The Frankenstein Monster is arguably the greatest monster in all fiction. There have been a few genuinely excellent films made about him, but all too many of them are pretty bad. While the latest attempt in Victor Frankenstein falls flat, Cinelinx looks at the film history of Frankenstein to see which of them worked and which of them didn’t.
The Frankenstein Monster was the invention of 18 year old Mary Shelly (wife of poet Percy Shelly) who was vacationing in Switzerland with her husband, their close friend Lord Byron and John Polidori. Incessant rain left them housebound and reading ghost stories to each other. This led to a challenge from Byron, daring them all to create the scariest story ever told. Mary Shelly seemed outclassed by her literary companions until she heard legends of a crazy scientist named Conrad Dipple who performed illegal experiments using parts of dead bodies and electricity.
The Frankenstein Monster was the invention of 18 year old Mary Shelly (wife of poet Percy Shelly) who was vacationing in Switzerland with her husband, their close friend Lord Byron and John Polidori. Incessant rain left them housebound and reading ghost stories to each other. This led to a challenge from Byron, daring them all to create the scariest story ever told. Mary Shelly seemed outclassed by her literary companions until she heard legends of a crazy scientist named Conrad Dipple who performed illegal experiments using parts of dead bodies and electricity.
- 11/28/2015
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Rob Young)
- Cinelinx
Frankenstein, starring Boris Karloff and directed by James Whale in 1931, is usually referred to as the ‘original’ movie version of Mary Shelly’s 1818 novel, but, as any real horror movie buff knows, the Karloff/Whale version of Frankenstein was not the first time Shelly’s story was filmed. Inventor Thomas Edison filmed his own 14-minute take 21 years earlier.
The story behind the first Frankenstein is a fascinating one. Thomas Edison had been the leading pioneer of the first kinetoscopes, an early motion picture viewing device, and then projected motion pictures. His Frankenstein was filmed in 1910 at Edison Motion Picture Studios located in the Bronx, New York, one of several dozen movies the studio produced that year. The studio was built between 1906 and 1907 in response to the growing demand for films.
Here’s how the March 15, 1910 edition of The Edison Kinetogram, the catalog that the Edison Company would send to distributors to hype their new films,...
The story behind the first Frankenstein is a fascinating one. Thomas Edison had been the leading pioneer of the first kinetoscopes, an early motion picture viewing device, and then projected motion pictures. His Frankenstein was filmed in 1910 at Edison Motion Picture Studios located in the Bronx, New York, one of several dozen movies the studio produced that year. The studio was built between 1906 and 1907 in response to the growing demand for films.
Here’s how the March 15, 1910 edition of The Edison Kinetogram, the catalog that the Edison Company would send to distributors to hype their new films,...
- 9/8/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Frankenstein, starring Boris Karloff and directed by James Whale in 1931, is usually referred to as the ‘original’ movie version of Mary Shelly’s 1818 novel. It will be screened in its restored Blu-ray format on February 6th at Schlafly Bottleworks in St. Louis so movie buffs will have the chance to see this classic again on the big screen. But, as any real horror movie buff knows, the Karloff/Whale version of Frankenstein was not the first time Shelly’s story was filmed. Inventor Thomas Edison filmed his own take 21 years earlier. Edison’s 1910 Frankenstein only runs 14 minutes and it will be screened after the Karloff version at Schlafly on February 6th.
The story behind the first Frankenstein is a fascinating one. Thomas Edison had been the leading pioneer of the first kinetoscopes, an early motion picture viewing device, and then projected motion pictures. His Frankenstein was filmed in 1910 at Edison...
The story behind the first Frankenstein is a fascinating one. Thomas Edison had been the leading pioneer of the first kinetoscopes, an early motion picture viewing device, and then projected motion pictures. His Frankenstein was filmed in 1910 at Edison...
- 1/27/2014
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“The brain you stole, Fritz. Think of it. The brain of a dead man waiting to live again in a body I made with my own hands!”
The classic and definitive monster/horror film of all time, director James Whale’s Frankenstein (1931) is the screen version of Mary Shelley’s Gothic 1818 nightmarish novel of the same name (Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus). The film was produced by Carl Laemmle Jr. for Universal Pictures, the same year that Dracula, another classic horror film, was produced within the same studio – both films helped to save the beleaguered Universal. The film’s name was derived from the mad, obsessed scientist, Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive), who experimentally creates an artificial life – an Unnamed Monster (Boris Karloff), that ultimately terrorizes the Bavarian countryside after being mistreated by his maker’s assistant Fritz and society as a whole.
