Frankenstein (1910)

Director: J. Searle Dawley

Writers: Mary Shelley, J. Searle Dawley

Composer: Donald Sosin

Starring: Marry Fuller, Charles Ogle, Augustus Phillips

More info: IMDb


Plot: Frankenstein, a young medical student, trying to create the perfect human being, instead creates a misshapen monster.

My rating: 7/10

Will I watch it again?  Maybe.

This is the first filmed version of Frankenstein and it's pretty darn good.  You'll have to overlook the goofy gesturing of Frankenstein while his monster is forming but that transformation scene is really neat.  They burned a dummy and played it in reverse.  The use of the full length mirror was a great touch, too.  At first it's just a neat visual of having two people in the shot with one being a reflection but the mirror plays nicely as part of the narrative at the end of the picture.  This was reportedly lost for decades until it turned up in the 70s.  The print I watched was dirty and at times difficult to make things out clearly.  I reckon if I searched hard enough I'd find a cleaner copy and enhance my enjoyment of it.  I've seen it twice already so there's not much need to revisit the film but it's only 13 minutes so it's hardly an inconvenience to not give it another go.  The version above on YouTube is jacked because it's presented in widescreen but the addition of the Richard Band cues is a nice touch by modernizing the score.