How To Make A Comparison Of Frankenstein Book Vs Movie

Paper versus Screen: Juxtaposing Key Differences between Hammer's and Shelley's Versions of Frankenstein

Mary Shelley is well known for Frankenstein; the shocking tale of a scientist creating a creature from dead people’s body parts. Even though Shelley called her novel a "hideous progeny" (Turney), it turned out to be a huge success. Her horrifying concept still intrigues people globally. This intrigue, however, is more likely due to the modern movie versions. These adaptations and especially Hammer’s, or rather Fisher’s, The Curse of Frankenstein radically differ from Shelley’s original story. This is highly likely due to it being a product of its own time. The different kinds of media (novel versus movie) also play a big role in these alternations.

This explains why a simplified and radically different story was created for the movie adaptation. For instance, the novel embodies a deeply layered, “Russian doll-like” (Newton), frame narrative: Captain Walton recounts the tales of Frankenstein and the creature in letters to his sister. These letters create a frame to further tell the story of Frankenstein; how he created and ran away from his creature. Frankenstein’s story then creates another frame for the recounts of the creature; how he is experiencing his doleful existence. The movie adaptation is different and not as deeply layered as the novel: Captain Walton is removed from the story. Instead, Frankenstein recounts his story in his cell (just before his execution) to a priest, thus creating the only frame in the film. The creature does not get its own frame, since it is unable to talk in the

The novel’s creature can be perceived as a personification (and critique) of a scientist’s conscience. The monster’s begging for a “female” (147) companion further shows Victor’s emotional instability. Frankenstein is unable to cope with the consequences it might generate by creating a companion for the creature. He does not want to be responsible for the possible outcomes and is therefore not able to fulfil its desires. With this, Shelley also attacks the responsibility that scientists were not taking for their controversial tinkering with nature (Holmes). The creature is also self-taught and well versed. This becomes evident when the creature mentions his readings of “Paradise Lost, […] Lives, and the Sorrows of Werter” (130). With this, it also shows misery with its thoughts and references to the aforementioned novels to create empathy with the reader: “I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel” (103). Albeit the movie’s creature is not as talkative as in the novel, it still possesses certain emotions. The creature’s hostility, and especially its immediate aggression against Victor after the creation scene, truly incites fear into the viewing audience. More importantly, this anger might, however, derive from the creature’s brain; the brain could still memorize the murder of its initial owner: professor Bernstein. This creature displays an emotion of complete and brutal revenge,