The National Theatre's Frankenstein: 'It was blinding – you felt the heat'

As Danny Boyle’s production is streamed online, its designer Mark Tildesley recalls putting thousands of bulbs and an ancient bell to shocking effect

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Frankenstein typically brings to mind gothic imagery and schlocky horror films. Did you set out to declutter the story of those ideas with your design?
Yes, we walked away from a classic gothic re-enactment. We were also referencing the Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In, which replaced the darkness of a gothic story with a white wasteland. It was a refreshing view and just as scary. One of our first thoughts was: what is the source of power that would allow this life force to be regenerated? If you look at the mid 19th-century [Frankenstein was published in 1818], electricity has an extraordinary change on society. Rather than the mythical business of lightning and thunder, we show power generated through electricity as a fantastical thing.

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from Culture | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2zwAWfq