We saw "Gods and Monsters," this
afternoon. I generally liked the performances, but the film
lacked a sound structure. The description of Whale's supposed
condition early on lent a rather spurious excuse for such random
flashbacks. The only flashback that really worked (perhaps
because it actually told an interesting story that the audience
*wanted* to hear and see) was the one on the set of Bride of
Frankenstein. I especially liked the joke about Bride's hairdo.
Very funny.
Anyway, getting back to the performances. The
unrequited love of Hanna, the maid, was played nicely where it
could have easily been badly hammed up. Hanna's speech to Clayton
about the "unspeakable sin" of Whale's homosexuality
was a particularly good moment. McKellan gave a solid,
"Death in Venice-esque" performance (though without the
nail-chewing hysterics of Dirk Bogarde).
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