It is James Whale who brings Frankenstein’s Bride to life on the big screen for the first time: in Mary Shelley’s novel, the Creature asks his creator for a companion, but Victor’s doubts get the better of him. Whale, on the other hand, makes the Monster’s request a reality. Only Maggie Gyllenhaal can make a love story blossom.
The Bride! has just arrived in theaters: Gyllenhaal delves deeper into the character of the Bride, changing the setting and dynamics and giving Christian Bale’s Monster the closest thing to a life partner. But in this fresh adaptation, there is practically nothing left of the 1935 classic except for a few nods to it in the hairstyle of Jessie Buckley, who plays Ida, aka the Bride.
If you have time to rewatch James Whale’s film, you’ll notice that the Bride only appears at the end, creating one of the most iconic moments in horror history but not fully earning the title of protagonist of the film. The film focuses more on her creation than on her life. Gyllenhaal, on the other hand, wanted to devote much less time to Dr. Cornelia Euphronious’s endeavour and then delve deeper into the relationship between the Bride and Frank: “The Bride only appears for five minutes at most,” Gyllenhaal told Entertainment Weekly, “which is still formidable, but I thought, ‘There’s a problem. It’s called ‘The Bride of Frankenstein,’ but it’s really Frankenstein.'”
So the actress and director brought to the big screen a mix between The Bride of Frankenstein and Bonnie and Clyde (not everyone on Rotten Tomatoes appreciated The Bride), with only one thing in common with James Whale’s classic: the initial contemptuous attitude of the female Creature at the sight of what would be her predestined companion. In The Bride!, Dr. Euphronious agrees to “reinvigorate” a deceased young woman to give Frankenstein’s Monster, who has now decided to take the name of his creator, a companion. The couple will leave a trail of blood behind them that will put them in the crosshairs of the police and a mafia boss.
