9th grade ALM -Movie Permission Slip Sept. 1st, 2014

Hello ALM 9 parents,

As part of our continued examination of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, I am asking students to obtain parent permission to watch a film. What has shaped society’s perceptions of this story has largely been the way Frankenstein has been portrayed by the media, especially on film. The 1931 Boris Karloff version of the monster has become an indelible image in our society. Everyone recognizes the character of “Frankenstein.” That image, however, is not consistent at all with Mary Shelley’s book. In 1994 when TriStar released yet another version of Frankenstein, they specifically publicized it as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, which suggested a version closer to her original tale. Although much of the story follows the book, there are some HUGE changes made and the discussion I want to have with the ALM is an evaluation of why these changes were made. Does our current society feel the need to see horror in this tale? Must the love story be played up even more to satisfy readers in present day? What would Mary Shelley think of these changes?

My concern is that the film is rated “R” for some icky images as the monster is constructed and some of his crimes later on. However, I think seeing how Robert De Niro portrays the monster and how Kenneth Branagh interprets the character of Victor Frankenstein will lead to an animated and powerful discussion with the ALMers now that they’ve read and dissected the original text. My plan is to show the movie following a graded discussion in the prior ALM session. The film would be shown in ALM the week of Sept 11th. We will then wrap up the discussion in the following ALM session. Viewing the movie is not a requirement, but is an interesting addition to our discussions. (I also promise to let students know when things are about to get gross.)

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this or any other element of ALM, please let me know. As always, thank you for the opportunity to work with your student, and please stay in touch.

Sincerely,

Who is Frankenstein??? Regina Johnson ALM Facilitator ______I give permission for my son/daughter ______(print name) to watch the film, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994) as part of ALM discussion of the text. OR ______I would like my son/daughter ______(print name) to find an alternative activity while the film is viewed in ALM.

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