Frankenstein

In his 2011 production of Frankenstein for the Royal National Theater, Danny Boyle and playwright Nick Dear proposed two remarkable takes for the often told Mary Shelley tale: first was to cast actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Johnny Lee Miller (both currently in a feud of sorts over the latter's Sherlock ripoff series) as the monster and the creator, and having them alternate roles for each successive performance (I saw the version with Cumberbatch as the monster, filmed for the screen). The second was to give the monster his voice back, something which was robbed of him in most film renditions. Boyle's vision is unique, bold, intelligent, humorous, and extremely dark, with his lead actors (the monster is the meatier role), abetted by a game supporting cast, delivering sublime performances in what are backbreaking, highly demanding roles.