Gods and Monsters
1998
*****
Director: Bill Condon
Cast: Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave, Lolita Davidovich
A terrific drama about James Whale, most famous for directing the classic Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein movies. The fictionalised story is set in the 1950s when he’s a retired recluse who grows close to his new gardener. Ian McKellen is superb as the fragile and openly gay director whose mind is increasingly haunted by the war memories. Bill Condon’s subtle and funny screenplay, which is based on Christopher Bram’s novel Father of Frankenstein, won an Academy Award.