A monster mash, THE BRIDE is a sprawling wink, nod and smile to Universal creature features, MGM musicals and Warner Brothers crime dramas.
As we are told on opening title card, Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein as a dare and Maggie Gyllenhaal writes and produces THE BRIDE as a dare. It’s a bold, iconoclastic take on one of the world’s most enduring stories, taking startling and daring turns, invigorating the classic yarn with twenty first century sense and sensibilities.
After a prolonged prologue where we meet Ida, an American woman suddenly possessed by the spirit of Mary Shelley, breaking from her American accent into a British one, vocalising the eloquent author from the grave, and then joining her in death, we have a lonely “Frank” in 1930s Chicago, where our tale is initially set, to ask groundbreaking scientist Dr. Euphronious to create a companion for him.
“Are you insane?” she asks. “You are a mad scientist.” he enjoins.
The two reignite Ida and The Bride is born. What ensues is beyond what either of them imagined: Murder! Possession! A radical cultural movement! And outlaw lovers in a wild and combustible romance!
The revivified Ida, now known as The Bride, speaks in single word sentences, a sort of postmortem Tourette’s, a virtuoso vocabulary with poetic patter and profanity. Current front runner Academy Award nominee Jessie Buckley plays The Bride and Mary Shelly, and Academy Award winner Christian Bale is Frankenstein’s creature.
Frank’s accent is a stitched together trans Atlantic affair much like his mismatched patchwork of body parts and skin- is there a Jekyll in his hide- his forehead and scalp attached by staples.
This film is Bonnie and Clyde transformed into Frankie and The Bride, and a transubstantiation of The Rocky Horror Show into The Punk Rock Horror Picture Show.THE BRIDE is its own late night double feature picture show with pastiche, piquancy and a pinch of the picaresque.
Buckley bristles and gleams as The Bride in a performance that deserves another Oscar nomination in advance. Bale is the beguiled creature, besotted and highly protective of his bespoke spouse and precious mate.
The supporting cast is intriguing – Peter Sarsgaard as a haunted detective, Penélope Cruz as his sassy associate, Annette Bening as Dr. Euphronious, Jeannie Berlin as Greta, her assistant, and Jake Gyllenhaal as a matinee musical idol.
Writer director Maggie Gyllenhaal is supported behind the camera by a team of award-winning film artisans, including director of photography Lawrence Sher and composer Hildur Gudnadóttir both of whom served on Joker, a film that THE BRIDE has a redolence.
Production designer Karen Murphy, editor Dylan Tichenor, and multi Academy Award winning costume designer Sandy Powell add their considerable talents to the visual artistry on show.
Sure to ignite controversy and a lot of conversation, THE BRIDE, her groom, and retinue have fun carrying audiences over many thresholds.
