Mary Godwin was the daughter of the pioneering feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft and her husband, the publisher and political philosopher William Godwin. Mary Wollstonecraft had died shortly after giving birth, and when the film opens 16 years later Mary Godwin is living with her father, her stepmother (with whom she has a strained relationship), and her stepsister and close confidante Claire Clairmont.
On an extended visit to Scotland, Mary meets and falls in love with the radical and unconventional poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, who is already married. The couple elope, taking Claire with them. Shelley has little money of his own, but borrows against his wealthy father's estate to set themselves up in lavish style in Bloomsbury. At a dinner party, Shelley flirts with Claire, and Mary meets one of Shelley's friends who later makes advances towards her. When she complains about his flirting, Shelley tells Mary that in his view lovers should be free. He wants her to take other partners, and demands the same freedom for himself. He calls her a hypocrite, and she expresses her disappointment in him. Later, Mary, Claire and Shelley attend a public display of galvanism in which a dead frog is made to twitch by the application of electricity. Also in the audience is the handsome and famous poet Lord Byron. Claire introduces herself, and is smitten.
One night, Shelley's creditors arrive unexpectedly, and Mary, Claire and Shelley have to flee in pouring rain. They take up cheap lodgings. Mary gives birth, but her baby does not survive for long. Claire announces that she is pregnant by Byron, and that he has invited them all to stay with him at a villa near Geneva. When they arrive, Byron makes it clear that the "invitation" is little more than Claire's wishful thinking. Nevertheless, he asks them to stay.
The poor weather keeps them indoors for days, and one evening out of boredom Byron challenges the group to write a ghost story, a task which captures Mary's imagination and causes her to dream of galvanism. A message arrives for Shelley informing him that his wife has just drowned herself. Throughout the visit, Byron treats Claire with increasing contempt. She loses patience and confronts him, but he laughingly responds that his affair with her was a mere dalliance, "a lapse in judgement". He says that he will provide financially for her baby, but nothing more.
The three return to their lodgings in England, and Mary starts to write a novel, Frankenstein. The stresses drive Mary and Shelley apart. No publisher will take the work under Mary's name as it is considered unsuitable subject-matter for a lady, but with the addition of a foreword by Shelley it is eventually accepted for anonymous publication. The book is a success, with Shelley initially being given the credit until he publicly discloses the name of the true author. The couple reconnect.
Mary's father arranges for a second publication of her novel under her own name, ensuring that she derives an income from it. In the last scene of the film Mary, dressed in black, is seen walking with a young son. An afterword explains that Mary and Shelley had married, and that they stayed together until Shelley's death at the age of 29. Mary never re-married.
Mary Shelley (changed from the original title, A Storm in the Stars, in January 2017[3]) is based on an original screenplay by Australian screenwriter Emma Jensen. Jensen received development funding from Screen NSW and Screen Australia to develop the screenplay to first draft and her US agents, United Talent Agency, sold the screenplay to US producer Amy Baer.[4] Director Haifaa al-Mansour was set to direct the film.
Mary Shelley grossed $97,321 in the United States and Canada, and $1.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $1.9 million.[2]
Critical response
On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 41% based on 130 reviews, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Mary Shelley smooths out its subject's fascinating life and fails to communicate the spark of her classic work, undermining fine period detail and a solid Elle Fanning performance".[19] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 49 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[20] Some historians have also criticized the movie for its portrayal of Shelley's relationships and for its historical accuracy in general.[21][22]
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