JLRVancouver This is NOT a 'bio-pic' of the legendary director James Whale, but rather a fictional imagining (i.e. based on a novel) of the days leading up to his death. Seen as such, "Gods and Monsters" spins an interesting, if somewhat implausible, story, with Ian McKellen outstanding in the role of Whale. While there are some 'flashbacks' to earlier events in the director's life (e.g. fighting in the trenches, directing his classic "Bride of Frankenstein"), most of the film takes place in the late-'50s, and focuses on the relationship between Whale (who was openly gay) and his gardener Clay Boone, a fictional character played by a very buff Brendan Fraser. Whale had suffered a series of strokes and was on medications for depression, so some of the film plays out in his mind as he begins to see long dead friends from his youth or places himself (and Boone) into scenes from his films. McKellen plays the role of an old reprobate to the hilt, flirting with the very straight Boone, shocking and disappointing his staid and religious housekeeper (an accented Lynn Redgrave), flaunting Boone at a posh garden party given by fellow director George Cukor in honour of a visiting Princess Margret, and eventually making aggressive sexual overtures to the shocked ex-Marine. The core of the story is the nature of the friendship between the two desperate men, and Whale's darker reasons for cultivating it (leading to his violent assault on Boone). I would have preferred to see more re-creations of his glory days as a director but never-the-less enjoyed the film.

gavin6942 The last days of Frankenstein director James Whale (Ian McKellen) are explored.The focus on homosexuality is perhaps what earned this film an Oscar, but it seems a bit forced. I have understood elsewhere that Whale was not someone who made his sexuality the issue, although here he seems to have it front and center. Is it fair to put him in a story where he seduces awkward and annoying young men? Why is this the plot? I really could have wanted any actor except Jack Plotnick. A dorky journalist who only wants to know about horror films is bad enough, but then to make him so ridiculous? How would such a person ever have even gotten to Whale's gate? Brendan Fraser does a surprisingly good job here. Not known for his acting chops, I am a bit surprised that he was cast. But he does alright.

blanche-2 "Gods and Monsters" is the beautifully acted and somewhat fictionalized story of director James Whale (Ian McKellan) as he faces the end of his life. The openly gay Whale was the director of some of the great horror films: Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, and The Old Dark House, as well as the definitive Showboat, and one of my favorites, the bizarre Remember Last Night? (which no one in the movie does, by the way). After a debacle over the film The Road Back, his studio thrust him into directing B movies, and by 1941, his career was over. After that, Whale developed a love of painting and directed in theater, where he had started in the '20s.The film begins in 1957, the last year of Whale's life, after he has suffered a series of strokes. In the movie, his only companion is his housekeeper (Lynn Redgrave). (In real life, he was living with the much younger Pierre Foegel, whom he had met in France.) Faced with diminishing mental faculties and unwanted flashbacks from his past, Whale develops a sometimes uneasy friendship with his gardener, Clayton Boone (Brendan Fraser). He asks Clayton to pose for him, and while Clayton does, Whale pours his heart out to him. Some of it is too much for the straight Clay, but over time, the two men bond. Each gets something from the other. But Whale will ultimately want something astounding from his new friend.This a complex film, well directed and written by Bill Condon, who adapted the novel The Father of Frankenstein by Christopher Bram. Whale attempts to create his own Frankenstein monster, in a sense, in Clay, and the stunning images near the end of the film which take place during Clay's dream sequence point this up. The film also demonstrates the loneliness and deterioration of old age, as well as the fear that goes along with it.The cast is nothing short of magnificent, with phenomenal performances by the three leads: McKellan, Fraser, and Redgrave. The late, always excellent David Dukes plays David Lewis, Whale's ex-lover and still friend; Jack Betts and Rosalind Ayres are well made up and vocally correct as Boris Karloff and Elsa Lanchester, respectively.Gods and Monsters is a sometimes dark, always thought-provoking film about old age, taking stock at the end of life, and the gods and monsters within each one of us.

Martin Onassis Gods and Monsters is an independent movie in the best sense of the word, in that it really engenders thought and emotion, and on many tracks simultaneously.The movie is a parable on the end of life, and the desperate need for love when all one has is memories. By extension, its about the importance of friendship as a support when romantic love is not available. In addition, the film is one of the frankest looks at homosexuality I've ever seen, dealing with the dynamics of a young straight man dealing with a gay man whom he wants to befriend, and an old gay man who has nostalgia both for a life of hedonism and a young true love lost, in the most terrible of circumstances.The movie also covers the notion of war, gallows humor, and the way they instructed Whale and his Frankenstein movies. All in all, its amazing the multiple intents of this film, but they're all woven together into a tight script derived from a fictionalized account of Whale's last days (the author gives his full blessing in the DVD special features).I'm surprised I missed this film in 1998, especially with the incredible cast. I expected a low-budget docudrama, possibly campy, moderately engaging, but its far more than that. The topic of homosexuality is dealt with extremely frankly, but lovingly and honestly, while not playing it safe either. It's a tribute to the director that the plot line of Whale's sex life opens briskly, but then illustrates the greater point that this is a man with a spirited past who is breaking down. Gay or not gay, his sexuality was part of him being alive, and its role as both recreational fun, and deep love, are both acknowledged.McKellan proves why he gets the raves, not just covering the gamut of wit, sadness, irritation and anger, but nailing the idiosyncrasies of a man hallucinating with nostalgia, and steadily losing his mental faculties.Redgrave creates a character close to a cartoon, but she does not waver from that character's reality, and is somehow instantly inviting.Fraser is convincing as both the attractive draw to McKellen, but also the lost young man, and the empathetic innocent who just wants to find something tangible in life.In the midst of all this, they give tribute to the amazing story of Frankenstein, and the film flashbacks are where the film loses some balance. The turn of McKellen/Whale being haunted by his own creation, his life, is very thought-provoking. The story McKellen gives about his young male lover dying in the trenches and it becoming a dark joke for everyone is particularly heart-breaking. In a sense, the dark humor that was supposed to help with the monster of war became the monster in and of itself. As convoluted as this may seem, it actually really provoked me to think deeper about the entire Frankenstein parable, which is, of course, a masterpiece of story and character.Finally, the film makes a very compelling point about the critical importance of friendship and human contact. You get a lot in 106 mins, and the climax is purely emotional. Fantastic.