Gods And Monsters [DVD] [1999]

McKellen is greatly helped by the sharp, intelligent and surprisingly bawdy script he is given. (His expletive-ridden outburst at an aristocratic party lingers long in the mind.) He seems to relish too playing the dirty old man. The film takes great delight in numerous homo-erotic set pieces, most notably when Whale agrees to an interview with an enthusiastic Frankenstein fan on the sole condition that his interrogator remove an item of clothing upon each reply.

Lynn Redgrave proves a wonderful comic foil as Whale's housekeeper, tut-tutting his love of boys and grumbling over her insurmountable duties, yet clearly keeping a soft spot for her demanding employer.

This is no frivolous piece however. A real heart resonates throughout the script, and in the wonderful, generous interplay between McKellen and Brendan Fraser as his ex-marine gardener-come-model. Fraser's role is possibly the most difficult, and many a lesser pretty-boy actor would have been tempted to overplay the initial homophobia and strident masculinity as a direct counterpoint to McKellen's gentle persuasion. He gets the balance right throughout, showing a perfect mixture of confusion, intrigue and discovery throughout the scenes they share.

Then there are the extra touches. The half-remembered war flashbacks that never outstay their welcome and never over-explain themselves. The magical moments when Whale's house is transformed in his eyes into the blissful summer haunt of his youth, filled with beautiful young male bodies. And finally, what shall be elliptically referred to here as the "gas mask" scene, one of the strangest and most puzzlingly disturbing sequences in recent British cinema.

Given Whale's fame in the horror genre, comparisons with Tim Burton's loving tribute to sci-fi failure Ed Wood are inevitable. While never scaling Burton's film's dizzying heights (a feat Burton himself will probably never manage again either), "Gods and Monsters"' aim is somewhat simpler. Aside from the obvious Fraser/Frankenstein correlation (perhaps a bit too obviously signposted in places), and the authentically reconstructed black and white sequences, the film is less about film than about a man quite at odds with the world, yet somehow finding his own happiness, however jaded by experience. Like Fraser's character, the audience has spent some time under someone else's skin, never quite getting the whole way in, but staying just long enough to have their world-view shaken a little. Which is no bad thing. Judging from this film, Whale would probably have approved.

Whale, a gay old gentleman, now afflicted with illness, but still in possession of a vigorous imagination and possibly (how does that song go?) "a mind that makes promises the body can't fill", lures Boone into his 'parlour' as a spider does a fly. It seems his intentions aren't entirely honourable. Boone is not absolutely uncomplicated himself, but he's not homosexual. The housekeeper knows her employer's game and huffs and tuts her reproach at every opportunity. Boone is innocent and unsuspecting and he admires Whale and is flattered by his attention. There are some tense moments when Boone becomes aware and Whale causes outrage. The worst of these horrors pass. They are both fairly sensitive souls under their sometimes brusque exteriors, and come to a point where they respect each other - although Whale continues to push his luck. The impression is given, that if Whale had not come to the end of his life, he and Boone could have become friends. His encounter with Whale and Whale's passing, is a sort of rite of passage for Boone. So, not an action movie - but a satisfying and thought provoking film.

I was drawn to watching this movie after seeing Ian McKellen's great performance in the underrated "Apt pupil" (worth checking out if you haven't already seen it). However, McKellen takes it to a whole other level here, giving a tour de force in acting. Even Brendan Fraser, playing a very important role in the movie, shows acting skills not evident in most of his other work. I'm sure that this movie will be a career high for Brendan, and the director Bill Condon done well to get the performance out of him. Another fairly important part goes to Lynn Redgrave, who also does a fantastic job.

I suppose Gods and monsters can be described as an art house movie, and is indeed slow in places, but this is intentional and whilst it may limit the film's potential audience, it certainly isn't a negative criticism on my part. You should just sit back, relax, enjoy the unique friendship between McKellen and Fraser, and savour the quality of acting on show, especially of that from Mckellen.