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Here goes The Bride!
Setting this film apart from failures of the past
A film full of nods to previous films
In the 91 years since her cinematic debut in Bride of Frankenstein, few tales have successfully expanded her story. Though literature has provided some excellent attempts (most notably Fraulein Frankenstein by Stephen Woodworth), film, the medium she sprang from, has failed miserably. 1985’s The Bride was an abrupt letdown, and Kenneth Brannagh’s misnamed self fellation Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein are but two examples.
So my skepticism was high when I saw The Bride! on the big screen. The exclamation point isn’t the only thing that sets this film apart from the failures of the past. Elsa Lanchester’s original bride has endured despite being in her namesake film for less than ten minutes. Though Jack Pierce provided striking makeup that bears some responsibility for her iconic status, it was her “fuck you” attitude” at being told who to marry that made her legend. Of course, she didn’t say “fuck you”, she hissed like a swan, creating the original hissy fit.
Jessie Buckley’s bride says fuck quite a bit and carries Lanchester’s defiant spirit into a modern film set in 1930s era gangland Chicago. Like Lanchester, Buckley also portrays Mary Shelley, sometimes bouncing between the two characters in the space of a heartbeat. This Shelley has learned new words and makes good use of them. The film is full of nods to previous films, including Mel Brooks’ celluloid love letter to the genre Young Frankenstein. Bale’s Frank is the perfect partner to let the bride’s story unfold, with a combination of childlike wonder and animalistic menace worthy of Karloff or even Christoher Lee.
The entire cast seems born for their roles, and Ms. Gyllenhaal’s direction is peerless in executing her script. She gets the most important aspect of the Universal monsters. That the so called “monsters” are not the villains. It’s the “normal” people. Well, except for The Invisible Man. He was a dick. Hell, there’s even traces of John Irving’s The World According to Garp. Whether incidental or purposeful, it’s magical.
I’ll restrain myself from giving kudos to everyone involved individually because when you view it, you’ll see the shots, the other actors, the color palette etc. It’s filmed for IMAX but I saw it in standard because I’m cheap and wanted to spend my money on snacks.
Despite her brief time and her rejection of Frank (Monster kids named him Frank years ago), Lanchester’s portrayal took on a life of her own, with artwork featuring the couple as happy outlaws ending up on T-shirts and anything else that could hold a print and that all comes to life on the screen. The Bride! deserves that exclamation point. She’s the version we’ve been waiting close to a century for.
THE BRIDE! (2026) Maggie Gyllenhaal / Writer: Maggie Gyllenhaal / Cinematography: Lawrence Sher / Editor: Dylan Tichenor / Composer: Hildur Guðnadóttir / Acted by: Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Jake Gyllenhaal, Penélope Cruz and Jeannie Berlin / Country of origin : United States / A First Love Films and In the Current Company production released by Warner Bros. Pictures / Rated R / Length: 126 minutes
Here's something you might be interested in.
Here goes The Bride!
Setting this film apart from failures of the past
Here goes The Bride!
Setting this film apart from failures of the past
A film full of nods to previous films
In the 91 years since her cinematic debut in Bride of Frankenstein, few tales have successfully expanded her story. Though literature has provided some excellent attempts (most notably Fraulein Frankenstein by Stephen Woodworth), film, the medium she sprang from, has failed miserably. 1985’s The Bride was an abrupt letdown, and Kenneth Brannagh’s misnamed self fellation Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein are but two examples.
So my skepticism was high when I saw The Bride! on the big screen. The exclamation point isn’t the only thing that sets this film apart from the failures of the past. Elsa Lanchester’s original bride has endured despite being in her namesake film for less than ten minutes. Though Jack Pierce provided striking makeup that bears some responsibility for her iconic status, it was her “fuck you” attitude” at being told who to marry that made her legend. Of course, she didn’t say “fuck you”, she hissed like a swan, creating the original hissy fit.
Jessie Buckley’s bride says fuck quite a bit and carries Lanchester’s defiant spirit into a modern film set in 1930s era gangland Chicago. Like Lanchester, Buckley also portrays Mary Shelley, sometimes bouncing between the two characters in the space of a heartbeat. This Shelley has learned new words and makes good use of them. The film is full of nods to previous films, including Mel Brooks’ celluloid love letter to the genre Young Frankenstein. Bale’s Frank is the perfect partner to let the bride’s story unfold, with a combination of childlike wonder and animalistic menace worthy of Karloff or even Christoher Lee.
The entire cast seems born for their roles, and Ms. Gyllenhaal’s direction is peerless in executing her script. She gets the most important aspect of the Universal monsters. That the so called “monsters” are not the villains. It’s the “normal” people. Well, except for The Invisible Man. He was a dick. Hell, there’s even traces of John Irving’s The World According to Garp. Whether incidental or purposeful, it’s magical.
I’ll restrain myself from giving kudos to everyone involved individually because when you view it, you’ll see the shots, the other actors, the color palette etc. It’s filmed for IMAX but I saw it in standard because I’m cheap and wanted to spend my money on snacks.
Despite her brief time and her rejection of Frank (Monster kids named him Frank years ago), Lanchester’s portrayal took on a life of her own, with artwork featuring the couple as happy outlaws ending up on T-shirts and anything else that could hold a print and that all comes to life on the screen. The Bride! deserves that exclamation point. She’s the version we’ve been waiting close to a century for.
THE BRIDE! (2026) Maggie Gyllenhaal / Writer: Maggie Gyllenhaal / Cinematography: Lawrence Sher / Editor: Dylan Tichenor / Composer: Hildur Guðnadóttir / Acted by: Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Jake Gyllenhaal, Penélope Cruz and Jeannie Berlin / Country of origin : United States / A First Love Films and In the Current Company production released by Warner Bros. Pictures / Rated R / Length: 126 minutes
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