Seventy-two years after its release, Frankenstein still leaves an impact.
The classic and definitive monster/horror film of all time, director James Whale’s Frankenstein (1931) is the screen version of Mary Shelley’s Gothic 1818 nightmarish novel of the same name (Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus). The film was produced by Carl Laemmle Jr. for Universal Pictures, the same year that Dracula, another classic horror film, was produced within the same studio – both films helped to save the beleaguered Universal. The film’s name was derived from the mad, obsessed scientist, Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive), who experimentally creates an artificial life – an Unnamed Monster (Boris Karloff), that ultimately terrorizes the Bavarian countryside after being mistreated by his maker’s assistant Fritz and society as a whole.
Seventy-two years after its release, Frankenstein still leaves an impact.
- 1/23/2014
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Ever since Mary Shelley first cooked up the idea for the Frankenstein Monster we, as a horror-loving public, have been hooked. The apocryphal story of the moaning-one's creation may be as tall of a tale as 'Frankenstein' itself, but it lends to the drama of the story. A dark and stormy night, Mary Shelley hanging out with Percy Shelley and Lord Byron, sipping some drinks, challenging each other to create the perfect horror story. And then, late at night, Mary Shelley dreams of a groaning man made of dead flesh! A long chain from novel to play to films and other media have brought us, today, to the release of I, Frankenstein, a post-apocolyptic thriller starring the hulking monstrosity. No ensuing portrayal of the monster will match the terror of Shelley's first nightmare. But many have followed, and today we're taking a look at a few of our favorite depictions of Frankenstein's Monster.
- 1/21/2014
- by Giaco Furino
- FEARnet
Marc Buxton Oct 22, 2019
Frankenstein’s monster has fought werewolves, vampires, cowboys, masked wrestlers, and rubber suited hellbeasts. Seriously.
Along with Dracula, the most enduring horror icon of horror fiction is certainly Frankenstein’s Monster. When Boris Karloff starred in Universal’s Frankenstein (1931), directed by the great James Whale, audiences were riveted (ahem) by the tale of science gone mad. Karloff’s portrayal of the monster transcended the boundaries of the genre and became one of the most enduring images in the history of film.
Universal didn't stop there, delivering sequel after sequel, such as 1935’s Bride of Frankenstein (considered by many to be the most complete horror movie ever made), Son of Frankenstein (1939), Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), where Karloff was replaced by Lon Chaney Jr., the immortal 1942 monster mash-up Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man starring Bela Lugosi as the Monster, and finally, House of Frankenstein, a battle between all the marquee Universal monster characters.
Frankenstein’s monster has fought werewolves, vampires, cowboys, masked wrestlers, and rubber suited hellbeasts. Seriously.
Along with Dracula, the most enduring horror icon of horror fiction is certainly Frankenstein’s Monster. When Boris Karloff starred in Universal’s Frankenstein (1931), directed by the great James Whale, audiences were riveted (ahem) by the tale of science gone mad. Karloff’s portrayal of the monster transcended the boundaries of the genre and became one of the most enduring images in the history of film.
Universal didn't stop there, delivering sequel after sequel, such as 1935’s Bride of Frankenstein (considered by many to be the most complete horror movie ever made), Son of Frankenstein (1939), Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), where Karloff was replaced by Lon Chaney Jr., the immortal 1942 monster mash-up Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man starring Bela Lugosi as the Monster, and finally, House of Frankenstein, a battle between all the marquee Universal monster characters.
- 10/27/2013
- Den of Geek
Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie hits theaters Friday, telling the age-old story of a boy and his dog. Except this time, the dog’s dead…or, undead. In the movie, Little Victor Frankenstein’s beloved dog Sparky gets hit by a car; distraught, Victor, who fancies himself a scientist, decides to resurrect his deceased pup. All seems well until Victor realizes that bringing the dead back to life has serious, unforeseen consequences.
This stop-motion flick is the latest in a long line of films based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel. And with those adaptations come many, many iterations of her iconic monster.
This stop-motion flick is the latest in a long line of films based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel. And with those adaptations come many, many iterations of her iconic monster.
