Steineded How sad is this?

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Donald Seymour This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a work by famous writer Edgar Allen Poe that involves some horror as do some of his other creative achievements. And while this one was used by filmmakers many times before, also very early as you see here, I must say I have never really been a fan of the story. So yeah, I am a bit biased here, also due to the fact that I don#t really like silent films most of the time, but I still believe this could have been a better watch. As with many other silent films, there is the problem of a lack of subtitles in a quantity that would help the audience at least in understanding the very basic plot. The ones to blame in this case are director James Sibley Watson and Melville Webber. The cast members do their best I guess. This one is already almost 90 years old and it was chosen to be picked up for the National Film Registry back in 2000. I do not share the praise though and I do not think this American film here is a must-see by any means. Thumbs down, nothing stands out here.

Polaris_DiB Watson's and Webber's "The Fall of the House of Usher" is not necessarily a film meant to be consumed as that particular form and medium, but actually a showcase of their technological experiments. At heart, it is a straight-forward German Expressionist film: stage quality is emphasized, enormous love of chiaroscuro, and both set design and costume is marked by sharp black and white contrast. The two add to the effect by dislocating the viewer through the use of split-screens, prisms, and elliptical editing, effects that were popular among experimentalists of the silent era, but which unfortunately did not find popular response enough to turn into a normal mode of representation today--which is unfortunate because it does fit well into the Gothic style of horror Edgar Allen Poe is most famous for, and because Watson and Webber were both involved with poetry and were basically making a quite poetic cinematic form. The best I can tell, cinepoems died soon after the coming of sound, once dialog helped reinforce the desire in most audiences to really understand characters and narrative plots and stylistic explorations became special effects. However, the fascination with the fragmentation of reality (even Gothicly or Romantically) persisted in underground film-making, eventually leading the way to the likes of Maya Deren and Stan Brakhage. And of course, it's still fascinating to watch today.--PolarisDiB

andrewjkd I must admit, I had never seen any version of an Edgar Allan Poe work. I had not taken as much interest in the subject at school, when we read "The Black Cat", "The Cask of Amontillado", and "The Fall of the House of Usher". Each was eerie and haunting in its own way. But I never payed much interest in the creepy Poe-like stories. Then I stumbled on this film version when I was on the Internet. It was available via Google Video, and, as I had nothing else to do, I spent 15 minutes watching it. And I was very impressed. The film captures the very essence of all Poe's work. His theme of insanity is excellently illustrated. Live burial, a signature Poe plot line, is illustrated also.The film takes into account the original story, but makes it its own. A few minor points of interest were changed. Main character Roderick Usher, lives in the frightening house with his wife Madeline. This was changed from the original story, as in the original story Roderick and Madeline were brother and sister. In the original story, Roderick was portrayed as a raving madman, while in this film Roderick more or less trapped by his fears as opposed to insanity. Madeline is a very convincing, creepy character in her own right.The special effects, very impressive for the time period, pervert the main point of interest enough to brace yourself and keep you guessing. Various scenes are perverted in dimension and angle for added horror and intrigue. Most of the movie features the plot line in the center, with either a never-ending staircase or tall pile of books on either side. The musical playing in the background was skillfully composed and performed. It has an eerie, haunting tone.This film is a not-miss for anyone who enjoys horror films, and Poe in general.

Apostic This example of cinema is composed as avant garde expressionism. It uses various prism shots, multiple exposures, slow motion (forward and reverse), and inventive uses of sets and miniatures. Creative and experimental, it's a showcase for the filmmakers. However, this is to story telling what ballet is to story telling; you'd have to have some familiarity with the original to make sense of the action. Not meant for human consumption. There's a fine line between "artistic" and "arty," and like most ultimately pointless examples of avant garde, this carefully crafted work is pretentious enough for easy derision by the common observer.