US EditionMaggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride! falls apart | Review by Boris Jancic in Screens
Set in 1930s Chicago, the film reimagines the classic with a feminist lens, featuring a resurrected woman sparking a nationwide feminist uprising during a crime spree.
- On Friday, writer-director Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride opens in cinemas as a mid-1930s-set feminist reimagining of the 1935 Universal film The Bride of Frankenstein.
- Passed between studios during 2023–early 2024, the project reportedly faced disagreements over budget and creative direction, with Maggie Gyllenhaal developing the film during that period.
- In Chicago, Ida is killed, buried, dug up, and reanimated by Frank with makeup taking around 90 minutes and prosthetics up to six hours.
- Despite craft highlights, reviewers say the film's elements don't cohere, praising Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale's chemistry and Sandy Powell's first-class costumes.
- The Bonnie-and-Clyde-style road plot positions the movie as a genre-mash exploring feminism, with Ida and Frank's spree sparking a nationwide feminist uprising and including riot grrrl culture plus the on-screen 'Me Too' chant.
12 Articles
12 Articles
A brief cinematic history of Frankenstein’s Bride as a feminist icon
Frankenstein’s female creature, also known as “the Bride”, was the first female monster to appear on screen, in the 1935 Frankenstein sequel: The Bride of Frankenstein. An unruly and rebellious figure, she has inspired dozens of adaptations since. Most recently, the Bride, as a dramatic character, has been part of a series of creative reimaginings through an explicitly feminist lens. For instance, the dark coming of age comedy, Lisa Frankenstein…
Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale break down their extensive transformations for 'The Bride'
The actors also reveal the artists and actors who inspired their performances in Maggie Gyllenhaal's genre-bending monster movie.Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale in 'The Bride'Credit: Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros.Key pointsChristian Bale's prosthetics for The Bride took up to six hours to apply in the makeup chair, while Jessie Buckley's took around 90 minutes.Buckley's performances in the film were inspired by Maggi Hambling and Barbara Stanwyck…
'The Bride!' weirdest moments — will it hurt Jessie Buckley’s...
“Hamnet” actress Jessie Buckley is sweeping awards season. However, fans worry bad reviews for her new Frankenstein flick “The Bride!” could jilt her at the Oscars altar. Buckley — who went viral for her anti-cat stance — has been hitting the press trail with co-star Christian Bale and writer-director Maggie Gyllenhaal. Maggie’s little bro, Jake,...
The Bride review: An ambitious and stylish monster movie that doesn't quite cohere
★★★☆☆The Bride is released in cinemas from Friday 6 March. Add it to your watchlistJames Whale’s Bride of Frankenstein (1935) starring Boris Karloff and the luminous Elsa Lanchester remains a playful, witty follow-up to the English director’s seminal version of Frankenstein (1931), and is often cited as a sequel superior to its acclaimed original, along with the likes of The Godfather Part II, The Empire Strikes Back and The Dark Knight.Writer/d…
Jessie Buckley, about to win the Oscar for ‘Hamnet’, joins Christian Bale as a monstrous couple in this risky update of ‘Frankenstein’s Bride’
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 40% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
