Frankenstein Film Adaptation

“I busied myself to think of a story. A story to rival those which had excited us to this task. One which would speak to the mysterious fears of our nature and awaken thrilling horror—one to make the reader dread to look round, to curdle the blood, and quicken the beatings of the heart.”
                                                                                                  -Mary Shelly, Preface to Frankenstein 


I chose to analyze Frankenstein (1910). Directed by J. Searle Dawley, Frankenstein is film's first great horror film. 12 minutes long, rather than allowing the flim's limited reel time to curb its portrayal of Mary Shelley’s gothic novel, the film flourishes within the boundaries of its limitations. Dawley manages to turn the novel into a short story and effectively  concentrate the impact of the text's true horror. I like watching silent films. The lack of complex dialogue makes the film rely entirely on the body language and facial expressions of the actor. Its simple entertainment. It's interesting to see early 'special effects'. The tiny details are what really make a silent film. 

While the film isn't quite true to source, it makes a bold departure by giving the viewer the impression that the Monster may just be a figment of Frankenstein’s imagination. As the film draws to a close, this uncertainty contributes to the increasing tension in the film’s climactic moments. The viewer is unsure of the Monster’s existence. Confusion transforms into excitement as Frankenstein grapples with his creation while his wife lays unconscious on the floor; we cannot be sure if he is wrestling with his conscience or actually fighting with his creation.

Victor Frankenstein is portrayed as an ambitious scientist. Him wanting to unlock the secret to bringing back life isn't a Promethian act of altruism. It is his own ambition and thirst for notoriety. His scientific curiosity has been piqued and he must respond. Shortly after his arrival at college he becomes absorbed in the mysteries of life and death to the extent of forgetting practically everything else. The film plays with the idea that the creation of the monster was only possible because Frankenstein had allowed his normal mind to be overcome by evil and unnatural thoughts.

Frankenstein's monster is a creature that didn't ask to be created but is caught in great suffering. It is very devoted to its creator and feels jealous of anyone else. The creature doesn't know what it looks like. When it does see its reflection it is disgusted and appalled, running from the mirror in terror. When Frankenstein's love for his bride attains full strength and freedom from impurity it will have such an effect upon his mind that the monster cannot exist. The creature, broken down by his unsuccessful attempts to be with his creator, enters the room, stands before a large mirror and holds out his arms entreatingly. A moment later Frankenstein himself enters. As he stands directly before the mirror we see the image of the creature reflected instead of Frankenstein's own. Under the effect of love and his better nature, the monster's image fades and Frankenstein sees himself in his young manhood in the mirror.

The creation is a pitiable figure. While his conception and appearance are truly horrifying (and frankly its really great how they created this back in 1910 because this would elicit screams today too) his true act of monstrosity is when it attacks Frankenstein out of jealously. We see the creation use the slightest bit of strength and overpower Frankenstein twice. All the 'monster' does is devote itself to its creator. Seeing its own reflection, the creature is horrified and leaves. The film shows the creature to be a sympathetic figure, who may not have existed at all.

I really liked the film's use of mirrors. In the film’s most powerful sequence of events, several characters appear in the mirror in quick succession. Frankenstein sees the Monster appear in the mirror and is startled by his presence as his fiancé is in the next room. But after Frankenstein’s fiancé re-enters the room and he hurriedly attempts to lead her out of that same room, they are now trapped in the mirror’s frame as the Monster observes them from his hidden location. That struck me because its just such a good way to further the idea that the creation is just a figment of the dark recesses of Frankenstein's mind.