Frankenstein
The Modern Prometheus
By Mary Shelley
Frankenstein was originally a novel written by Mary Shelley in 1818. She began writing the book when she was 15 and finished when she was 21. The novel is about a creature that is created by scientist Victor Frankenstein in an unorthadox science experiment. Today many people think that “Frankenstein” is the name of the creature, or monster, but it is the name of it’s creator. The creature itself does not actually have a name. Although the book received harsh reviews at first, there must have been something the audience liked because it continues to be read around the world. There has also been many adaptations of this story that you will learn about in my blog.
Ever since Mary Shelley’s Novel was published in 1818 there have been many adaptations of the story. A lot of them were made in to films. Here are some examples of films that were based on Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
1910
In 1910 the first film adaptation came out. Frankenstein, directed by J. Searle Dawley, was the first film adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. It is a black and white short film that was shot in 3 days.
Since it is a short film it does not adapt to the whole novel. Being less than 15 minutes long the story could not be too complex. At that time it was expected of viewers to know a lot about Frankenstein from Shelley’s book, before going to see the film. That is why the film does not go in depth about Victor Frankenstein him self. For example learning about his obsession with nature is not touched apon. Here is a link to youtube to see for yourself:
1931
In 1931 a second film was released. Frankenstein directed by James Whale was a horror film starring Boris Karloff. Critics claim that it is a poor adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel. The film is very over dramatic in order to make it into an American horror story. Whale says that he did not adapt his film from her novel but rather adapted it from the play by Peggy Webling. The play was based on Mary Shelley’s novel so Whale’s reasoning makes no sense.
1935
In 1935 a sequel to the 1931 film Frankenstein was released. Bride of Frankenstein directed by James Whale. The film starts off where the first film ended and it is about creation of a mate for the creature.
This type of adaptation is not based directly on the novel by Mary Shelley but it is supposed to pick off where it left off.
1974
Young Frankenstein directed by Mel Brooks came out in 1974. This is a more humorous take on Frankenstein and it involves Victor Frankenstein talking about the creature and sex. The film industries are beginning to become further and further away from the source text by Mary Shelley and the adaptation are not like the novel.
1984
10 years later Frankenweenie came out. A short film directed by Tim Burton. It is a Disney movie based off the 1931 film. It is about a young boy, Victor Frankenstein, who brings his dog back to life after it was hit by a car.
In 2012 Tim Burton directed a full length movie remake of Frankenweenie.
1994
In 1994 Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was released. The film was directed by Kenneth Branagh. It was an American horror story starring Robert DiNiro as the creation. By looking at the title of this film what it is trying to convey is that it is based off the original source text. Stating that they want the film to be close to its origina novel source. It is not a loose adaption like previous films may have done. Here is the trailer of the 1994 film:
Along with all the movies that were adapted from Mary Shelley’s Novel Frankenstein, there are also several novels. Although these novels are not directly named Frankenstein they fallow the same storyline or theme that is shown in Mary Shelley’s work. For example, science fiction, horror, love, relationships, loss, and revenge.
1944
The novel Sirius: A Fantasy of Love and Discard was published in 1944 by Olaf Stapledon. The novel is about a super intelligent dog that was created by a scientist. Often misunderstood by everyone and being rejected he is lead to destruction by killing animals and humans. This storyline is very similar to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in the fact that there is a creation that is then driven mad and lead to destruction and death.
In 1973 to 1975 Marvel Comics published an 18 issue series based on Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. The series was titled The Frankenstein Monster. These comics did not fallow the source text exactly. Since comics contain fewer words and more pictures that effected the way it was adapted. At this time Marvel was the leading publisher of comics so it was important that the Frankenstein series appealed to its audience. This means that the comics are more dramatic than the novel. Also the comics add more to the story since the series was 18 issues long. For example creating a mate for the creation is included. A common event or idea in adaptations.
Since Frankenstein‘s birth in 1818 there have been hundreds of adaptations of the story. Although this blog only highlighted a hand full there are still more to be discovered. Mary Shelly inspired a lot of artist with her novel Frankenstein. The Internet if full of so much information that is just a click away. Don’t be afraid to learn something new!
The History of Frankenstein 