he created the role of Salieri in the original Broadway production of Amadeus, and he was unforgettable.  He’s perfectly cast as the tired, effete Whale.  Lynn Redgrave has been nominated for an Academy Award twice (for Georgy Girl and for this film) and she’s an asset to any production. 

And fans of the crappy Mummy series just might be surprised at how terrific Brendan Fraser is as the object of Whale’s affection.  The year after this film, his Mummy series began and he’s pretty much been identified with splashy, shallow, commercial fare ever since.  Now, I can’t fault anyone for wanting to make money, but it’s a shame that he doesn’t take a break from blockbuster budgets and do a little acting every now and then, as he’s clearly capable of doing. 

The other big star of this Gods and Monsters is Bill Condon, who directed and adapted the screenplay from Christopher Bram’s novel Father of Frankenstein.  He’s gone on to other successes, directing such films as Kinsey and Dreamgirls.  As a writer he’s won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar twice, for Chicago and for this film.  In fact, his Gods and Monsters Adapted Screenplay Oscar was only the third time this particular award was given to a film which wasn’t also nominated for Best Picture. 

This is a great movie for anyone who’s a fan of old Hollywood – like me, obviously.  It’s a great example of how using fiction can help illuminate the truth.  Perhaps ironically, McKellen’s earlier success Amadeus uses the exact same fictional approach while dealing with actual historical figures.  Come to think of it, so does Shakespeare’s Richard III, another McKellen triumph.  Perhaps this should be considered a specialty of his!

[Thirty Day Hub Challenge #28]