The first adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic horror novel, 'Frankenstein,' this 16 minute short by Edison Studios remains a hidden cinematic gem, brimming with imagination and clever production values for its day. The film was considered long-lost for many decades, the only remaining traces of its existence emerging in 1963, when a plot description and stills were discovered in an old Edison film catalogue. However, in the mid-1970s, it was revealed that a Wisconsin film collector, Alois F. Dettlaff, had been sitting on a print of the film since the 1950s, unaware of its rarity. Though deteriorated to a certain extent, the print was completely viewable, and included the original tints and titles. Nowadays, with the advent of the internet and the digital age, "Frankenstein" (1910) can be seen and enjoyed by a wider audience of film buffs.
Though keeping with Mary Shelley's basic premise, the film deviates quite significantly from the source material. A young, brilliant student, Victor Frankenstein (Augustus Phillips), returns from college, fascinated with the concepts of life and death. It isn't long before he has discovered the secret of life, and so he attempts to create the "most perfect human being that the world has yet known." Unlike later adaptations, this 1910 version is unique in that it is the only film in which the Monster is truly created; as opposed to being constructed from various assorted body parts, he is formed from a bubbling mixture of chemicals or "potions." The birth of the Monster itself is a surprisingly frightening spectacle. As Frankenstein observes expectantly through a hole in the chamber, the hideously-disfigured shadow of the Monster rises ominously from the fiery cauldron, wreathed in flames and flailing violently amidst the heat. This scene was created by filming a monster-dummy burning, and then playing the footage in reverse. The look of sheer terror upon Frankenstein's face, as he realises that his experiment has gone so horribly wrong, memorably signposts the beginning of cinematic horror a terrifying and exciting genre has just been born.
The Monster (Charles Ogle) breaks free from its fiery prison, and Frankenstein flees in horror. As the stunned scientist gathers his nerves on the bed, the Monster emerges from behind a curtain, and we receive our first solid glimpse of the creature. The use of makeup effects is stunning, and the Monster, somewhat reminiscent of John Hurt's "The Elephant Man" Merrick (1980), is revealed to be a non-violent creature, attempting in vain to comfort his master and creator. As Frankenstein faints to the floor, his Monster retreats out of view. Some time later, Frankenstein returns to his home to marry his sweetheart, Elizabeth (Mary Fuller). To his horror, however, his faithful Monster, driven by love and devotion, has followed him home. There is a poignant moment in the film when, during a violent scuffle between the two, the Monster glances up to peer at his own reflection in the mirror. Horror-stricken by his appearance, the Monster recoils from the reflection and flees the room.
The film's carefully-planned final scene, played out in front of the same mirror, is also very memorable. Rejected for the final time by his "father," the hideous Monster stands before the mirror with its arms wide, as if imploring the reflection to consume him. He eventually fades from existence, though we can still clearly see his likeness in the mirror's reflection. Frankenstein rushes into the room and peers into the mirror, stunned to discover, not his own likeness, but that of his Monster, suggesting the tantalising possibility that his Monster represents the "evil" side of the scientists' personality, the monster within the man, almost as in the "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde," by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886). Welcome to the horror genre!
(UPDATE: I've since discovered the existence of an earlier horror film, Otis Turner's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1908)." I am unable to find a copy of it, though...)
Though keeping with Mary Shelley's basic premise, the film deviates quite significantly from the source material. A young, brilliant student, Victor Frankenstein (Augustus Phillips), returns from college, fascinated with the concepts of life and death. It isn't long before he has discovered the secret of life, and so he attempts to create the "most perfect human being that the world has yet known." Unlike later adaptations, this 1910 version is unique in that it is the only film in which the Monster is truly created; as opposed to being constructed from various assorted body parts, he is formed from a bubbling mixture of chemicals or "potions." The birth of the Monster itself is a surprisingly frightening spectacle. As Frankenstein observes expectantly through a hole in the chamber, the hideously-disfigured shadow of the Monster rises ominously from the fiery cauldron, wreathed in flames and flailing violently amidst the heat. This scene was created by filming a monster-dummy burning, and then playing the footage in reverse. The look of sheer terror upon Frankenstein's face, as he realises that his experiment has gone so horribly wrong, memorably signposts the beginning of cinematic horror a terrifying and exciting genre has just been born.
The Monster (Charles Ogle) breaks free from its fiery prison, and Frankenstein flees in horror. As the stunned scientist gathers his nerves on the bed, the Monster emerges from behind a curtain, and we receive our first solid glimpse of the creature. The use of makeup effects is stunning, and the Monster, somewhat reminiscent of John Hurt's "The Elephant Man" Merrick (1980), is revealed to be a non-violent creature, attempting in vain to comfort his master and creator. As Frankenstein faints to the floor, his Monster retreats out of view. Some time later, Frankenstein returns to his home to marry his sweetheart, Elizabeth (Mary Fuller). To his horror, however, his faithful Monster, driven by love and devotion, has followed him home. There is a poignant moment in the film when, during a violent scuffle between the two, the Monster glances up to peer at his own reflection in the mirror. Horror-stricken by his appearance, the Monster recoils from the reflection and flees the room.
The film's carefully-planned final scene, played out in front of the same mirror, is also very memorable. Rejected for the final time by his "father," the hideous Monster stands before the mirror with its arms wide, as if imploring the reflection to consume him. He eventually fades from existence, though we can still clearly see his likeness in the mirror's reflection. Frankenstein rushes into the room and peers into the mirror, stunned to discover, not his own likeness, but that of his Monster, suggesting the tantalising possibility that his Monster represents the "evil" side of the scientists' personality, the monster within the man, almost as in the "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde," by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886). Welcome to the horror genre!
(UPDATE: I've since discovered the existence of an earlier horror film, Otis Turner's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1908)." I am unable to find a copy of it, though...)