The Bride (1985)

Synopsis:

In 18th-century England, Dr. Frankenstein (singer Sting) has just finished creating a mate (Jennifer Beals, Flashdance) for his monster (Clancy Brown, The Shawshank Redemption). But the bewildered lady rejects the groom, and the jilted lover-boy destroys the lab in anger. But all three survive, and…

Reaction & Thoughts:

“ I created your body, just as I created your mind. And I can uncreate it too.”

In recent years, rebooting movie franchises has become common practice. But once upon a time, it was unthinkable for a film sequel to ignore canon. This is why The Bride is such a curious production: I was surprised to see that it plays like a direct sequel to James Whale’s beloved horror masterpiece Bride of Frankenstein (1935).

While that’s interesting in itself, I was more intrigued by the fact that this isn’t a horror movie. It’s a straight drama with a social bent. Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein is essentially a morality tale dressed in gothic clothes, so the film’s desire to favor human drama over thrills isn’t as strange as it appears to be at first glance.

There are other ways this movie defies expectations. It has two parallels narratives that feed on each other. The Bride goes back and forth between The Bride’s complex relationship with her creator, and the travels of Dr. Frankenstein’s first creation, a dimwitted and pitiful brute who befriends a kind-hearted dwarf.

The Bride storyline resembles George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, while The Monster segments have a touch of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. One story explores a male-dominated society where women have limited choices, while the other story deals with the cruelty inflected upon people who are labeled as outsiders.

In the end, the film can be seen as a metaphor for struggle between the powerful and the powerless. More specifically, it’s about abuse of power, and how social structures breed dehumanization. But it isn’t as downbeat as it sounds. It’s in fact a movie with an uplifting message: The Bride strongly endorses the idea that self-awareness is an awesome superpower. “The Monsters” are able to free themselves from their heartless oppressors the moment they embrace the truth of who they are.

The one major flaw of the film is Rock star Sting. The musician’s colorless and monotonous performance as Dr. Frankenstein holds the movie back. He comes across as a one-dimensional sociopath, and I think a better equipped actor like Jeremy Irons could have given new dimension to the old role of the mad scientist.

However, Jennifer Beals is more than adequate as The Bride. She conveys the idea of a newborn baby trapped in a grown woman’s body nicely. But Clancy Brown and David Rappaport (Time Bandits) steal the show as The Monster and his travelling companion, respectively. I’m not exaggerating when I say Brown is every bit as impressive as the original monster, Boris Karloff, and Rappaport is superb as well.

Conclusions & Final Thoughts:

I purposely avoided the movie because I thought it was another pointless remake of a legendary classic. I’m glad I finally gave it a try. Nicely directed by Franc Roddam (Quadrophenia) and intelligently written by Lloyd Fonvielle (The Lords of Discipline), The Bride is thoughtful and interesting. One half feminist saga, one half condemnation of social hierarchies, this is the kind of movie that will make you think about important topics after you’d seen it. Color, 108 minutes, PG-13.

Theatrical Trailer: