The Bride (1985 film)

Lore & Background

The Bride was co-written by Lloyd Fonvielle and Thomas Pope during a period of writer's block while Fonvielle was attempting to complete the screenplay for Roddam's The Lords of Discipline (1983). The project was pitched to numerous film studios before Columbia Pictures agreed to co-produce and distribute it. Principal photography began in June 1984 and lasted six months, with filming taking place at Shepperton Studios in Surrey and various locations in France. The film was released theatrically in the United States on August 16, 1985, and in the United Kingdom on November 1, 1985.

Reader's Guide

The Bride received generally negative reviews from critics, with criticism aimed at Sting's and Beals's performances, as well as the screenplay's handling of parallel storylines, though it did earn some praise for its period detail and cinematography. The film was a box-office bomb, grossing $3.6 million against a budget of approximately $13 million. It received two nominations at the 13th Saturn Awards, for Best Music and Best Costume Design. The film has garnered a small cult following in the years since its original release. The plot follows Baron Charles Frankenstein creating a female mate, Eva, who rejects the monster; the monster befriends a dwarf named Rinaldo; and the story culminates in a confrontation at Castle Frankenstein.

Did You Know?

• The film was co-written by Lloyd Fonvielle and Thomas Pope during Fonvielle's writer's block while completing the screenplay for The Lords of Discipline.
• The dwarf character Rinaldo is named after blacklisted screenwriter Frederic I. Rinaldo.
• Jennifer Beals was a sophomore at Yale University during casting and submitted term papers by mail.
• Clancy Brown's role as Viktor marked his first major leading role.