Andrew Mengel Dr. John Black English 225 Tuesday, September 16 2014 Frankenstein: Through the Eyes of Bouriana Zakharieva Frankenstein has sustained a series of film renovations, as well as an assortment of different cultural interpretations. Mary Shelleys classic novella paved the way for various movie versions; however, cultural analyst Bouriana Zakharieva will examine two in particular in her essay, Frankenstein of the Nineties: The Composite Body, for their influential adaptations. Kenneth Branaghs 1994 remake and James Whales 1931 re-creation are highly acclaimed amongst critics for their cultural editions and their attempt to stick to Shelleys stylistic perception. Social norms and expectations are shifting in society, especially towards certain moral issues raised within the novella; causing Frankenstein to become more of a device for entertainment, rather than its intended didactic purposes. Zakharieva visits conflicting interpretations between the movies and the novella in her essay, something she attributes to what society has grown to expect in films. Her analysis of Branaghs and Whales overwrought creation scenes, which detracts from the films authenticity, the amplifying of the composite body, the contrast of organic vs. natural philosophies, and a feminist reproach have all contributed to the cultural criticism of this timeless work of fiction. According to Zakharieva, capturing aesthetic quality as well as verifying authenticity became a main priority in movies and particularly film reconstructions through out the late twentieth century. This idea was also apparent in Branaghs 1994 version of Frankenstein, however Zakharieva believed this took away creative schemes, emotional opportunity and conceptual complexity. Nevertheless, Branaghs film exemplified a precise instance of what Zakharieva thought all filmmakers were trying to accomplish at the time, which was an end of the millennium obsession with originality and authenticity (Zakharieva 416). She starts by unashamedly questioning the title selection of Branaghs film, which was Frankenstein, something that Zakharieva thought promises a true-to-the-original source. For instance, the creation or birth of the monster in both Whales and Branaghs version is a climax in both of the movies. This variation is something Zakharieva compares to Shelleys book where, in the novel [the creation scene] is allotted a mere paragraph with no details of the actual process, only a description of the result, i.e., the appearance of the creature, becomes in the films an elaborate, highly visualized scene of creation (Zakharieva 417). This intricate yet extravagant scene exemplifies the directors int