#93: 5 Frankenstein Adaptations to Watch
Which have you seen?
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Happy Friday readers,
I love book-to-screen adaptations and was surprised to learn that the story of Dr. Frankenstein and his monster has been on the big screen for over 100 years, dating back to 1910.1 Aside from Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, and Tarzan, it is possible that no other literary character has been adapted more than Frankenstein.2
Which means there is a lot of Frankenstein content out there. A heckuva lot. The story and characters are portrayed in movies and stage productions, while documentaries, blogs, and books discuss the lasting cultural impact.3 Many of the old Hollywood films can be found on today’s streaming services and I had to be selective with what to watch.4
I chose 5 films from different genres and I have my thoughts below. What’s your favorite iteration of Frankenstein? Let me know in the comments.
Silent: Frankenstein (1910)
This is the first film version of Frankenstein and is available on YouTube. I found the monster design creepy and effective, appearing almost alien as it stalks around the set terrorizing Victor and Elizabeth. Though severely limited by 1910 technology, the monster creation scene is clever and worth checking out.
Horror: Frankenstein (1931)
I tried putting myself in a 1931 mindset while watching this and you know what, I enjoyed it! This is Frankenstein’s origin story in cinema. Later movies would riff on this film more than on the novel itself, recreating the imagery that we now so easily associate with the story, such as electrical equipment, an assistant with severe kyphosis, grave robbing, and a burning windmill.
Shelley, intentionally or not, should be credited with leaving much of the mechanics of creation and the appearance of the creature open-ended, giving filmmakers creative leeway in production design and make-up. But it’s make-up artist Jack Pierce who gets full credit for the iconic and everlasting image of the creature — flat head, forehead scar, and neck bolts.5
Comedy: Young Frankenstein (1974)
I found this silly and entertaining during the first half and I was enjoying the story about the grandson of Frankenstein trying to dissociate himself with the family name. Gene Wilder, as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (cheekily pronounced “Frahn-ken-steen”), shows hints of madness early and becomes more and more unhinged as the movie progresses. I wasn’t a fan of how it ended, but I suppose writer/director Mel Brooks couldn’t resist the joke that a large, homemade monster would have a large . . . member. I’ll say no more.
Drama: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)
In a word: bizarre. Amniotic fluid and electric eels? I know I just said the open-endedness of the novel allows for creativity, and I hate criticizing a movie for taking big swings, but this was bonkers. Kenneth Branagh brings his manic energy to the role of Victor, but big stars Helena Bonham Carter as Elizabeth and Robert De Niro as the monster were distracting and took me out of it. It’s all overdone and dramatic and difficult to recommend to a general audience. It is the most faithful to the novel of the movies I watched, but when it deviates, it deviates hard.
Kids and Family: Frankenweenie (1984)
Short (26 minutes) and sweet, this “original idea from Tim Burton” mostly takes themes and imagery from the ‘31 film. Shelley, surprisingly enough, isn’t even credited. I liked it, but my kids were sick of me talking about Frankenstein and refused to watch this or the animated remake. Maybe you’ll have more luck with your little ones.
Future adaptations?
In today’s big tech dominated world, I hope to see an adaptation set in modern times with modern technology. Instead of robbing graves and using electricity to bring to life an organic creature, I’d like to see a company led by a young Silicon Valley bro unleash a robot powered by A.I. And then, true to Victor Frankenstein and typical of some Silicon Valley companies, shirk all responsibility. That might be too on the nose.
What film versions of Frankenstein do you recommend?
Thanks for reading and Happy Halloween!
Kyle
List of films featuring Frankenstein's monster - Wikipedia. Stage versions date back even farther, the first being in 1823.
Leslie S. Klinger, The New Annotated Frankenstein (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2017). Page 311.
Stage: National Theater production starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Not available to rent at the moment but the Nick Dear script is available for purchase on Amazon. I found it quite dark.
Blog: Kristin Mills did a deep dive for the novel’s 200th anniversary back in 2018. I haven’t read it yet, but it appears scholarly.
Book: Hitchcock, Susan Tyler, Frankenstein: A Cultural History (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2007). Lots of fun nuggets and I recommend!
Streaming Options:
Hitchcock, Susan Tyler, Frankenstein: A Cultural History (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2007). According to Hitchcock’s book, Pierce studied anatomy for 3 months to understand how an amateur scientist would install a brain to a skull. That is dedication.