Dialogue between Literature and Early Silent Cinema: an Approach to J. S. Dawley’s Frankenstein

Abstract

In 1818 when Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus, she could hardly infer the impact her masterpiece would have. Critics agreed from the very beginning on its astonishing power over man’s imagination. Let us consider the innumerable translations and adaptations. Shelley could not think of an invention that was to come, the cinema, and the impact it would have. Unfortunately, however, little attention has been paid to one of the earliest productions: Frankenstein (1910), a short film directed by J. S. Dawley. This 14-minute film is the first screen adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel. We intend to show and analyze the productions of two authors separated by a little more than a century, who used the resources available to them, both achieving the visuality of their texts. Dialogue, then, is mutual, between literature and cinema.