Saturday, August 9, 2008

Frankenstein's monster

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For some entertainment to accompany a fun question;
Here is the condensed history of the Frankenstein's monster origins:


Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel written by the British author Mary Shelley. Shelley wrote the novel when she was 19 or 20 years old. The first edition was published anonymously in London in 1818. Shelley's name finally appears on the revised third edition, published in 1831.

The title of the novel refers to a scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who learns how to create life and creates a being in the likeness of man, but larger than average and more powerful. In modern popular culture, people have tended to refer to the Creature as "Frankenstein" (especially in films since 1931), despite this being the name of the scientist.

Frankenstein is a novel infused with some elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement. It was also a warning against the "over-reaching" of modern man and the Industrial Revolution, alluded to in the novel's subtitle, The Modern Prometheus. The story has had an influence across literature and popular culture and spawned a complete genre of horror stories and films. It is arguably considered the first fully realized science fiction novel. The novel raises many issues that can be linked to today's society.

In the novel, the creature is described as being about eight feet (244 centimeters) in height, with translucent yellowish skin that "barely disguised the workings of the vessels and muscles underneath", watery, glowing eyes, flowing black hair, black lips, and white teeth. A picture of the creature appeared in the 1831 edition.

By the time the 1831 edition came out, however, several stage renditions of the story had popularized the monster. Early stage portrayals dressed him in a toga, shaded, along with the monster's skin, a pale blue. Throughout the 19th century, the monster remained a shape shifter, however, as often appearing a classical figure as the animalistic monster we picture today.

In 1910, Thomas Edison's silent film company created a 20-minute adaptation of the story of Frankenstein. His monster (played by Charles Ogle) was wrapped in rags, with exaggeratedly pointed feet and fingers, a wild wig of hair, and boldly open eyes and eyebrows painted in lines reminiscent of a kabuki actor.

-Thus the original Frankenstein movie was made in (1910)


Charles Ogle as Frankenstein's monster is shown here above...

However, the most well-known image of Frankenstein's monster in popular culture derives from Boris Karloff's portrayal in the 1931 movie Frankenstein as shown in these short compiled movie clips below:

Karloff played the monster in two more Universal films, Bride of Frankenstein and Son of Frankenstein.


As we all well know: Many, many, Frankenstein movies have since been created.

So here is where the trivia question lies:

What other actors have played Frankenstein's monster?

Can you name a few?

2 or 3 will do...


Copyright © August 2008
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