Mary Shelley

The production values are sky-high. The acting is top-notch. It's a quality production...and, it will certainly educate those who know nothing about these young [early 19th century], priviledged, romantic radicals. Anyone can be a radical when money is no object!

But...with [unacceptable] inaccuracies and omitted crucial events...Mary Shelley is only a semi-fabricated, fraction of her story. It's not that the time-frame is extensive, Mary met Percy when he was 21, they ranaway together when she was 17 and he died when he was 29...during those years, Mary had 3 children - all died in infancy, her 4th child survived into adulthood, had a miscarriage [maybe more], had Frankenstein [anonymously] published at the age of 21, dealt with quite a few suicides (most notably Percy's pregnant wife), mingled with some of the greatest literary names, suffered depression, fought a custody...and, never stayed in the same place long enough to let the grass grow around her...or, the allow debtors at their door. An eventful, harried and hectic life indeed. This film...not so!

So...where did it all go wrong? The writng and the focus...there was an obvious agenda from the off. Mary Shelley was the daughter of - perhaps - the first [polyamourous, heterosexual] feminist...Mary never knew her mother, she died shortly after giving birth. Mary grew with her mother's idealism instilled in her...the film portrays her as a strong, single-minded woman...when, in reality, she was a one-man-woman who was cajoled by the libidinous Shelley and accepted anonymity...all in the name of compromise...of a tragic life. Not quite the feminist!?!

Bio-pics need to be accurate...this film harks back to the golden days of Hollywood...when writers made up any old twaddle about historical figures. Mary Shelley's truth is infinitely more interesting than this negligent and erroneous, fact-mangling interpretation.

Trailer...