Yesss.

😅

Aroused Susanna strips off the covering from Christ’s torso. She is terrified when a huge spider falls on her head from the crucifix and, horrified by her deed, begs the nuns to wall her up (bury her alive).

Fritz Busch, a champion of Hindemith, refused to conduct the premiere on moral grounds.

Frankenstein 2025 (Guillermo Del Toro)

I almost feel badly for not liking GDT's movies more than I do, probably b/c of his respect for practical make-up &, well, he seems nice. 😄 But I am looking forward to watching the Criterion Nightmare Alley release -- I recall enjoying it in the theater. I may wait on Frankenstein for a bit.

I discovered Imperial Triumph this year (better late to the party than never) and am a massive fan since. This album makes me curious. Merkurius Gilded on piano has a total differrent atmosphere. A bit of a late-night bar vibe with some obstinate undercurrents.

And some beautiful and provocative visuals (the link to the history of Bayreuth and its connection to the Nazis). With a taste for surrealism that made me think of Max Ernst.

I like Pan's Labyrinth, but like many of his other films, I find this Frankenstein more of a sympathetic effort than a good film (I had similar thoughts about Robert Eggers' Nosferatu). It feels more like an instant meal than a multi-course dinner.

For Frankenstein, the true story (which is not the real story either, of course), I much more prefer this made-for-television film from 1973, starring James Mason, Michael Sarrazin, David McCallum, and Jane Seymour 🖤

What also didn't help was that the cast (with the exception of Jacob Elordi, who is a fantastic monster) didn't really flesh out the characters. Oscar Isaac, Christoph Waltz (with his usual mannered acting) and the actress with the perfect name, Mia Goth, left me completely cold.

I didn't like the altered storylines in which Victor and the monster are portrayed as a one-dimensional villain and an innocent character, respectively. The ambiguity and elusiveness, necessary for real drama, are sorely missed. The creature as some kind of super hero also didn't appeal to me.

With Louis Jourdan (have it somewhere on a DVD)