Studia Filologiczne UJK

Summary

The article examines how figure of the Frankenstein monster was reinvented in the Japanese contexts. The analysis is conducted on the basis of the following movies: Frankenstein Conquers the World and The War of the Gargantuas. Firstly, the article provides introductory information about the films. Next, the respective storyline structures are be outlined so as to correctly establish the Japanese formula of Frankenstein’s re-imagining (Frankenstein not as a mad scientist, but Prometheus turned into a Kaiju monster). Then, the motion pictures are juxtaposed against Mary Shelley’s vision of the creature for the purposes of challenging the visual framework of monstrosity (Kaiju monsters as figures of “kitsch” or, perhaps, new representatives of the Gothic trends) The analysis aims to show that Frankenstein still provides the stage for new translations of the story and its main protagonist also leads to new reinterpretations in the field of visual arts.