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The Fall of the House of Usher

Director: James Sibley Watson and Melville Webber
Year: 1928
Run-time: 13 min
Source: Youtube

In one of those strange cinematic coincidences, there were actually two adaptations of Poe's wonderful melancholic work, the short story The Fall of the House of Usher.  In France, Jean Epstein (featured on our list for Coeur Fidele) partnered with a new-to-the-industry Luis Bunuel, putting out a critical success - Ebert, for example, ranks it among his favorite films.

This is the other one.  Contrary to national stereotypes, the American director James Watson took a much more impressionistic and avant-garde approach to the source material.  Although the three characters are present, and a few of the key scenes are recognizable, anyone who hasn't read the (very short) tale will have a hard time following along.  The key takeaway from this highly experimental work is the overbearing sense of anxiety and fear that it imparts.  As with the last film, I watched it with a recently composed score, and the darkness and depression was palpable.  It's a short, but enjoyable experience, one that (in my opinion) wears the influence of German expressionism on its sleeve.  As an eternal Metropolis fan, though, I approve.
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