USA, 1910
16m, 297.18 metres
35mm film, black and white (tinted), 1.33:1
silent
An American horror film directed by J. Searle Dawley. It is the earliest known adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus and was, for many years, believed to have been lost. It was rediscovered in the mid-1970s when Wisconsin film collector Alois F. Dettlaff realised that his print was possibly the last in existence.
Plot Summary
Medical student Frankenstein becomes obsessed with creating a perfect human being through alchemy. He’s only partially successful however, ending up with a misshapen monstrosity. Frankenstein is so mortified by what he’s done that he falls ill and the monster flees. But on Frankenstein’s wedding night, the monster returns…
Credits
Crew
Director: J. Searle Dawley
Edison Company
Producer: Thomas A. Edison
Scenario: J. Searle Dawley
Novel: Mary Shelley
Cast
Charles Ogle (the monster)
Augustus Phillips (Frankenstein)
Mary Fuller (Elizabeth)
Links
See also
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
References
Periodicals
- The Dark Side no. 108 (April/May 2004) p.28 – review
- The Dark Side no. 111 (October/November 2004) p.13 – letter
- The Dark Side no. 129 (October/November 2007) p.10
- The Dark Side no. 162 (November/December 2014) p.45 – article (The Frankenstein Files)
- The Dark Side no. 200 (April/(May 2019) p.79
- MonsterScene no.4 (March 1995) pp.6-7 – article (Silent Screams by MJ Simpson)
Books
- 100 American Horror Films by Barry Keith Grant pp.75-76
- Aurum Encyclopedia of Film, The: Horror (2nd edition) by Phil Hardy (ed) p.17 – illustrated credits, review
- Caligari’s Children: The Film as Tale of Terror by Siegbert Solomon Prawer pp.9-10, 38-9, 41, 60, 62-64, 67, 74, 81, 97, 100, 127, 167, 179-180, 201, 203-204, 209, 218, 247, 252, 279
- Fantastic Films of the Decades Volume 1: The Silent Era by Wayne Kinsey p.9 – illustrated article
- Fear Itself: Horror on Screen and in Reality During the Depression and World War II by Melvin E. Matthews Jr p.8
- Horror in Silent Films: A Filmography, 1896-1929 by Roy Kinnard pp.35-36
- Reference Guide to Fantastic Films by Walt Lee p.148 – credits
- Sci-fi Chronicles by Guy Haley (ed.) pp.18-19
- Universal Filmscripts Series, Classic Horror Films Vol.1 – Frankenstein pp.18-21 – facsimile of ‘Dramatic Synopsis’ and ‘Dramatic Assembly’
- Vampires in Silent Cinema by Gary D. Rhodes pp.viii, 41
