The Monster of Frankenstein (film)

The Monster of Frankenstein (Italian title: Il mostro di Frankenstein) is a 1920 Italian silent horror film, produced by Luciano Albertini, directed by Eugenio Testa, starring Luciano Albertini, Aldo Mezzanotte and Umberto Guarracino, and is an adaptation of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. It was one of a very few Italian horror films produced in the silent era[2], since after Benito Mussolini seized control of the country, horror films were strictly forbidden[3]. The Mary Shelley novel had been filmed twice before during the silent era, as Thomas Edison's Frankenstein (1910) and as Life Without Soul (1915).[4]

The film's running time was heavily cut down before its release, as it faced censorship issues. It was allegedly cut down to only 39 minutes[5]. This is now considered a lost film, with only some production stills and promotional material remaining. It is believed the film disappeared soon after its initial release because it was so heavily edited, little of interest to audiences remained.[6]

Producer Albertini, also a well-known Italian actor in his day, played the role of Dr. Victor Frankenstein in this version. In 1924, he moved to America and starred in a Hollywood film called The Iron Man, but afterwards moved back to Italy to resume his acting career there. He was confined to a mental institution later in life, where he died in 1945.[7]