Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
By popular demand, we're celebrating the release of Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride! by taking a look back at Franc Roddam's The Bride (1985). This mid-80s take on Mary Shelley’s mythic creation project tellingly got the budget of a period romance, but likely only because it had a new romantic pop star in the lead role and the production design of an Adam Ant music video. The result is a Gothic fable where baroque laboratories collide with heartfelt journeys toward independence. The monster – dubbed Viktor by his diminutive travelling companion, Rinaldo (David Rappaport) – is played by Clancy Brown, presumably because he strayed from casting sessions for Highlander.
Flashdance's Jennifer Beals’ Eva reinvents the notion of “the bride”: she’s bright, terrified of cats, and slightly too lucid for a world full of overlong candlelit discussions about autonomy and creation. Sting’s Baron Frankenstein embodies euro-aristocratic obsession with a bemused smirk, and spends most of his time leaning on something while holding a book.
Should this experiment in misunderstood Gothic romance finally earn its freedom? Or is it a well-dressed atrocity that should be hurled off the nearest tower? Find out!
Support us on Patreon (patreon.com/movieoubliette) to nominate films for us to cover, access exclusive bonus content, and vote on the final verdict!
Rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice, and tell a friend about us.
Follow us on TikTok (tiktok.com/@movie.oubliette), YouTube (youtube.com/c/MovieOubliette), Instagram (instagram.com/movieoubliette/) and Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/movieoubliette.bsky.social).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/31970492?utm_source=youtube
Support the show and get access to bonus content on patreon.com/movieoubliette
By popular demand, we're celebrating the release of Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride! by taking a look back at Franc Roddam's The Bride (1985). This mid-80s take on Mary Shelley’s mythic creation project tellingly got the budget of a period romance, but likely only because it had a new romantic pop star in the lead role and the production design of an Adam Ant music video. The result is a Gothic fable where baroque laboratories collide with heartfelt journeys toward independence. The monster – dubbed Viktor by his diminutive travelling companion, Rinaldo (David Rappaport) – is played by Clancy Brown, presumably because he strayed from casting sessions for Highlander.
Flashdance's Jennifer Beals’ Eva reinvents the notion of “the bride”: she’s bright, terrified of cats, and slightly too lucid for a world full of overlong candlelit discussions about autonomy and creation. Sting’s Baron Frankenstein embodies euro-aristocratic obsession with a bemused smirk, and spends most of his time leaning on something while holding a book.
Should this experiment in misunderstood Gothic romance finally earn its freedom? Or is it a well-dressed atrocity that should be hurled off the nearest tower? Find out!
Support us on Patreon (patreon.com/movieoubliette) to nominate films for us to cover, access exclusive bonus content, and vote on the final verdict!
Rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice, and tell a friend about us.
Follow us on TikTok (tiktok.com/@movie.oubliette), YouTube (youtube.com/c/MovieOubliette), Instagram (instagram.com/movieoubliette/) and Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/movieoubliette.bsky.social).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/31970492?utm_source=youtube
Support the show and get access to bonus content on patreon.com/movieoubliette
