6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
This gothic tale, inspired by the indelible themes and characters originally brought to life by Mary Shelley, follows Frankenstein's creations as they search for their place in the world — the gorgeous Eva by declaring her independence, and her grotesque intended mate Viktor by learning self-worth from a compassionate circus dwarf. Can Dr. Frankenstein survive when the monster returns to claim his intended?
Starring: Sting, Jennifer Beals, Anthony Higgins, Clancy Brown, Phil DanielsHorror | 100% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Stereo: 1670 kbps
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
When Columbia Pictures agreed to finance The Bride, it counted on the tandem of a budding rock superstar and the star of a pop movie musical sensation to carry the load. British director Franc Roddam (The Lords of Discipline; K2) had already worked with Sting on Quadrophenia (1979) and planned to have the crossover artist play the secondary role of Captain Josef Schoden. However, Columbia dictated that he portray the central part of Baron Frankenstein. Josef was instead offered to a boyish Cary Elwes, who was coming off the period drama Another Country (1984). Sting had stepped away from The Police to produce his debut solo album The Dream of the Blue Turtles, which was released the same time as when The Bride opened in theaters. Columbia was smitten with Jennifer Beals in Flashdance (1983) and cast her in the titular role of Eva.
Roddam reunited with screenwriter Lloyd Fonvielle whom we'd worked with on The Lords of Discipline. Roddam and Fonvielle decided to take The Bride in a completely different direction than its classic antecedents, James Whale's Frankenstein (1931) and
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Yet The Bride seems to leave off where Whale's 1935 sequel ended, with Dr. Frankenstein and his assistant Dr. Zahlus (Quentin Crisp) preparing to bring the Baron's latest creation to life. In a spectacular f/x laden opening, the creature waits to be operated on, bandaged in white gauze. Lightning strikes it and objects throughout the capacious laboratory. When she's brought to life, Frankenstein's first monster (played by Clancy Brown) is struck by her beauty and takes her as his bride. However, his creator wants Eva (Jennifer Beals) to be his so he may teach her the ways of Victorian life. The monster snarls at this and wreaks havoc on the lab. As pandemonium ensues, Frankenstein and the monster go their separate ways.
I present you with the bride.
The Bride makes its long awaited premiere on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50. Roddam's third film appears in the aspect ratio of 1.78:1 which is slightly opened up from the original theatrical framing of 1.85:1. This is an HD master from Sony and it looks exquisite. There are some very small white nicks on the print but it's pristine otherwise. Grain is fairly thick and textured during darker scenes: e.g., shots containing mostly black with a little candlelight. Also, see the shots where Frankenstein and Eva visit the mausoleum that are bathed in a moonlit blue. Skin tones look natural without any traces of post-processing. The greenery outside the castle appears dense, rich, and solid. Trees in the forest are nicely sun-dappled. Patrick Taggart of the Austin American-Statesman summed up the film's aesthetics: "interiors are ablaze in warm candlelight, the exteriors work their magic with cool greens and blues." The transfer sports an average video bitrate of 29998 kbps.
The two-hour feature has been given the usual twelve chapter breaks.
Shout! has supplied the movie's original Dolby 2.0 Surround, rendered here as a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (1670 kbps, 24-bit). The dialogue is sparse and minimal but the track picks up utterances with aplomb. Special effects and action scenes bookend the film. They sound crisp and solid but limited in range. There are no serious source flaws with this mix. Composer Maurice Jarre's score shows good pitch and oscillates between the two front channels. The soundtrack album released by Varèse Sarabande was a "Limited Collector's Edition" of only 1,000 copies and has become super rare (I'm lucky to own a copy).
Optional English SDH are available through the main menu or via remote control.
I love The Bride and am very pleased that Shout! Factory has given it the fine treatment on Blu-ray that it deserves. Sure, the film is slow at times but the viewer is rewarded with some terrific performances by the leads, a master class by DP Stephen Burum, and a lush and grand score from late maestro Maurice Jarre. Classicists who grew up watching and admiring Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein may be off-put by Sting's interpretation of the character and the fact that's he not likeable. If you liked him in Roddam's Quadrophenia, however, you'll appreciate his work here too. Shout! has provided a near-mint transfer that shines. The extras port over the Roddam's commentary track from the 2001 Sony DVD. Shout!'s new interviews with Roddam and Clancy Brown (a two-parter) cover a lot of ground. A VERY SOLID RECOMMENDATION.
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1979
1973
2019
1943
2015
1964-1965
Collector’s Edition
2024
Collector's Edition
2023
1969
Dracula / Warner Archive Collection
1958
Collector's Edition
1964
1935
1931
1945
1974
1987
2001
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2005
1958