Directed by J. Searle Dawley
Frankenstein, a young medical student, trying to create the perfect human being, instead creates a misshapen monster. Made ill by what he has done, Frankenstein is comforted by his fiancée; but on his wedding night he is visited by the monster.
Frankenštajn, Frankenstein: A Liberal Adaptation from Mrs. Shelley's Famous Story for Edison Production, Frankenstein the First, Франкенштейн, 科学怪人
USA USA 
The birth of the monster was really metal.
Part of the reason why Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has been such a goldmine for film-makers over the years is, perversely, its unfilmability. Its Monster is not a Monster because he's ugly, he's a Monster because of the unnatural circumstances of his birth, and he has a heavy interior monologue dedicated to thrashing this status out. That's not natural cinematic material, and there are other challenges in Shelley's book. Shelley leaves the reader's imagination to fill in the apparatus which brings the Monster to life, turning the book's pivotal set piece into a blank cheque for visually oriented directors.
In J. Searle Dawley's 1910 short, the Monster is brought to life in a kind of Satanic hot tub, where putrefying flesh…
Fascinating how this version ditches the physical tragedy of the novel for something purely psychological. The creation scene is a brilliant demonstration of early cinematic illusionism. Burning the monster effigy and reversing the footage to simulate 'birth' out of ash is truly amazing.
there's maybe a 3-second interval between the intertitles "FRANKENSTEIN LEAVES FOR COLLEGE" and "FRANKENSTEIN HAS DISCOVERED THE MYSTERY OF LIFE"
The first Frankenstein movie, which explains why so many future screen adaptations opt for a beastly brute for the creature instead of the more articulate entity I understand is in the novel. Best part is definitely the Creature's birth, which shows tissue forming over a skeleton and eventually culminating in a monstrous complete figure - achieved by burning up a dummy and reversing the footage, an innovation that luckily for Edison didn't grow up to kill him, maybe because he didn't actually come up with it.
Didn’t expect a short from 1910 to be so fuckin wicked
imagine time traveling to tell them that people all across the world could watch their short film on a handheld device for free on youtube. i’d love to see them process that concept because you have to imagine they never thought about the longevity of their film and that fact really spoke to me. reminds me to make the art today you never know how long it can be appreciated for after creation.
52YRSx52WKS 2026
week 21: 1910 - Frankenstein
From the start, I was completely immersed in this Frankenstein adaptation (even with its short runtime). Loved especially the creation of the monster, & the interchangeable mirror image (Dr Frankenstein with his Creature). The costumes & sets were lush, & the framing (while not as vast as most tellings of the story) worked well for the context here. Thoughtfully creative, from Edison Studios.
I think I need to re-read Shelley’s story, it’s been awhile.📚🫖🎉
What if 🤔🧐🔎 Frankenstein 💡👨🏼🔬⚡️WAS the monster😈 🧟🤡all along ???🤯😳👀
FRANKENSTEIN LEAVES FOR COLLEGE. TWO YEARS LATER FRANKENSTEIN HAS DISCOVERED THE SECRET OF LIFE. HELL YEAH I LOVE COLLEGE.
The effects are cool. There are moments when the framing is nonsensical.
1st J. Searle Dawley
A surprising fact; 1910 Frankenstein is actually creepier than a number of modern horror films. Yes, it's creaky as hell, still using exaggerated acting, fixed cameras and sets that feel like they'd fall over if you blew on them. The poster also makes the monster look like he's about to bust into Thriller at any moment. But there are a couple of great pieces of invention that do raise eyebrows. There's a wonderful series of shots where one character is reflected in a mirror but speaks to an onscreen figure, a nice bit of trickery from the Cinema of Attractions. The other is the creation of the monster itself, a slightly animated scene where bits of flesh seem to congeal together on a skeleton. It's a gross moment weirdly similar to Hellraiser, if you can believe that, but it works nicely considering the film is 111 years old. Mmm, vintage.
