Frankenstein (1910) Review

 

        It’s October and you know what that means, another run of horror movies by yours truly. I thought it be interesting to go way further than the 60s from last year. So, let’s start at 1910. Attached below the poster is the entire movie of Frankenstein. Don’t worry its public domain since nobody owns the movie.

1. The First Horror

        There’s only so much to talk about since the film is only just 13 minutes long. As the text says, it’s a liberal adaptation of Mary Shelly’s book. I could say that the film is the very first horror film and the first adaptation of an established property. When talking about silent films, well there’s no sound. Most of what’s of being presented is the actor’s body language to show us how they’re reacting to the situation. 

        So I might as well talk about the monster. No, its name is not Frankenstein. Just Frankenstein’s monster. If you ever hear the name from any passing mention, the first thing you think of is the big monster with a flat head and bolts on his neck, which is what actor Boris Karloff looked like in Universal Picture's adaptation. This film has a unique and odd presentation of the monster. Instead of sewing various body parts and using lighting to bring the creature to life. Frankenstein cobbles together various potions to make the monster.

        If there is one technique that is used is when Victor looks at the mirror and sees the monster in the reflection. I want to think that the filmmakers spliced the film to two and create the illusion as it’s presented. Although, when rewatching the film, the camera appears to be zoomed in since there was a shot preceding the one I’m talking of as having more space. 

        Now obviously, the film isn’t scary for our standards. What’s to be expected when watching the silent horror films of the past was that it didn’t focus on the scares that much. Instead, the films focused on the psychological aspects of the characters. Probably the first time that depth and development appeared in any horror film character. 

2. Lost Film

        Personally, it’s crazy that I can watch a film that is 110 years old. And seeing just what came after to really show just how far the medium has come in terms of aesthetics and storytelling. I feel that its an imperative mission to preserve film. Since back then, the film’s material was highly combustible. If a studio went up in flames, and it did happen, most of the films would turn to ashes. 

        For a while, Frankenstein was considered a lost film. A copy was discovered in Wisconsin in the 70s, and the owner didn’t realize just how rare the film was when he bought it 20 years prior. The amazing thing he did was release 1,000 copies on DVD. The film had a complete makeover in terms of cleaning up the film negative which was overseen by the University of Geneva. 

3. Overall

        While quaint for today’s standards, Frankenstein was the first of its kind and it’s the most important horror film and book adaptation to be released.