Gods and Monsters . Tucson Weekly . 01-04-99

Gods and Monsters

DIRECTED BY: Bill Condon

REVIEWED: 01-04-99

Ian McKellen (check out his web site at www.mckellen.com, I swear to god) turns in another excellent performance in this sad and partly true story of early Hollywood director James Whale. Whale was the force behind Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein (the latter being one of the best films of its era), who was used up and cast out by the Hollywood system. Recounting his memories of WWI, his monster movies, his life as a gay swinger in old Hollywood, and the debilitating illness that is causing his mind to flood with memories, Whale enchants and repulses his beautiful gardener, played by the heavily muscled Brendan Fraser. Whale's homosexuality strains their relations and provides a center point for director/writer Bill Condon's well-made story of a man who tries to create a monster that will destroy him.

--DiGiovanna

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