The Bride (1985)

A lot of fun.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

After years of research, the doctor (Sting) finally succeeds in creating the perfect woman, who gets the name "Eva" (Jennifer Beals).Frankstein's full name in the film is Baron Charles Frankenstein, unlike Mary Shelley's Victor Frankenstein or Universal's Henry Frankenstein. The dwarf in the film is named Rinaldo, also the name of blacklisted Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein screenwriter Frederic I. Rinaldo, who also wrote the scripts for several Universal films, including Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951); Hold That Ghost (1941); The Black Cat (1941) and The Invisible Woman (1940). I like that Rinaldo nod. I was confused why they had to give Frankenstein a new name, but it does make sense later on... though it might have made more sense to stick with Henry if they were going to go off-canon.The film received negative reviews and a Razzie nomination for Beals. I'm not sure why this happened. Yes, Beals is not amazing, and for those who thought she would be huge after "Flashdance", they might be disappointed. But a Razzie? And the film as a whole is an interesting take -- I liked it. I didn't love it, but I liked it.

Reworking of Bride of Frankenstein lacks the wonderful dark humor and...well, pretty much everything good about that classic film. There are some good things here, though. The blind hermit from the original Bride is replaced by a midget, excellently played by David Rappaport. His scenes with Clancy Brown are the best in the movie. Far better than the stuff with Sting and Jennifer Beals. Once Rappaport is gone, the movie becomes far less interesting. Aside from Rappaport, Clancy Brown also does a decent job in a role that's easy to overplay. Sting is competent. Jennifer Beals is terrible in most respects. She seems out of her element throughout the film. The scene with her and the cat was enough to earn her that Razzie Award nomination she received for this movie. Aside from Rappaport and Brown, the movie's other strength is that it is well-photographed. Unfortunately its few qualities aren't enough to make it a truly good movie. It's worth a peek if you're a fan of anything Frankenstein.

Scripted by Lloyd Fonvielle from the novel by Mary Shelley, this is a fairly interesting revisionist take on Shelley's legendary story. Rock star Sting stars as the icy cold Charles Frankenstein, who as the film opens has already created his male monster (Clancy Brown), and is now in the process of constructing the monsters' mate (Jennifer Beals), whom he names Eva. During the subsequent destruction of Frankensteins' lab, the male monster escapes, soon making the acquaintance of amiable dwarf Rinaldo (David Rappaport). Rinaldos' ambition is to eventually make it to Venice, but for now he wants to join a circus to make ends meet, and the monster - who *Rinaldo* dubs Viktor - tags along. Meanwhile, Frankenstein works hard at creating, in his eyes, the perfect woman to introduce to high society.The lovely friendship between Rinaldo and Viktor is the true heart and soul of the film, and makes it worth seeing. Rappaport is so endearing - he's the real star of this show - and he and Brown work so well together, that they make the segments with Beals and Sting less intriguing by comparison. There is a theme here of men harbouring a fear and distrust of the empowered woman, and Frankensteins' desire to basically be in charge of Evas' life is part of his undoing. Brown is wonderful as Viktor, and while Sting and Beals do decent jobs, they're not as much fun to watch. A superb supporting cast consisting of Anthony Higgins, Geraldine Page, Alexei Sayle, Phil Daniels, Veruschka von Lehndorff, Quentin Crisp, Cary Elwes, Timothy Spall, Guy Rolfe, and Tony Haygarth lends a great deal of respectability."The Bride" has the absolutely perfect look in terms of classic Gothic horror, but in the end it's much more of a drama, and romance, than a horror film. Its opening scene is certainly great horror in the old tradition, and the lab set is amazing. The period recreation is impeccable, and Maurice Jarres' music is beautiful.Overall, a good film worth a look or revisit for fans of this kind of literature.Seven out of 10.

Frankly, this movie is worth watching if, for no other reason, to see Jennifer Beals' nude scene. Sorry to be a pig here, but it's true.This is the thing I remember most from an otherwise forgettable film. I've always liked Jennifer Beals. I don't care for "The L Word" much, but she even makes that horrid gay propaganda series worth watching. She's not only beautiful, but she's also an incredible actress. I'm glad she's finally getting her due.Sting sucks! His acting is sorry and his solo musical performances are boring. He's never been the same since The Police broke up. He needs to stage a reunion, go out on tour, make a lot of money and go retire in an old English castle somewhere.