The Edison Manufacturing Company released the first Frankenstein on 18 March 1910.

The motion picture industry started around 1890 and got going in the middle of the decade. By 1900, producers released upwards of 1,000 short films. So Frankenstein was late to the party. This is surprising! Producers presented Frankenstein on the stage just a few years after the novel was published. And when they did, they presented many different versions — including melodramas and burlesques.

This first filmed version of Frankenstein runs roughly 12 minutes. The story is closer to the novel than most filmed versions. Dr Frankenstein creates his creature and then returns home. Once there, the creature menaces him. Ultimately, it is trapped within a mirror due to Frankenstein’s love for Elizabeth. Or something.

The film is typical of the time. All scenes are shot with a single master. But the sets are flat, more typical of earlier periods. The creature design is horrific — especially so during its lengthy creation. You should watch the film just for this. It looks like the creature is being burned alive — but in reverse.

Two other silent film versions of Frankenstein were released. Life Without Soul (1915) was the first Frankenstein film that was feature-length. Il Mostro di Frankenstein (1921) was a 40-minute production. Sadly, both of these films are lost.

Thankfully, we do have the first filmed version of the story. And all fans should check it out. It isn’t great. But it also isn’t long. And it is very interesting to see what the producers do with so little.

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Frankenstein (1910) poster via Wikimedia. It is in the public domain.