Frankenstein Guillermo del Toro is set to release in select theaters and then on Netflix amid considerable hype. Not only because it’s one of the most anticipated films of the year (and there are already rumors of Oscar nominations), but also because of its director. The Mexican director worked on the production for almost ten years, with no hope of filming it right away. So the film became an impossible project for him and almost an obsession.
Finally, thanks to Netflix, the film began to take shape until it reached blockbuster proportions. Especially because Guillermo del Toro wanted to do more than just a faithful adaptation of Mary Shelley’s immortal work. At the same time, he explored the novel’s Gothic roots to connect them with very harsh reflections on life, death and the corrosive bonds that unite parents and children. All through the figure of the tormented Victor (Oscar Isaac) and the creature (Jacob Elordi), united by violence, greed and an unbreakable bond.
So, like any Guillermo del Toro film, this film is a deep journey through weirdness, human nature and poetic suffering. And also a number of small curiosities that you will be interested to know, whether you are a fan of the director or a casual viewer of his filmography. To sort it out, we leave you with five things you should know about Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. From a casting change that benefits the central character, to an actress playing two key characters at once. Especially for lovers of the unusual and gothic who want to watch the film.
The creature should have been played by another actor.
Like a project that took almost five years to crystallize, Frankenstein He went through a lot of problems during filming. Something that included a strike by actors and writers. Before the trade union conflict began, the director chose actor Andrew Garfield to play the creature. But as soon as the situation was resolved, the artist had to abandon production. in favor of another film that was being filmed at the same time. It was about After the hunt Luca Guadagnino.
Therefore, the translator had to be urgently replaced in order to begin work according to the schedule proposed by Netflix. Finally, Del Toro cast Jacob Elordi and rewrote the entire role based on his personality and appearance. When the director was asked why he chose an actor who was far from dramatic roles, he replied that it was due to his sad and melancholy appearance. Which, he noted, was perfect for a monster searching for its creator.
Mia Goth blinded Guillermo del Toro
The choice of Mia Goth in the cast was due to a combination of circumstances, which, of course, again included the difficult strike that paralyzed Hollywood for more than two years. Anya Taylor Joy and Lily-Rose Depp were considered for the role of Elizabeth, Victor’s cousin and fiancée. None of them were available, so the search for the director continued. And finally, he found the perfect performer, almost by accident.
According to the director himself while watching the saga X Ti West was amazed by Mia Goth’s ability to create tortured and sinister characters. Exactly the combination I need for Elizabeth, the woman Victor is obsessed with. So he immediately contacted the actress’s agent, and the rest is movie history.
The creature was intended to be a work of art.
Unlike other adaptations, in Del Toro the creature is not a monster and was not even intended to be one. In fact, the entire process of its creation is more related to the process of creating a work of art in the strict sense of the word. In fact, in this case, Victor, in addition to being a doctor and anatomist, is also an artist who devotes time and interest to acquiring skills in working with anatomical wax. Material that It was traditionally used to sculpt models of the human body, organs and muscles.
As for the creature, it is based strictly on the description of Mary Shelley, who describes it as having beautiful, albeit withered and scarred features. And it’s all thanks to the process Victor used to bring it to life, which involved selecting human parts that he then recombined with each other. A detail that the director brought to extreme, striking and intriguing precision. In one scene, the creature is seen limping. The trait that later It is speculated that this was due to Victor’s inability to find two legs of the same size.
Frankenstein aims to show Victor’s step-by-step process of creating his greatest creation, including the decision – purely aesthetic – to make it beautiful. A moment that is also explored in the film and from a new point of view of the film adaptation of the novel.
Guillermo del Toro adapted an unpublished part of the novel
In the original novel, Mary Shelley tries to show that the creature came to life before Victor actually knew what happened. The scene is horrifying and symbolic: Believing his process has failed, the scientist collapses, exhausted and frustrated. YesOnly to wake up and find the creature standing and looking at him.
IN Frankenstein The scene comes to life and, in addition, Guillermo del Toro fills it with scientific and artistic details. In this episode, the creature wears a metal mask, a piece of equipment that was used for medical procedures on corpses in Victorian times. Detailed design that It took the director years to complete and bring it to life on screen in detail.
The actress in a curious twist of history
One of the few turns Frankenstein, it’s Del Toro’s creative freedom over the original text, embodied by Mia Goth. In the story, she plays not only Victor’s lover, Elizabeth, but also the scientist’s mother. A very rare exploration of the trauma of the character played by Oscar Isaac in relation to life and death. The dark side of his mind, which will ultimately lead him to the creation of his most fateful and complex work.
The detail may seem disturbing – to a certain extent it is – but in the film it carries such a powerful emotional charge that it only manages to move. Another success for Guillermo del Toro, showing the depth of a story that already holds a special place in his cinematic world.
Source: Hiper Textual
