Frankenstein (1910) presented by Alois F. Dettlaff

J. Searle Dawley: Frankenstein (US 1910), PC: Edison, with Charles Ogle as The Monster.

PROIEZIONE SPECIALE / SPECIAL SCREENING
Frankenstein (US 1910), PC: Edison, D: J. Searle Dawley, starring Augustus Phillips (Frankenstein), Charles Ogle (The Monster), Mary Fuller (The Sweetheart), 15 min, English intertitles, tinted, dvd transferred at 16 fps from the 35 mm nitrate in the Alois F. Dettlaff Collection.
    GCM (Video Shows), Sacile, Zancanaro, 16 Oct 2003.

Presented by Alois F. Dettlaff in the getup of Father Time (hourglass, scythe, long white beard, robe).

Richard Koszarski (GCM 2003): "Although well reviewed at the time of its initial release, Frankenstein quickly disappeared from public consciousness and was effectively forgotten until the 1960s, when the (still missing) film was widely promoted as the first screen adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel. By 1980 Edison's Frankenstein had so grown in notoriety that it became the only nickelodeon-era title on the American Film Institute's list of "Most Wanted" films."

"In fact, one nitrate print existed in the collection of Alois F. Dettlaff, a private collector who had been accumulating nitrate since 1928. Dettlaff had acquired the copy, which he was able to trace to a regional travelling exhibitor, sometime in the 1950s. For 30 years, various archives and individuals negotiated with Dettlaff over access to the film (which he himself had copied onto 35 mm acetate in the 1970s). Although Dettlaff gave occasional local screenings, and permitted the release of limited excerpts and copy-protected videos, he did not make the film widely available until 2002, in conjunction with a privately marketed DVD release."

"While Charles Ogle's makeup seems inspired by the various 19th century stage productions of this story, Dawley's adaptation owes just as much to E. T. A. Hoffmann and the Richard Mansfield theatrical production of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The monster is presented as a classic doppelgänger, haunting his creator's dreams and reflecting "the evil in Frankenstein's mind". The special effects employed in the creation scene are certainly notable, but Dawley's use of mirror images at the conclusion, predating the various screen versions of The Student of Prague, is perhaps even more remarkable." - Richard Koszarski
AA: The famous film from the "most wanted" list finally made available by the collector. This first Frankenstein film is moving. The acting style is over the top, the special effects are interesting, there is a consistency of style, the intertitles are effective, and the final mirror shock is original. ***