The Fall of the House of Usher

Rating:
Summary: Silent, sinister & solid version of Poe's tale
Review: This silent film by French avant-guarde film director Jean Epstein is a unique, and dark take on the classic Poe tale of premature burial and internal decay of the soul. Combining the story "The Oval Portrait" with the Usher story, Epstein and his actors create a solid narrative. The camera work is very powerful, helping to convey the nightmare within the story. If you enjoy silent films and Poe's work, I would highly recommend this one.

Rating:
Summary: Silent, sinister & solid version of Poe's tale
Review: This silent film by French avant-guarde film director Jean Epstein is a unique, and dark take on the classic Poe tale of premature burial and internal decay of the soul. Combining the story "The Oval Portrait" with the Usher story, Epstein and his actors create a solid narrative. The camera work is very powerful, helping to convey the nightmare within the story. If you enjoy silent films and Poe's work, I would highly recommend this one.

Rating:
Summary: The way Poe must have envisioned the story...
Review: This silent film has retained it's French title cards and has the interpetation spoken by a narrative voice. At first I was slightly distracted by the voice, but after a couple title card readings, I felt it complimented this unusual and vivid presentation nicely. Although the description of this film as "Gothic eye-candy" is accurate because of the classic sets and shadowy lighting, it is the intense characterizations by the actors that make the viewer feel he's watching the story unfold through Poe's eyes. Impressionist influence is noticable, but the avant-garde aspect is equally prevalant with clever and innovative camera movement and effects. The malody of Roderick Usher is chilling here and its hard to imagine a better telling of The Fall of the House of Usher.

Rating:
Summary: A POEsy
Review: With Luis Bunuel as assistant director, Jean Epstein directed THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER in 1928. It's one of these movies always quoted in encyclopaedia or dictionaries but almost impossible to see if you don't live in Paris, London or Los Angeles. At last, THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER makes a discreet appearance in the DVD market. Except for a scene access, you won't find here any bonus features and the 66 minutes copy has obviously known better times. Don't expect a Criterion treatment and appreciate a portion of Movie History lost between black and white spots.

Edgar Allan Poe's novelette gives its name to the movie but Jean Epstein has freely adapted it by borrowing several themes from other works of the great american writer. One can also say that the arrival of Roderick Usher's friend is an homage to Friedrich Wilhelm's Murnau's NOSFERATU. But THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER has a poetic appeal of its own created by innovative camera movements, hypnotical actors and a labyrinthic castle. If you have the inner courage to rent or buy a silent movie, you too will be hypnotized by this forgotten masterpiece.

A DVD zone reference.