Frankenstein
1910·14 min·US
Director: J. Searle Dawley
Science FictionHorrorFantasy
The first film adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel, produced by Thomas Edison's studio in just a few days. At sixteen minutes, it compresses the story to its essence: a young medical student creates life and is horrified by the result. The monster's creation — emerging from a burning cauldron in a scene filmed in reverse — is a genuinely eerie piece of early trick photography. Long thought lost, the only known surviving print was rediscovered in a private collection in the 1970s. It's a crude, fascinating artifact that proves cinema was drawn to Shelley's nightmare from the very beginning.
The first film adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel, produced by Thomas Edison's studio in just a few days. At sixteen minutes, it compresses the story to its essence: a young medical student creates life and is horrified by the result. The monster's creation — emerging from a burning cauldron in a scene filmed in reverse — is a genuinely eerie piece of early trick photography. Long thought lost, the only known surviving print was rediscovered in a private collection in the 1970s. It's a crude, fascinating artifact that proves cinema was drawn to Shelley's nightmare from the very beginning.
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Explore Further
Inside Thomas Edison's FRANKENSTEIN Adaptation — Film Inquiry
Critical analysis of Edison's adaptation and its approach to Shelley's novel.
The Very First Film Adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, a Thomas Edison Production (1910) — Open Culture
Historical essay on the first cinema adaptation of Frankenstein and its departure from the source material.
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Cast
Crew
J. Searle Dawley
writer
James H. White
cinematographer
