D.W. Griffith is among the finest filmmakers of all time. Despite being the director of the most racist film ever made (the infamous and influential masterpiece "The Birth of a Nation"), he impacted cinema so heavily that it is impossible to deny his importance to the art! The same can also be said about Edgar Allan Poe, one of, if not the, greatest authors ever. His writings contained what I call a "dark beauty" to them. They were normally very disturbing, creepy, and weird, but they were also written in a powerful and atmospheric way. A way that was oddly beautiful.
Griffith was a huge fan of Poe, and ended up adapting some of his works in a feature length film called "the Avenging Conscience". According to IMDb, it adapts the short stories "the Pit and the Pendulum" and "The Tell-Tale Heart", as well as the poem "Annabel Lee". I have yet to see the film, but since I've read the stories it's very hard for me to imagine how they can all be stuffed together in the same film.
Anyway, on to my actual review of THIS film, "Edgar Allan Poe". It's a very early short film by D.W. Griffith that focuses on a small section of Poe's life in which he sells the famous poem "The Raven" and then his wife tragically dies. It's an interesting little film with one major issue: the acting! Even for a silent film made in the 1900's, the acting is bad and over the top. Since it was made during the silent era, over the top acting is expected, but the acting in this film is especially over the top to the point in which this drama becomes a comedy!
However, I'm not really angry about the acting and it didn't completely ruin the movie or anything, it just felt weird and unnatural. Overall, this film is definitely worth seeing if you have some interest in Griffith and Poe. It's in no way spectacular but it is interesting and short.
Griffith was a huge fan of Poe, and ended up adapting some of his works in a feature length film called "the Avenging Conscience". According to IMDb, it adapts the short stories "the Pit and the Pendulum" and "The Tell-Tale Heart", as well as the poem "Annabel Lee". I have yet to see the film, but since I've read the stories it's very hard for me to imagine how they can all be stuffed together in the same film.
Anyway, on to my actual review of THIS film, "Edgar Allan Poe". It's a very early short film by D.W. Griffith that focuses on a small section of Poe's life in which he sells the famous poem "The Raven" and then his wife tragically dies. It's an interesting little film with one major issue: the acting! Even for a silent film made in the 1900's, the acting is bad and over the top. Since it was made during the silent era, over the top acting is expected, but the acting in this film is especially over the top to the point in which this drama becomes a comedy!
However, I'm not really angry about the acting and it didn't completely ruin the movie or anything, it just felt weird and unnatural. Overall, this film is definitely worth seeing if you have some interest in Griffith and Poe. It's in no way spectacular but it is interesting and short.