Edison's Frankenstein

March 24, 2010 12:03 AM

The Edison Frankenstein, the first movie adaptation of Mary Shelley's story, and the first horror movie, is 100 years old as of last week. The Frankenstein blog has more details.
posted by Artw (15 comments total)

Or, for a different but still not Karlof-esque Frankenstein you could enjoy these rather lovely illustrations from Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein.
posted by Artw at 12:13 AM on March 24, 2010

We live in a world where "The Frankenstein blog" is a perfectly coherent phrase.
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:52 AM on March 24, 2010 [3 favorites]

TWO YEARS LATER
FRANKENSTEIN
HAS DISCOVERED THE
MYSTERY OF LIFE
posted by pracowity at 2:51 AM on March 24, 2010

It wasn't the first horror movie. That honor goes to "Le Manoir Du Diable" (1896)

Still, very cool that it has been recovered.
posted by notmtwain at 3:44 AM on March 24, 2010

Nice post.

The Edison "Frankenstein" is also available for watching and full download at the Internet Archive.
posted by koeselitz at 3:50 AM on March 24, 2010

Yeah, I was taken with that "two years later, Frankenstein has discovered the mystery of life" title card, too. In my experience, this is a stage that all Sophomores go through. It usually takes a couple of advanced courses in their major to get them to the point where they realize that they have a lot more to learn. Then they start to become serious scholars.

Most of them also avoid creating monsters during their second summer as well, but there are always a few knowitalls keeping the school therapists in business.
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:29 AM on March 24, 2010 [4 favorites]

This is great! I love cinema history, and I have never seen this in full. Much thanks! I do believe, though, that those inter-title cards are not original. Unless Edison invented a time machine, too, and brought Helvetica back to 1910. But, it works.

Interestingly, (and only those of you who are A) Roughly my age, and B) Watched wayyyyy more than your fair share of cartoons on tv, are going to get this...) I find that the scene where Frankenstein is "creating" his monster, by pouring different liquids into a bucket, is very reminiscent of the "genesis" title sequence in the Milton the Monster cartoons, one of my childhood faves. Or maybe I just need some more coffee...
posted by Thorzdad at 6:58 AM on March 24, 2010

Man, early films had so much crazy experimentation (colors! effects! transparencies!) before the grammar of the medium got settled down.
posted by The Whelk at 7:04 AM on March 24, 2010

Team Edison.
posted by ericbop at 7:29 AM on March 24, 2010

huh. I wasn't expecting it to end with a dance party. color me surprised.
posted by shmegegge at 8:38 AM on March 24, 2010

the scene where Frankenstein's monster is boiled into life is pretty spectacular. It reminds me, of all things, of the scene where Frank assembles to life in Hellraiser.
posted by shmegegge at 8:45 AM on March 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

I find that the scene where Frankenstein is "creating" his monster, by pouring different liquids into a bucket, is very reminiscent of the "genesis" title sequence in the Milton the Monster cartoons, one of my childhood faves.

Funny- it made me think of one of my childhood faves as well.
posted by squalor at 9:02 AM on March 24, 2010

The rolling around on the floor and swooning instead of actually completing an assignment is pretty common among students, too. As is the claim that their homework is going to kill them.

In a more serious vein, I really liked the scene with the mirror -- there was a lot of tension with the reflection of the door (I wonder if this was the first time that particular trope got used?).
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:00 AM on March 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

...you could enjoy these rather lovely illustrations from Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein.

Goddamn right.
posted by marxchivist at 9:34 AM on March 26, 2010

Ahhh...one of my childhood faves
posted by Taylor1976 at 8:05 AM on April 17, 2010