1.

I chose to watch Mary Shelleys Frankenstein (1994) thinking that it would be

similar to the book. As far as I can tell, the film deviates from the book quite a
bit. I stopped taking notes about mid-way through the movie because there
were so many differences. Victors family history is very truncated, his
childhood friendship with Henry is omitted (he meets Henry when he leaves
to go to school rather than as children). In the film, Victors mother dies in
childbirth which is not how she dies in the book. In the book she dies as a
result of contracting scarlet fever after caring for Elizabeth who was sick with
the disease. The movie also never shows Henry being murdered by the
creature in order to set Victor up for murderthat whole plot line didnt exist.
One of the most annoying changes made in the film was that Victor actually
brings Elizabeth back to life after his creature murders her on their wedding
night. A little contest ensues when Victor and the creature compete for
Elizabeths love/attention. I thought the film was a poor representation of the
book. Not only was the story changed radically, the acting was pretty bad as
well. The film really centered on the religion vs. science aspect of the story.
One of Victors school teachers says to the class while teaching: Knowledge
is power only through God. I did not care for Robert De Niro as the creature
he was not a good choice. He didnt come across as really caring about the
character. The way that the creature looked in the film didnt fit with the
description in the book. In the book, the creature has yellow skin that
scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath and flowing
black hair, pearly white teeth that contrasted with watery eyes, shriveled
complexion, and black lips. The creature in the film had shorn hair with
stitches covering most of his face, through his lips, and down his chest.
2. For the most part, I liked Gris Grimlys Frankenstein. It is more faithful to the
original book than the film adaptation. I enjoy graphic novels and comic
books, the visuals really help bring a story to life (its even better when the
artists style fits the story). I found it to be a much faster read than the novel.
My favorite part was when the creature tells his story (pages 86-114). I like
that the style of the artwork changedthis is a great visual representation of
the shift in perspective.
3. One of the best scenes in the monsters recollections is on page 89 in the
bottom corner. He has just found a fire, eaten, and goes to sleep. When he
wakes up, the fire has gone out and he appears to be confused as to why. He
has just started on his educational journeythis sequence is all about the
discovery process. On page 93, the reader starts to see him connect to the
De Lacey family. He appears happy after listening to the family enjoy music
(2nd to last row, last image on right). Although he was created rather than
born, the monster is capable of emotion. One of the most jarring images is
on page 102 (lower left corner). The creature has learned to read and has
read Victors journal. He sees the words hateful day when I received life and
knows his creator turned away from him. Here he is fully aware of his
situation and has lost the expectation of people caring for him.

4. The artwork reminds me of German Expressionism. Everything appears to be

very dark and oppressed. There is a lot of contrast with dark/shadow and
light. The characters are very goth if you will. They look like modern day
goth characters thrown into period clothing. Victor looks very tortured, which
is fitting. Even his hairstyle looks tortured. When Justine is on trial, the whole
scene reminded me of Nazi Germany and propaganda films that I have seen.
The banners on the wall are very reminiscent of the Nazis. When Justine is
shown in her cell, she looks like someone in a concentration camp (shaved
head, thin).
5. On page 126-127 when Victor is being reunited with Clerval, he comments on
the contrast between them. The contrast is echoed in the coloring on the
page. Victor is dreary looking with black and grey as his colors where Clerval
is shown wearing red. He looks vibrant because he is happy and has not been
touched by the darkness and gloom that have a hold of Victor. When Victor is
around Elizabeth, the colors get softeralmost pastel like (page 160 for
example). The color is softer because he is away the madness of his creation
and is around someone who loves and cares for him. When Victor is working
in his laboratory, the green color that is used looks very diseased or
poisonous. This color is used as a way to highlight that what he is doing
(building a monster) is toxic (page 38-39).