Kenneth Branagh
The Reputation: Shakespeare, Shakespeare, thriller, comedy drama, Shakespeare… Horror.
The man who raised the Bard’s screen potential indicated he might want to do something a little more horrific when he directed Dead Again.
But then he latched on to another classic writer and set out to make a proper fright film…
The Horror Flick: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)
You know the story: a scientist (Branagh) obsessed with battling death after losing his mother creates a creature from dead body parts and brings it to life.
Robert De Niro is the creature. There is screaming.
Signature Move: Aside from casting himself in plum roles, you mean? (He’s a good actor, so it’s allowed, though critics weren’t kind to him on this one).
He mostly opts for a stark, well, designed look for his movies and Frankenstein is no different.
The Critical Response: Um… Not so good.
“Kenneth Branagh has indeed created a monster, but not the kind he originally envisioned. A major disappointment creatively, the film still has the makings of a box office brute,” said Variety.
And they were right on both counts – the film went on to make a profit, though not a huge one.
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Comments
ebrown2112
Jul 3rd 2009, 14:09
Doesn't Scorsese's "Cape Fear" count? I guess it's too early to consider "Shutter Island".
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RastaFresh
Jul 5th 2009, 12:56
I guess Scorsese's "Cape Fear" is not included because it's a remake. The original, with Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, was made in 1962 by J. Lee Thompson. I've seen "Shutter Island" trailer. Seams excellent!
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