Frankenstein (1910)
The first film of the novel, made by Edison’s studio, free from the Library of Congress.
Thirteen minutes, a creature that forms out of smoke in a cauldron, and an ending in a mirror.
You want to see the first film of the novel, and you have a quarter of an hour.
What it keeps and what it changes
Keeps: a student named Frankenstein who sets out to make a perfect human being.
Changes: nearly everything else. The creature is made by alchemy rather than science, and the film ends with it vanishing into Frankenstein’s reflection.
Whose story is it?
Frankenstein’s.
How much time does it ask?
About 13 minutes, silent, J. Searle Dawley directing; Charles Ogle as the creature.
Edison Manufacturing Company, 1910. The Library of Congress restored it from the only surviving nitrate print.
Where to find it
Watch free — Library of Congress
Other ways to get it: How it was restored — Library of Congress blog
Common questions
What was the first Frankenstein film?
Edison’s 1910 Frankenstein, a silent short of about 13 minutes directed by J. Searle Dawley, with Charles Ogle as the creature. The Library of Congress restored it from the only surviving nitrate print, and it is free to watch on the Library’s website.
More Frankensteins: Frankenstein (1931) · Bride of Frankenstein (1935) · The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)