I sure did.....
" Look, there's two women fuc*ing a polar bear!" - Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas 1998
Hmm.. it's been a while since I saw it but I always thought that Paul was just very opposed to Victor's ideals and obsession with trying to reanimate the dead, I never thought about the fact of Paul trying to take Elizabeth for himself. but when you think about how all Victor cared about was his work and achieving his goal and nothing else I guess you could say she deserved better, besides he was a two timing cheater anyway.
shareEspecially at the end where he denies what Victor Frankenstein is talking about and has him sent to the guillotine
shareI find it fascinating Victor cheats on his wife, murders his pregnant mistress, kills a professor in cold blood, and endangers the lives of everyone around him - and yet it is Paul who so many leave the film hating. I think it says a great deal about the psychology of the viewer.
Victor didn't deserve Elizabeth. He didn't care about her and he didn't care if he placed her in danger or not. Paul, on the other hand, was a more loyal friend than any man could ever ask for. Even when Victor should have been betrayed to the authorities, he was not. And even though Paul desired Elizabeth himself, his loyalty to his friend came first. It was only when Paul was thoroughly convinced that Elizabeth would be in jeopardy indefinitely that he was willing to abandon Victor to his fate.
An evil man faces sentence for the crimes he committed and a good woman finds herself with someone who trully cares for her. Yet, so many in the audience see it as a friend being betrayed, abandoned, and robbed of his woman. I think it offends a rather selfish side of the human subconscious. They do not see justice being served. The do not see a happy relationship replacing an empty one. They see a dog being robbed of its bone by someone it thought was their friend. (Of course, now that I think about it, it may simply appeal to an insecure side of the human psyche - a fear of losing someone close to us, being hurt by someone close to us, or both. It's certainly far more flattering than the thought of viewing Elizabeth as little more than a material object.)
And this is not to demonize those who dislike Paul. I'm just saying that, in this case, the viewer vicariously feels as though a friend has left them and was walked away with someone (or something) which they treasure dearly. And this was certainly not the case in the film. If Victor had cared for Elizabeth, he would not have cheated on her and he would not have placed her in such needless danger. But then we're not cold blooded, emotionless creatures like Frankenstein. And for many in the audience, they feel a sense of loss and betrayal.
That was perfectly said' Paul was definitely the good guy in this, after all the evil wicked stuff Victor did how could anyone expect Paul to bail him out of getting his just dessert? in the end Elizabeth got the caring loving husband she deserved and Victor got the noose he deserved. now if that isn't a happy ending I don't know what is,
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But didn't Victor escape the guillotine in the sequel The Revenge of Frankenstein? ... So his 'just desserts' at the end of this movie seem almost pointless, unless you can pretend the other sequels don't exist, or take place in a another universe.Yes, but Paul didn't know that was going to happen, and kazamaru is explaining only why Paul isn't a bad guy for not bailing him out. I don't think it was "pointless" to leave him to his just deserts (one "s," by the way; it's related to "deserve") when Paul had no way to know he wasn't going to get them. share
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But I just think we the viewers were led to believe that justice was going to be done at the end of Curse of Frankenstein, but with Revenge of Frankenstein we're cheated out of that ...Fair enough. I was just saying that I don't think that's a disagreement with kazamaru about Paul. You seem to agree, so there we are. share
Paul wasn't portrayed as dumb do gooder here, he had plenty of character and I liked that. Elizabeth's the one I really hated she was annoying, played so deliberately of course.
shareEspecially at the end where he denies what Victor Frankenstein is talking about and has him sent to the guillotine
If Paul didn't deny it, he would've gone to the chop too
Actually I think the reason why he didn't verify or back up Frankenstein's story is because it would have him look like a raving lunatic. Which is what I'm sure the authorities must have thought about the Baron claiming that he created a creature out of dead body parts.
As for being a suspected accomplice in murder I doubt he would have been executed along with the baron. There would be no evidence to prove that he knew or did anything to help him.
Paul was by far my least favorite character in the film, yes: he was self-righteous yet wishy-washy, which is a maddening combination.
sharePaul was conflicted. He'd known Victor since he was a kid. He was almost like a so to him then later a good friend. Despite it all, Victor got what he deserved (even if he didn't eventually get the head chopping) and Paul got Elizabeth.
Good for him and her.
Paul was one dimensional and got way too much screen time. It's more The Curse of Paul than Frankenstein. I couldn't help but root against him. I understand the film needed a straight-man and moral center but so many scenes position Paul as the focal point. Paul makes his opinions known early on and just keeps nagging Victor endlessly. He spends the whole movie being morally outraged by what the Dr. is doing but never leaves or takes action until the end. Even when he does finally part ways, after shooting the Creature, the next scene is at the wedding reception where the Dr. and Elizabeth just talk about if Paul will come. Victor seems to be as obsessed with Paul as his creation. Maybe that's the point, that Paul is like a father, but it takes so much away from the awesomeness of Cushing and the Creature.
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I did get sick of hearing "Paul!", "Paul!", "Paul!" about a thousand times.
shareAt first I did but then I realize that the real vile character was the baron himself. Also it's important to remember that Paul saved the baron's ass when that creature turned on him (justifiably). He knocked out the creature by bashing a chair over him, when that creature was strangling Frankenstein.
If anything the evil baron owed his life to him because that creature of his was hell bent on killing him.