- 10/5/2012
- by Josh Stillman
- EW.com - PopWatch
Exactly 100 years ago today on March 18, 1910, the first film version of Frankenstein premiered to the public. Directed by J. Searle Dawley and starring Augustus Phillips as Dr. Frankenstein and Charles Ogle as the monster, the film was produced at Thomas Edison’s film studios in New Jersey. And I have no doubt that the film terrified audiences back then during a more simpler age. (And the shots of the monster being created in the oven must have freaked out people back then). So here’s the film in all it’s glory, all 13 minutes of it…...
- 3/18/2010
- by Sergio
- ShadowAndAct
Yes, as of today Frankenstein has been a fixture in American cinema for 100 years. The first film version of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel first saw the light of a projector bulb on March 18, 1910. Predating the better known Boris Karloff version by 21 years, this film was directed by J. Searle Dawley and starred Augustus Phillips as Frankenstein (no first name) and Charles Ogle as the monster. It was produced by Edison Studios, although according to Wikipedia Thomas Edison had no direct involvement in the film. You can see this early example of horror cinema after the jump.
To commemorate the occasion Pierre Fournier is presenting a week of relevant posts on his Frankensteinia blog. For an in depth article on the Edison Frankenstein, check out Fournier's posting "The First Frankenstein of the Movies" which was his first post of the week.
Filed under: Classics
Continue reading Frankenstein is 100 Years Old! Watch His First Movie Now!
To commemorate the occasion Pierre Fournier is presenting a week of relevant posts on his Frankensteinia blog. For an in depth article on the Edison Frankenstein, check out Fournier's posting "The First Frankenstein of the Movies" which was his first post of the week.
Filed under: Classics
Continue reading Frankenstein is 100 Years Old! Watch His First Movie Now!
- 3/18/2010
- by Matt Bradshaw
- Cinematical
With ongoing Frankenstein adaptations in the works, it is sometimes hard to believe that the original story Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, written by feminist author Mary Shelly, is almost 200 years old!
The first film adaptation of Frankenstein, produced by the Edison Studios in New York, will be celebrating its 100th anniversary this Thursday, March 18.
Eclipsed by the successful 1931 version produced by Universal Studios and subsequent adaptations, the 1910 Frankenstein was almost completely forgotten, until recently.
The picture, which is regarded by some to be the oldest horror film in existence, was discovered by author and film historian Frederick C. Wiebel, Jr. as he was researching the film for a magazine article. The film was originally thought as ‘lost’ by the American Film Institute when in fact one copy of the film survived, lying in the Wisconsin basement of an eccentric film collector named Alois Dettlaff, Sr. who acquired it in the 1950s.
The first film adaptation of Frankenstein, produced by the Edison Studios in New York, will be celebrating its 100th anniversary this Thursday, March 18.
Eclipsed by the successful 1931 version produced by Universal Studios and subsequent adaptations, the 1910 Frankenstein was almost completely forgotten, until recently.
The picture, which is regarded by some to be the oldest horror film in existence, was discovered by author and film historian Frederick C. Wiebel, Jr. as he was researching the film for a magazine article. The film was originally thought as ‘lost’ by the American Film Institute when in fact one copy of the film survived, lying in the Wisconsin basement of an eccentric film collector named Alois Dettlaff, Sr. who acquired it in the 1950s.
- 3/16/2010
- by Natasia
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
M’Liss (1918) Direction: Marshall Neilan Screenplay: Frances Marion; from Bret Harte’s story Cast: Mary Pickford, Thomas Meighan, Theodore Roberts, Tully Marshall, Charles Ogle, Monte Blue, Winifred Greenwood Mary Pickford, Thomas Meighan in M’Liss Directed by Marshall Neilan and written by Frances Marion – two frequent Mary Pickford collaborators — M’Liss is one of Pickford’s very best films. In this comedy-drama, Pickford plays a spirited and unruly mountain girl, that’s the M’Liss of the title, who falls in love with the new schoolteacher (Thomas Meighan) — who is later falsely accused of murder. Pickford, by then already a superstar, gives a sterling performance; she is ably supported by (future star) Thomas Meighan as the schoolteacher, as well as a fine collection of character actors including [...]...
- 11/2/2009
- by James Bazen
- Alt Film Guide
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