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Mary Shelley

Name: Mary Shelley
Director: Haifaa al-Mansour
Released: 2017
Duration: 120 min

Representation Score

6.8/10

Good

2017

PG-13

Director

Haifaa al-Mansour

Runtime

120 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Director Haifaa al-Mansour transforms a biographical period piece into a study of individual empowerment against systemic constraints. The film stands out by emphasizing female intellectual autonomy and challenging traditional domestic roles in historical dramas. However, the film's dedication to historical accuracy restricts its demographic range. The cast remains racially uniform, and the narrative does not address LGBTQ+ identities or specific disabilities, resulting in lower scores in these areas. Overall, the film shines in its progressive critique of Western institutions. It celebrates the power of the human mind to overcome the restrictive social and religious norms of the Regency era.

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Category Breakdown

Does Mary Shelley have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film focuses on the historical romance between Mary and Percy Shelley, exploring unconventional intimacy for the time but does not include non-straight relationships or identities.

How does Mary Shelley portray gender?

Excellent

The movie highlights Mary Shelley's intellectual achievements and her role as a key figure in literature. It challenges the patriarchal structures of the 19th century by portraying her as someone who shapes her own destiny.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Mary Shelley?

Limited

The cast is uniform, reflecting the historical context of the European Romantic era. The film stays true to the socio-historical setting of the early 1800s.

How does Mary Shelley represent religion and culture?

Good

The story critiques religious and social frameworks from a secular perspective. It emphasizes human imagination and creativity over the restrictive doctrines of the time.

Does Mary Shelley include disability representation?

Fair

The film does not depict characters with specific physical or neurodivergent disabilities. It touches on themes of 'otherness' through the Frankenstein myth but lacks direct representation of disabilities.

Present on Screen

Emphasizes female intellectual autonomy and independence.
Effectively critiques restrictive 19th-century social and religious institutions.
Provides a nuanced look at the struggle for personal identity against societal expectations.

Limited or Absent

Limited racial and ethnic diversity due to strict historical realism.
No explicit LGBTQ+ representation or non-straight identities.
Little focus on characters with specific physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

The love affair between poet Percy Shelley and Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin resulted in the creation of an immortal novel, “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.”

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