Page 97 - All About History - Issue 70-18

HISTORY HOLLYWOOD

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Fact versus ction on the silver screen

MARY SHELLEY

Director: Haifaa al-Mansour Starring: Elle Fanning, Douglas Booth, Bel Powley, Maisie Williams and Ben Hardy
Country: Ireland, Luxembourg, United Kingdom Released: 2017

After 200 years the world remains captivated with the Frankenstein V Spotlights one of England’s

author’s colourful life and work, but is this biopic just as electrifying? greatest writers but fails to dive into
the depths of Shelley’s fascinating life

As the movie depicts, Mary Mary really was sent to William Godwin really did Percy, Mary, and her Though the film shows the
01 Shelley was the daughter of 02 Scotland to stay with the 03 disapprove of his daughter’s 04 stepsister Claire did indeed 05 death of Mary’s daughter
philosophers Mary Wollstonecraft Baxter family and she had a difficult relationship with Percy, who was travel to Geneva, Switzerland, and mentions the suicide of Percy’s
and William Godwin. However, she relationship with her stepmother. already married, and threatened to to stay at Lord Byron’s home, wife, it does not portray other darker
also had an older maternal half- Her father claims in the film that the disown her. She was surprised and where Shelley became inspired to aspects of her life, such as Fanny’s
sister, Fanny who was raised by visit would offer her freedom – it is upset when her father stuck to his write Frankenstein. The film also suicide is not mentioned despite it
Godwin after her mother’s death, but believed he sent her in real life to word, but they eventually reconciled accurately portrays Claire falling occurring in 1816, the same year that
is not included in the film. discover radical politics. in later life after Percy’s early death. pregnant with Byron’s baby. Shelley began to write Frankenstein.

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