dr_emma Reviews

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994)

The name says it all...

[21 January 2001]

This movie has been so critisized that's almost too hard to believe.

Kenneth Branagh is a great actor and director although not perfect. But then again does anyone know anyone without flaws?

I think that the Branagh film was closer to the original story than anyone ever was. It points out what it supposed to do so and that's an evil side of science which mustn't be put aside but dealed with and taken care of if apparent.

Robert De Niro was very good as always and Helena Bohnam-Carter was good, too.

The plot is a little "blank" at some points but that doesn't diminish the film's value in any way. Too many things had to be put in three hours time that it seems only natural.

Aidan Quinn, on the other hand, was a successful choice for his part as he showed the proper arrogance.

Kenneth Branagh as Victor Frankenstein is inspired for one and one reason only: he illustrates the well motivated but too enthusiastic scientist who makes the fatal mistake, in a genius way. And I believe that this is what he should do and does it greatly! His directing may have flaws but they're not to be strongly critisized as the whole package is very good.

The music fits perfectly and so does the scenery.

It's meant to be a horror film not as an image but as a concept. So does Mary Shelley's book. That's the whole idea.

Practising Medicine is frightening on its own. Making such a mistake makes it even more. I'm sure that those who can understand this, will find the film exquisite. So did I.

It's about time we understood that Frankenstein is above all human. A man who tried to do what he naturally couldn't. Give birth to a creature. His craving of this gives the whole point and as the desire was Dr. Frankenstein's ... ... the name says it all.

The Doctor (1991)

A new look at an old issue.

[21 January 2001]

The Doctor is a film that really touches you without being too weepy. It's the way doctors along the world think until... something happens and they find themselves on the other side. William Hurt is great as The Doctor. The desperation on his face when he finds out that from now on he'll be a cancer patient is unique and authenticque. But the film is not only for this doctor. It's about the community of doctors. It's about a closed profession that will hardly accept anyone else. Doctors have their own way of seeing things and that's obvious in the film. They are those who know what comes next and that's even more frightening for them. Dr. Blumfield is someone who's been banished from that special community for "daring" to see the side of a patient. The transformation of Dr. Jack McKee is a miracle that rises through his own sickness and his "patient-mate" is an angel in disguise to help him through. The whole story verifies what people say:"doctors are the worst patients ever" and that's because they experience the ultimate fear, considering that they have the knowledge. The film illustrates all of the concerns of The Doctor so beautifully and with such realism that's hard not to like it. I don't know about the general audience, but I do strongly believe that every Medical Doctor should see it.