Frankenstein: The True Story

A two part television adaptation of the Frankenstein story, Frankenstein, the True Story was originally broadcast on the NBC network in 1973, and is often remarked on by those familiar with it as "the gay Frankenstein."   The script was adapted from the novel by Mary Shelley by Christopher Isherwood  and Don Bachardy.   Among the cast members were Leonard Whiting as Victor Frankenstein,  Michael Sarrazin as the Creature,  James Mason as the villainous Dr. Polidori, and Jane Seymour as the Female Creature, Prima, with supporting roles played by David  McCallum, John Gielgud, Agnes Moorehead, Ralph Richardson, Nicola Pagett, Tom Baker, and Dallas Adams.   While the movie was billed as a faithful adaptation of the novel, a truer statement would have been that it was more faithful than any previous treatments. In contrast to other versions of the Frankenstein story, Michael Sarrazin plays a creature at first physically perfect and beautiful, with a gentle, child-like nature.   Only after necrosis of the dead tissues used to make him sets in does he become hideous and  rejected by Frankenstein.   Prior to this, Frankenstein and his creature have a relationship remarkably like that between two gay men in love.   The creature's own murderous actions seem derived from a love/hate feeling for his creator.  When he kills Elizabeth Frankenstein, he does so after she defiantly informs him that she is pregnant with Victor's child and that he can never come between her and Victor.   The saga ends in the Arctic, much like the novel,  but with Frankenstein and his creature laughing like reconciled lovers as an avalanche entombs them together. When writing the story, Isherwood and Bachardy  blended elements from both the novel and The Bride of Frankenstein, James Whales' 1935 film which contains its own gay subtexts, of which Isherwood was probably aware.  These included Mason's character of Dr. Polidori, based on Ernest Thesiger's character of Dr. Pretorius in Bride and bearing the name of one of Lord Byron's former lovers, John Polidori,  who was staying with him and the Shelleys when Mary was first inspired to write her novel, as well as Agnes Moorehead as Mrs. Blair, Frankenstein's dowdy landlady, based on Una O'Connor's comedic character of Minnie.   As in Bride, Prima rejects the hideous Creature in favor of Frankenstein, and the Creature destroys her.  However, it seems as though he is less enraged that Frankenstein is in love with Prima than that Frankenstein is no longer in love with him! Frankenstein: The True Story played to high ratings and critical praise when it first appeared, and has remained one of the better Frankenstein adaptations.   It still crops up from time to time on television, albeit heavily edited, and is currently available on video. Links: Internet Movie Database: Frankenstein - The True Story Frankenstein: The True Story Adaptations of Frankenstein - Scholarly Resources Frankenstein: The True Story KeywordTitleAuthor