It seems as if the story of Frankenstein is in a revival, with Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” last year, “Lisa Frankenstein” the year before and now the newest reimagining of the frightening tale, “The Bride!” Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, “The Bride!” is an electric feminist take on “Bride of Frankenstein.”
“The Bride!” is a visual masterpiece and monstrous fun. The lighting and camerawork were so much fun, and the sets felt alive, fully immersing the audience into the 1930s setting with our Frankenstein-style Bonnie and Clyde. Each scene has so much life, especially at the beginning of the film. The use of color is so striking, especially with the Bride’s burnt orange silk dress that stands out in so many moments.
Strange and wild storytelling seems to be becoming rarer, but “The Bride!” fits the bill. Featuring exciting dance scenes, dreamy sequences and strong symbolism, it is like nothing that has been released so far this year. There is so much character built into this story, and Gyllenhaal went for something that speaks to women’s experience in such a new and charming way.
During the press tour for the film, Maggie Gyllenhaal frequently mentioned why she chose to tell this story and why it focuses so heavily on consent. Four years after its original film adaptation of “Frankenstein,” Universal Pictures released “Bride of Frankenstein” in 1935. Though the film is named after the bride, she is only alive for a few minutes and never says anything in the film.
Gyllenhaal wanted to give her a voice. She also mentioned the importance of consent when talking about the Bride’s story. Created to be a companion to the creature without her consent, the theme of agency and the option to say no is core to this retelling.
The writing for much of the film works well, but the disjointed nature of the piece causes it to fall flat at some points. The subplot with the detectives was somewhat intriguing, but it put a damper on the pace and personality of the film.
I wish they had spent more time on the women whom the Bride stands to represent in the film and the women who use her as a symbol. Instead, the film spends a lot of time on Frankenstein. He is an interesting character, but I wish the feminist thought was played with more.
The voice of women is so important and can bring so many new ideas and perspectives. Many of the feminist themes in the film are surface-level and sadly even seem too much for some critics. Female rage is exemplified so well in this film.
My favorite motifs Maggie Gyllenhaal used throughout the film were tongues. Sounds strange, but to spoil as little as possible, a male figure in the film loves to cut out the tongues of women — an act incredibly reminiscent of things that have happened to women throughout history. The women are not just being silenced, but experiencing violence for saying the truth to power. There was a stand-out quote in the movie that said, “Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.” And for so many reasons, I loved it.
These themes, especially around tongues, reminded me of the Florence + The Machine song, “Cassandra.” It is about a woman from Greek mythology who had her tongue cut out because she told prophecies of the future but was cursed to never be believed. Florence’s song “Everybody Scream” was used a lot in the marketing of this film. Her style and artistic vision is what I can so well point to as a way to glimpse the personality of “The Bride!”
One of the incredibly interesting things about this movie is that it is framed through Mary Shelley not only telling the story of the Bride, but possessing her.
This approach is an incredibly interesting way to take the story, and it works in a lot of ways. And yet, if we are telling a story about a woman deciding her own path, it becomes less impactful when she is being controlled by someone else. Another point I haven’t seen touched on much is the concept of informed consent in the relationship between the Bride and Frank.
Consent is the big thing the Bride is able to give until Frank and the doctor don’t inform her of how she came to be. She is able to give and take consent, but she is unable to give informed consent. I am not saying the film handles these concepts incorrectly — it presents them well — but I think in the story of the Bride, it’s important to notice that she, painfully, still is not allowed complete control of her body or future.
In a lot of ways, “The Bride!” has a strong stylized personality that leans a bit toward a strange way of storytelling that may not work for the average movie-goer. But, for those who like things a little off-tempo, this film will work for you.
Jessie Buckley was incredible as always. She is predicted to win the Oscar for Best Actress on Sunday night for her performance in “Hamnet.” Whether she is playing a grieving mother or a woman possessed by Mary Shelley, she gives everything. Her portrayal is so enticing and new.
Christian Bale’s Frank was well realized and very different from what one would expect for Frankenstein’s creature, which makes this film all the more intriguing. Their relationship is at the core of the film, and it works well. How they handle the conversation around consent is incredibly interesting.
The distaste of many for this film has been made known, and yet I still had much hope going into “The Bride!” and I was not completely disappointed. I had wished for a perfect film, but as with most things, especially with work so ambitious, it is not always possible.
The current look for “The Bride!” box office-wise isn’t too great, but that’s what happens when your work pushes boundaries, and that’s often what gets served to horror films. Out of any of the discourse surrounding this film, the most important thing, to me and many others, is that it was made.
It is a rare occurrence that a studio like Warner Bros. takes a risk and gives a woman such a large budget for a film, and a feminist horror retelling at that. Though the film doesn’t go as far as I wished it would, I am so glad it exists. It may not be receiving the love it deserves currently, but I know that Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Bride!” is sure to become a cult classic.
