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Poe's silent FALL of 1928
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THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER (1928)

Edgar Allan Poe's famous tale THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER has been translated to the screen many times over the years, perhaps most famously in the 1960 Roger Corman quickie which starred Vincent Price. But seldom has the true tone and creepiness of Poe's work been properly tailored to film. The rare exception to this is the silent era adaptation of USHER by French avant-garde filmmaker Jean Epstein, a picture that truly captures the atmosphere of Poe's tale while also exploring the filmmaker's experimental methods.

Epstein's 1928 film is now available on DVD from specialty label All Day Entertainment, the fine folks who have provided us with such 'forgotten' gems as Fritz Lang's DR. MABUSE series. This is our gain, as All Day consistently unearths cinematic gems that have gone too long ignored, and THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER is no exception.

Made at the end of the silent era, USHER employs a variety of cinematic techniques in such a way that was rarely seen in films of the time. Slow motion photography, superimposed shots, gothic sets, tracking camera moves, surreal imagery... Epstein utilizes a diverse bag of tricks to bring his USHER to life, with the resulting Expressionist film creating a dreamlike atmosphere that is all Poe. In fact, USHER would prove to be the filmmaker's most acclaimed work, and as such was the only to gain a theatrical release in the United States.

The film's plot or what there is of it diverges from Poe's story quite a bit, and is probably more an amalgam of several of the author's tales actually. Here Roderick Usher (Jean Debucourt) obsesses over his wife Madeleine (Marguerite Gance), though these two characters were bound by blood rather than marriage in the original story. As Madeleine grows weaker and weaker, afflicted by some unnamed illness, Roderick works feverishly to capture his wife's likeness in painting form. But the closer he comes to finishing his work, the more sickly Madeleine grows. Soon she dies, and a funeral procession follows, but nothing is at it seems in this stylized, surreal film, and while Roderick raves like a lunatic that his wife is not dead, and a storm rages outside that threatens to destroy the house of Usher, Madeleine rise from the grave and returns to her husband's side for what actually winds up being a happy ending!

The film may not adhere to any of Poe's work all that closely, but it does succeed in conveying the melancholy creepiness of the author's stories. The Roderick character seems mad as the film begins, but as things creep along, his insanity becomes contagious. The house around him seemingly takes on a life of its own, with drapery moving on its own accord and leaves blowing around as if they have an agenda all their own. This haunted house effect is highlighted with the director's cinematic legerdemain, effects which, when combined, all seem ahead of their time for the relatively static filmmaking of 1928.

Additionally, none other than Luis Bunuel served as assistant director on this picture. Bunuel would go on to outshine Epstein thanks to his collaborative surreal effort with Salvador Dali, UN CHIEN ANDALOU, the same year that USHER was made. Allegedly, Epstein removed his assistant from USHER after a disagreement which may have been the best thing that could have happened to jumpstart Bunuel's career. Regardless, there is no doubt that Epstein had a great influence on Bunuel's films.

Unfortunately, this disc offers no extra features aside from a short essay by Jean Epstein on adapting Edgar Allan Poe. This short piece was originally published in PHOTO-CINE in 1928, and it is interesting if only for its having survived this long.

Still, we are more forgiving of a lack of extras in a case such as this where it seems fortuitous that the original film itself even still exists. All Day Entertainment has rendered this disc from a 35mm preservation positive courtesy of the collection of the late Raymond Rohauer. Rohauer collected silent era films for years, including, according to All Day's publicity notes, even when Epstein's reputation had all but evaporated in the 60's. We owe Mr. Rohauer a debt of gratitude for his devotion to these films.

The transfer (full frame) is decent for such an ancient picture, and the music score, by Rolande De Cande and adapted from medieval music, seems quite well suited to the subject matter. THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER features French intertitles, though they are spoken aloud in English as well.