Frankenstein

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Alec B Frankenstein (1910), a silent short film directed by J. Searle Dawley, offers a pioneering glimpse into the world of cinematic horror, being one of the earliest adaptations of Mary Shelley's classic novel. In this early black-and-white film, Dawley captures the essence of the Frankenstein narrative with a hyper-condensed presentation. Clocking in at just over 12 minutes, the short film employs innovative special effects for its time, effectively portraying the creation of the iconic monster. Though constrained by the technical limitations of the era, the film's set design and makeup contribute to its appeal. Once thought to be a lost film, this endeavor set the ground work for the dozens of adaptions of Mary Shelley's work throughout the 20th century. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/13/23 Full Review Audience Member For the time of its release I can definitely see the groundwork. This is the earliest adaptation of Frankenstein on film ever. Other than the historic value, the actual footage isn't great and it's more of just a good laugh nowadays. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a film that should be appreciated for what it is. Having been made 110 years ago it shouldn't be held to modern standards. And even if it is, it holds its own as a creative and inventive take on the Frankenstein story with the most interesting version of the monster, if not the one that has become engrained in our minds. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Spend 15 minutes to watch this thing on YouTube, it's worth it. The creation scene delivers way more gruesome creature effects than I expected, the scraggly, hoary monster that results looks great, and the loose adaptation of Mary Shelley results in a unique and surprising story. This Frankenstein's monster isn't evil due to mistreatment or an abnormal brain, rather he manifests the evil side of his creator. He's also not a killer, but a bully who somewhat hilariously menaces and intimidates the fey doctor. SPOILER: Only after Frankenstein loses his virginity does he find the might to stand up for himself. (I did not make that up.) The fantastical twist ending resolves the story on a beautiful, bittersweet note. CAUTION: The version I watched used 'Danse Macabre' by Camille Saint-Saëns as a score, which brought out the cheesiness of this old-timey film. By searching ‘scary classical music' I found Schoenberg's 'Verk Verklärte Nacht, Op.4 – Boulez' and played that while I watched instead. Dude's nasty violins worked shockingly well, I highly recommend using it. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Honestly I feel like this movie is bad but i'm not bothered or mad by the fact that it is. It's over a century old and film was a new concept back in 1910. It was just honestly boring and it was filmed like a play. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Absolutely amazing to see a silent movie that's 108 years old. The creation scene is the best part of this 13min short. The acting is also very good as its very easy to understand the flow of the movie. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Frankenstein

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