The Bride

The Bride (1985)

A woman born of electricity. A man driven by obsession.

Doctor Frankenstein creates a mate for his monster, a woman called Eva, who promptly rejects the male creature. In turn, the doctor becomes obsessed with Eva, and tries to make her a perfect Victorian woman. Meanwhile, the male creature embarks on a journey of self-discovery, alongside a dwarf named Rinaldo.

Date of release
1985-08-16
TMDB
5.4 / 10 (92)
Runtime
1h 59m
Genres
Science Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Horror
Director
Franc Roddam

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Based on: Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus
  • Filmed in: Château de Cordès
  • Awards: 0 · Nominations: 1

The Bride is a 1985 Gothic romance science fiction horror film directed by Franc Roddam, and starring Sting, Jennifer Beals, Geraldine Page, and Clancy Brown, with Anthony Higgins, Alexei Sayle, Veruschka, Quentin Crisp, and Cary Elwes appearing in supporting roles. Based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein, the film follows Baron Charles Frankenstein who creates a woman, Eva, while his original monster—believed to have been killed in a laboratory accident—escapes into the countryside.

Production

The Bride was written by Lloyd Fonvielle, loosely adapted from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and begins where the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein ends, with the creation of Frankenstein's monster's bride. Fonvielle began writing the screenplay around 1983, after suffering writer's block while completing the screenplay for Roddam's second feature film, The Lords of Discipline.

The Bride features some deviations from its source material: Frankenstein's full name in the film is Baron Charles Frankenstein, unlike Mary Shelley's Victor Frankenstein or the classic Universal Studios movie's Henry Frankenstein. The dwarf character in the film is named Rinaldo, after the name of blacklisted Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein screenwriter Frederic I.

Roddam and Fonvielle pitched the film to "every major studio" in Hollywood, and were turned down by all except Columbia Pictures, where executive Guy McElwaine championed the project. Despite McElwaine's enthusiasm, then-studio head Frank Price overruled him and passed on the film. Following Price's resignation from Columbia in October 1983, McElwaine was appointed as his replacement, and immediately greenlit the project.

The lead casting of Sting and Jennifer Beals as Baron Charles Frankenstein and Eva, respectively, was announced in May 1984. Roddam had previously directed Sting in Quadrophenia (1979). Executive producer Keith Addis commented on Sting's casting: "When he read for the part of the doctor in Bride, he blew us away. He's impressive.

Prior to principal photography beginning, Roddam worked with Sting and Beals privately on location in Europe for approximately one month, conducting rehearsals as well as teaching Beals how to ride a horse. "She got very involved in the film," Roddam recalled. "In between casting and checking the sets, I would do a couple of hours with them and make them interact, so they got over their nervousness and anxieties.

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