Frankenstein

Since its publication in 1818, Mary Shelley’s groundbreaking novel Frankenstein has borne a seemingly infinite number of cinematic versions, and from that, some exceptional film music. Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is the latest, and Alexandre Desplat’s score is the perfect accompaniment. In their third collaboration, following 2017’s The Shape of Water and 2022’s Pinocchio, the pair have conjured an electrifying mix of beautiful lyricism and deep emotions, conveying the wonder and tragedy of Shelley’s classic tale. Desplat’s score instantly evokes del Toro and Shelley’s world in the opening, which introduces the hauntingly beautiful seven-note motif for the real antagonist, Victor Frankenstein. This is accompanied by ghostly female choral voices and a low electronic pulsing, resulting in a representation of the inherent Gothic nature of the story and the themes of life and death, with the pulsing serving as a shorthand for the power that Victor will use to bring his creature into existence. Eldbjrg Hemsing, on solo violin, gives us a range of gorgeous tones that modulate from the beauty of nature to the beauty of melancholy. At the same time, Desplat writes music for Victor’s creation that is surprisingly enchanting as well as forceful, with an almost euphoric waltz scoring the building of Victor’s gruesome experiment, with flesh and sinew abound. The birth of the creature is treated as a subversion of previous adaptations, with a lyrical and searching tone that is tender and delicate, like the birth of a child. A four-note motif that repeats with variations represents the creature itself, played tenderly on plucked strings with solo piano as counterpoint. However, that initially bright and questioning tone shifts as the creature experiences its life as Victor demands, and the tragedy of the creature and the story come into focus. Desplat’s score transitions into a deeply melancholy mood as both creator and creation descend into their own personal hell, albeit with less fury and more reflection and introspection, with a true emotional resonance. Frankenstein ends with a glorious reprisal of its themes, a showcase of Alexandre Desplat’s talent and the inspiration of Guillermo Del Toro and Mary Shelley. It’s a work that stands proudly alongside previous musical iterations and is another evolution in the ongoing collaboration between Del Toro and Desplat. Gorgeous and thoughtful, Frankenstein is much more than just the sum of its parts. – Charlie Brigden