Guillermo del Toro‘s highly anticipated adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein debuted this weekend at the Venice Film Festival, receiving an overwhelming 13-minute standing ovation. The Netflix-backed gothic drama, featuring Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the creature, captivated the festival audience during its world premiere on Saturday.
Del Toro Reflects on a Lifelong Dream Realized
Del Toro, who has envisioned bringing Frankenstein to the screen for decades, described the film as the culmination of his career’s preparation.
It’s the movie that I’ve been in training for 30 years to do,
he told The Associated Press. The Oscar-winning director also shared feelings of “postpartum depression” now that the film is finished, emphasizing the project’s lavish gothic atmosphere made possible by intricate sets and powerful performances.
Cast Members Share Insights on Their Roles
Oscar Isaac revealed that del Toro’s vision created a welcoming environment from the start.
Before we started making ‘Frankenstein,’ Guillermo told me, ‘I’m creating this banquet for you, you just have to show up and eat.’
He described the film as deeply personal and ultimately focused on the theme of outsiders. Jacob Elordi, who joined the cast later, explained his connection to the creature’s role.
It’s a vessel that I could put every part of myself into,
he said.
In so many ways the creature that is on screen in that movie is the purest form of myself, he’s more me than I am.
Festival Context and External Reactions
Alongside the excitement inside the venue, a group of several hundred anti-war protesters gathered near the festival to highlight the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Del Toro’s Frankenstein follows his last Venice premiere in 2017 with The Shape of Water, a film that won the festival’s highest honor and later secured the Best Picture Oscar. Netflix, which has yet to receive a Best Picture Oscar, is placing significant faith in Frankenstein as part of its awards strategy after previously winning Best Animated Feature with del Toro’s Pinocchio.
Frankenstein Competing for Venice’s Top Prize
Frankenstein is among several films vying for the Golden Lion award this year, facing competition from Yorgos Lanthimos’s Bugonia, Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite, Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice, and Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab. The jury, led by Alexander Payne, is set to announce the winners on September 6. Netflix will release Frankenstein in theaters on October 17 before making it available worldwide on their streaming platform starting November 7.
