Edison's "Frankenstein": 1910

Here is a very unusual DVD release.  Ever since I was a young kid in the 1970's I would read over and over in my favorite monster books and magazines about the "first real monster movie made".  Thomas Edison's "Frankenstein".  The articles were always punctuated with an early photograph of the monster; twisted and grimacing and looking so disheveled and deranged that I just knew this had to be one amazing motion picture.  No matter how much I had hoped this early relic would pop-up on some television monster festival it never seemed to happen. 

     While cruising the "Creepy Classics" archives, to my amazement, there it was, available on DVD at last.  I couldn't believe it...I ordered up a copy immediately.  What I received was quite astonishing.  First off, typical for an early effort (1910), this "movie" is extremely short.  The entire print is around 16 minutes long and it is intact, to the best of my knowledge.  Believed to have suffered a similar fate to "London After Midnight", it was believed "long lost", but a print was finally discovered deteriorated but watchable, tinting and titles present.  In the 1970's, the George Eastman House prepared a 35mm preservation copy of the film. 

     As for the movie itself, it is quite an interesting document of the time.  Of course, it reads like a "moral play", where Dr. Frankenstein must suffer the tortures of the blasphemy he has created...pretty typical.  What's mind-blowing is the transformation sequence.  While only a few minutes of the film are devoted to this, it's quite chilling.  Using reverse camera work, we see the steaming flesh of the monster form from the chemical ether; adhering itself to the skeleton which resembles an awkward puppet.  While somewhat amusing, the effect is also a bit nightmarish and disturbing, much like the scene in Murnau's "Nosferatu" where Orlock is loading the coffins on the stagecoach in a sped-up effected manner.  

     The monster is portrayed by the actor Charles Stanton Ogle; a famous silent-movie star of the era.  Ogle had previously tackled roles such as "The Ten Commandments", and would later work on "A Christmas Carol".  His portrayl of the monster is an dramatic one; with his twisted expressions and apparent physical challenges.  The monster is much closer to the original vision presented by Mary Shelly's novel.  Monstrously gigantic, wrapped in dirty bandages with a shocking, filthy pile of hair, ridiculously long bony fingers like talons, and feet that look like gauze-wrapped clown shoes, this is the most bizarre version of the monster ever committed to film.  The monster is so far removed from what most of us have "hard-wired" in our minds as "Frankenstein", that it comes across as other-worldly and surreal, which is a very good thing in my opinion.  

     Considering the DVD release:  a minor complaint is the gigantic logo in several corners of the screen the entire time the film is running.  I understand this sort of thing...copyright protection to stop boot-legging, but it could have been handled in a more subtle manner.  Aside from this, it's a fairly decent digital transfer given the age of the original print, and is most certainly treasured in my silent movie collection.  This particular disc (if you can still find it!) pairs a so-so copy of "Nosferatu" with it, though the Kino edition previously reviewed should be considered the only viable copy of this particular film.

(Very good news!:  As of this posting, the DVD is still available from "Creepy Classics" for 20.00 dollars!) 

"Horror in Silent Films" by Roy Kinnard

Roy Kinnard and McFarland Publishing bring us the "Horror in Silent Films" book.  At 20.00 dollars average price, this work is hard to beat.  Films of the genre are covered from the earliest efforts around 1896 to the end of the silent era in 1929.  Many obscure and hard to find films are given great attention (for instance, did you know there was a werewolf movie made in 1923?!).  

     Some people aren't fans of these chronology-list type books...I can never get enough of them, especially one that has as many rare photos and details as this one.  Many of the movies listed have very little plot synopsis information, but that's excusable considering the rarity of the works listed, and the fact that many of these movies are not available at this time.  

     This book would serve as a great checklist and research tool for the silent horror movie collector.  Perhaps the best feature is the fact that the book not only covers all of the big-league silent monster movies, but goes further by covering those really rare ones that most of us have little knowledge of (films like "The Sorrows of Satan" and "The Haunted Bedroom").  Since horror as a genre really didn't exist at the time, mysteries, dramas, comedies and even animated features are included.  Personally, I like this since I am interested in any film of this era related to the subject.  The research that went into this work is impressive.  Mr. Kinnard imbues the work with the sense of someone with a passion for these films; in other words, the book comes across as a "good read" and not just another "list" book.  I grabbed my copy at www.creepyclassics.com.  They can also fix you up on many of the films listed in the book.  

"Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror" (Kino Edition)

We all know the story by now, but might as well go over it briefly here.  Sometime in 1921, Germany's "Prana Films" decided to have a go at a vampire movie.  Choosing Bram Stoker's "Dracula" for the basis, the basic plot was left intact, while characters and details were slightly altered to create what turned out to arguably be the greatest horror film ever committed to film.  Since the proper rights were never secured, copies of the film were ordered to be seized and destroyed.  Several prints survived, and for all the years thereafter, technically inferior and butchered copies, pieced together from various sources, became what fans would come to know as "Nosferatu".  

     In 2007 "Kino" brought us "The Ultimate Edition", and what a feast we are served.  A true "Symphony of Horror" now exists thanks to the extraordinary efforts of this incredible company.  

     Kino has restored, from the best available sources, the definitive version of the film.  All sequences are tinted in the original intended tones: beautiful golds, roses, violets and sea-greens awash the newly-cleaned print.  You get two discs with the set...One with the original German title cards, and the best English titles restored on disc two.  I'm normally not a fan of digital processing, but in the hands of the Kino crew the process is handled in a delicate and masterly manner.  The final digital restoration is simply astounding.   Inferior DVD and VHS copies of the film previously available contained an enormous amount of frame "jitter" and tracking issues.  This along with the proper running speed has been addressed in the Kino version.  

     The delicious icing on the wedding cake is the restoration of the original music for "Nosferatu", written by Hans Erdmann and arranged by Giuseppe Becce.  Painfully careful research was utilized to search out the original orchestral score, piecing it together from notes and other printed sources.  The original music brilliantly fits the film like a glove.  Together the entire package, along with a worthwhile documentary on the film provides silent horror buffs with an edition that is unlikely to be ever bested.  No longer do fans of this incredible motion picture have to sit through lousy, scratchy, un-tinted copies with missing footage and inferior (sometimes embarrassing) soundtracks.  If you own but a single silent horror masterpiece you can do no better than this edition of F.W. Murnau's "Nosferatu:  A Symphony of Horror" the Kino edition.