(Flash Review)Overall, this is not very good. Film buffs should be intrigued to see where a couple of Frankenstein key character traits began such as being frightened or saddened by the sight of himself in a mirror. The Frankenstein monster is amusing to see how he was envisioned in 1910. There were a few nifty affects mixed, especially the part with a boiling cauldron. Well, I can now say that I have seen it. Ha

Being a film so old that it is a mark and part of the cinema history, I know I should be more benevolent in my evaluation, but this film only served the greedy interests of Thomas Edison and 15 minutes are not enough to report the Frankenstein story. Having such a tycoon and his own film studio behind it, I expected something much better produced, reported and detailed. I know it was the beginning of cinema and somehow it had to start somewhere so this adaptation would be made sooner or later, but I did not find anything scary or environmental, unlike the 1931 version, but that's another story. Even the performances are too theatrical and comical, and the monster looks more like a vagabond from the woods than some scary creature. The scene of the creation of the monster in the cauldron, yes, was innovative for the time but nothing more. Of interest only to cinema fanatics or historians.

From Thomas Edison's production studio and directed by J Searle Dawley, this adaptation of Frankenstein is regarded as the first American horror film.It is a silent short film that is only about 13 minutes along and some of the narrative conveyed by insert cards in the film which includes passages from Mary Shelley's novel.Frankenstein creates his monster by use of a portion and the coming together of the monster is still effective and I can imagine the monster lumbering around would had scared audiences at the time.The film is grainy in places and of course it does not all make sense with some choppy editing but we are talking early cinema here which was still in an experimental phase. The film was considered lost for many years as it was in the hands of a private collector.

This twelve minute adaptation of Mary Shelley's tale has an element that the later versions don't have. In this version Frankenstein apparently uses some kind of potion to create the monster in a large pot. You then get to see the monster emerge from the pot, first as a skeleton, and then skin and even clothing form over the skeleton. This was filmed by starting with a model of the monster, melting the form, and then filming the reverse of this melting as the creation of the monster.The story starts with Frankenstein going to college. Here he never becomes a doctor, but apparently two years into his studies he has discovered the secret of life and death and is ready to create a perfect human being. Instead he forms an extremely mishapened creature. The creature then follows Frankenstein around, even becoming jealous of Frankenstein's bride-to-be. How the monster is eliminated is very odd, and I'll let you see it for yourself to find out how it ends. Just let me say that there are no crowds of villagers with torches and pitchforks in this one. Instead the ending is very Victorian and even magical.This is very much worth looking at if you get the chance.