Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” brought Venice to life on Saturday night, winning a fierce standing ovation of 13 minutes, the longest festival ever. Oscar Isaac, playing the honorable crazy scientist, and Jacob Elordi, who embodies his enormous creation, were unable to hold back tears as the crowd continued to applause.
During the long oval, Del Toro waved to the crowd and shared multiple embraces with Erorudi and Isaac. Visibly emotional, Erorudi kisses Isaac on the cheek as the two were accepted, and Erorudi puts his chin on Isaac’s head.
Competing for the prestigious Golden Lion at the festival, the Gothic sci-fi film, where Mary Shelley’s narration from a classic 1818 horror novel brings back the monster creatures and ultimately brings them back to life. The 149-minute, $120 million epic could potentially be a nominee for Netflix’s major awards.
Isaac and Eroludi were joined by co-stars Mia Goss (Dr. Frankenstein’s Love Interest Elizabeth Ravenza), Christophe Waltz (the wealthy arms dealer Harlander) and Felix Camera (Frankenstein’s younger brother William, who is engaged to Elizabeth). Among the stars who walked the red carpet before taking their seats in the Sara Grande Theatre include Aaron Taylor Johnson, Jessica Williams, Jesse Williams and Sophia Carson.
After walking down the red carpet, Elordi and Isaac stopped the game for selfies and autographs with a horde of fans outside the theater. Inside the venue, the public was as excited as seeing the “emotional” star. Someone replied, “We love you, Jacob!” the actor replied, “You love me too!”
In the cover story of the film’s variety, Erorudi reveals that she spent 10 hours in a make-up chair to transform into an unrecognizable monster with patchwork skin. “There are so many different layers of costumes,” Erorudi said. “When he was born, he’s wearing very little. His chest is open and his head is high. And he starts to experience pain. He starts to thrust his shoulders out, as we do as a teenager. And as an adult, he closes.”
Mexican Auter Del Toro was last in Venice in the 2017 dark fantasy “The Shape of Water.” With “Frankenstein,” scheduled for release in theaters on October 17th and on Netflix on November 7th, Dello says he is at the pinnacle of his lifelong dreams to adapt his famous monster story.
“I’ve been following creatures since I was a kid,” he said at a Venice press conference for the Saturday afternoon film. And now that it’s finished, he joked. “I’m suffering from postpartum depression.”
