The films that shaped “Frankenstein”

Hollywood.— Guillermo del Toro was the great guest of the AFI international film festival, held this weekend in Hollywood, and which had among its venues the Egyptian Theater, considered the film library of Los Angeles.

The director from Guadalajara assumed his position as Guest Artistic Director to screen from 11:00 a.m. until midnight the films Casanova (1976) by Federico Fellini, Barry Lyndon (1975) by Stanley Kubrick, The Duelists (1977) by Ridley Scott and L’Arcano incantatore (1985) by Pupi Avati, as a narrative and visual reference for his recent Frankenstein (2025) released.

“These films that I chose seem to talk to each other. You will see the echoes of images and scenes. All of these narratives have characters or almost mischievous elements. The characters are very connected to their environment in architecture and landscapes to reveal how they think and feel,” explained the filmmaker.

Del Toro said that he chose to screen at the AFI four of the seven films that influenced him to create the world, architecture and photography of Frankenstein.

“For example, there is a circular window that is repeated, which I had already used in The Scarlet Summit (2015) and now (also), in Victor Frankenstein’s laboratory,” he explained to Bob Gazale, academic director of the AFI.

Del Toro, who was greeted with a standing ovation at each appearance, explained that he had never seen Barry Lyndon in a movie, only on Blu-Ray, and was present for the screening of Casanova, in the second row with his wife, Kim Morgan.

Between screenings, he left the venue to attend promotional events for Frankenstein with members of the Academy convened by Netflix, the film’s producer.

“L’Arcano incantatore is a ghost film that is very difficult to see in a screening. I myself have wanted to buy a copy, but its millionaire owner does not understand what it is, and is not interested in making it accessible. Anyone who sees the four films today will become my best friend, someone who would invite them to eat cookies with milk,” commented Del Toro, causing laughter.

The Oscar winner for The Shape of Water and Pinocchio cited the writer and psychologist Carl Jung with his concept of “prophesy of the past” in which films predict what will come in our present.

“Let’s remember that the characters do not know that they live behind us, they inhabit their present all the time,” Del Toro summarized.

Bazale praised del Toro and explained that they sent someone from the American Film Institute to Europe to bring the copy of L’Arcano incantatore to be screened.

Frankenstein had a private screening for Academy voters with actors Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Orlando Bloom, Andy García, María Conchita Alonso and the film’s creative team.