did you always know that no matter how long it took that you were going to do your version,

a version of Frankenstein?

Not really.

I have done 13 movies and I have written or co-written 42.

So I'm very well versed with the fact that I'm never going to get to make the movies I could have made.

And this was complicated because I knew I wanted to make it period.

I knew I wanted to make it the 19th century,

and I knew I wanted to make it big and lavish and operatic.

None of these words and none of these notions sound like a Hollywood blockbuster.

I'm Gilbert Cruz.

This is the book review from The New York Times, and on today's episode, it's Guillermo del Toro.

Guillermo is a three-time Oscar-winning director, and this year he's nominated for his

adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

That is the classic novel, which tells the tale of scientist Victor Frankenstein,

the monster that he creates, and the many tragedies that ensue.

I've been a fan of Del Toro's work for years, from

Kronos, his very first movie, through titles like Blade 2, Pan's Labyrinth, Shape of Water.

He is a master of mixing scares and tears, and at making monsters that are both terrifying

and absolutely gorgeous to look at.

His new movie, Frankenstein, is no exception.

It is not an exaggeration to say that this film is the culmination of his life's work.

It's a story that he has been obsessed with since he was a child.

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