Since its publication in 1818, Mary Shelley's revolutionary novel, Frankenstein, has given rise to an infinite number of film adaptations, and consequently to exceptional film scores. Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein is the latest, and Alexandre Desplat's score accompanies it wonderfully. From the opening, Desplat's music instantly evokes the universe of del Toro and Shelley, introducing the haunting and beautiful seven-note motif for the true antagonist, Victor Frankenstein. The creature's birth is treated as a subversion of previous adaptations, with a lyrical and introspective tone, both tender and delicate, like the birth of a child. A four-note motif, repeated with variations, represents the creature itself, played softly on plucked strings, over a solo piano counterpoint. However, this initially bright and questioning tone transforms as the creature endures Victor's will, and the tragedy of the creature and the story is fully revealed. Desplat's score shifts into a deep melancholy as creator and creature sink into their own personal hell, not with fury, but with reflection and introspection, with true emotional resonance. Frankenstein ends with a masterful reprise of its themes, a demonstration of Alexandre Desplat's talent and the inspiration of Guillermo Del Toro and Mary Shelley. It is a work that proudly stands in the lineage of previous musical adaptations and represents a new step in the fruitful collaboration between Del Toro and Desplat. Magnificent and profound, Frankenstein is far more than the sum of its parts. - Charlie Brigden
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