How are a performer's choices effected by the genre they're working in?
I finally caught Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of Frankenstein this weekend, which I greatly enjoyed.
Bold liberties were inevitably taken with Mary Shelley's original, but that's precisely what you want from a film adaptation. del Toro's vision is a personal one there's no attempt to create a faithful version. The themes of the novel are honoured, but in unconventional and creative ways.
๐๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐'๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐น๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ.
โก๏ธ You can't change or cut the words.
โก๏ธ You have to honour the author's vision.
โก๏ธ And you also need to be mindful of the medium.
A great example of this is the VOICE of Frankenstein's 'monster'.
In del Toro's adaptation, I think Jacob Elordi does a wonderful job in charting the character's progress ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ the voice.
He starts as an infant, only able to repeat the name of his creator, 'Victor'. This repetition (and apparent lack of mental progression) is what ends up trigger his rejection by Victor Frankenstein, rather than his physical appearance.
He then begins to learn language through observations of others, and even adopts the colloquial accent in which they speak.
And then he finally finds his own voice, shaped by the eloquence of his reading.
I recently had the honour of recording Frankenstein for Spotify Audiobooks, which presents it's own challenge.
In the book, the Monster first speaks 100 pages in, when he's already reached the end of the cycle described above. And he is already INCREDIBLY articulate - to a Shakespearean degree. Below is his first meeting with Victor, and the contrast between Victor's inarticulate rage and his creation's reasoning is stark.
I still wanted to honour the unnatural nature of the Monster in his speech. But slowing the voice too much or adding some form of physical impediment I felt would run counter to Shelley's writing. He also proceeds to narrate the next half a dozen chapters, so it can't be a performance that draws attention to itself consistently.
๐ฆ๐ผ ๐ถ๐ป ๐บ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก.
The monster starts at a deeper pitch, with gravel in the voice, but becomes lighter and faster as he progresses. By contrast, Victor Frankenstein (who started methodical and controlled) becomes increasingly bestial. Over the course of the book, this was my way of conveying meaning through performance while still serving the medium I'm working in.
A huge thank you to Rinn K. for granting me such a wonderful opportunity. And if you were thinking of checking out the book thanks to del Toro, hereโs the Spotify link to my narration!
(As explained on social media the reviews pertain to an earlier edition and not mine, so don't be put off my the middling rating - it's good... In my opinion.... HONEST)
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By Christopher Tester, British Male Voice Actor
