Music In Thomas Edison's Frankenstein

The 1910 film version of Frankenstein created by Thomas Edison utilized several different music arrangements to help portray the main idea of the film. Since it is a silent film, the music is beneficial in understanding the emotions of the actors. The music ranged from light and upbeat to loud and slow in order to emphasize different aspects of the film. One part of the film that stood out was when Frankenstein was creating his monster. The music was low pitched and fast to show his anticipation of what is creation was going to look like. Once the monster began to form itself, the music turned to quick and moderate. This fits with the idea that Frankenstein was excited about his monster and thought about how much recognition he would get for such a creation. Then, it turns to slow, deep music once he realizes what the monster is actually starting to look like. The music goes with the expressions on Frankenstein’s face …show more content…
The flowing rhythm is soft as Frankenstein returns home to his fiancé. The music accurately reveals Frankenstein’s love and represents the joy of him returning home. The consonant harmony continues as his fiancé enters the sitting room and they talk for a short time period. Then, the music dramatically changes as the monster enters the room. This causes the audience to believe the monster is evil, and they may even assume he is trying to hurt Frankenstein. Also, the music helps exaggerate Frankenstein’s fear of the monster. Next, Frankenstein and the monster get into an argument. The music continues is the same dramatic fashion to represent the anger of the monster and worry of Frankenstein. As soon as his fiancé enters the room, the music changes again. It becomes soft and the harmony returns to consonant symbolizing their love together. Once she leaves the room, the music crescendos and is again very dramatic leaving just Frankenstein and his monster in the sitting room