1931 Film 'Frankenstein' To Be Shown At Ocean City Library

OCEAN CITY, NJ — The 1931 film, “Frankenstein” will be screened at the Ocean City Free Public Library next month as Atlantic Cape Community College celebrates the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s novel.

The college has made the book its official college book for the 2018-19 school year, the college announced on Thursday. Students, faculty and staff will commemorate it with a series of events beginning in October.

One such event is the screening of the movie by retired Atlantic Cape professor Tom Celandine at the library on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 6:30 p.m. at the library. The screening is free and will be followed by a discussion of the film.

Other events include:

Oct. 9: Jay Hennicke, adjunct professor of humanities and English, will provide a short lecture and discussion on the novel from 12:30-1:45 p.m. in G205 of the new Student Center at the Mays Landing Campus.

Oct. 11: Author and Atlantic Cape instructor Melissa Palmer will host a lecture, “Victorian Fathers of Science Fiction and Horror,” from 5-6 p.m. on Oct. 11 in Room 212 of Atlantic Cape’s Cape May County Campus.

Oct. 15: Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society will host a “Frankenfest” to kick off their NJ Community College Completion Challenge Week at the college’s Mays Landing Campus.

“While many see ‘Frankenstein’ as a cautionary tale about science, this is really a novel about what it means to be human,” Richard Russell, assistant professor of English, said.

Faculty members have also incorporated the famous text into their courses to illustrate how it still speaks to modern-day themes and values in today’s society.

Shelley wrote “Frankenstein” in the summer of 1816, a summer of cooler temperatures and wetter weather than most. Shelley and her troupe were forced to stay indoors and decided to have a ghost writing competition. Shelley produced “Frankenstein.”

The attached image was previously provided by Ocean City Public Relations Director Mark Soifer when a display of Frankenstein artwork was exhibited at the Ocean City Free Public Library