THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER
All Day Entertainment
2001 (1928, original silent film, B&W, 66 minutes)

review by Beth Kattelman

HORROR AFICIONADOS AND FILM HISTORIANS TAKE NOTE. Now is your chance to view a wonderfully preserved copy of one of the premier works of French surrealist cinema. The Fall of the House of Usher has, up-to-now, been difficult to obtain and if you did manage to find a copy, the transfer was often terrible. On this new DVD, however, Allday Entertainment has done an excellent job of bringing an almost-lost piece of film history back to us. This silent, expressionistic masterpiece is a superb example of the French surrealist films created during the 1920s, films that used unique camera techniques and image juxtapositions to create moody, dreamlike pieces that emphasized visuals over linear storylines. Jean Epstein's Fall of the House of Usher is a fine example of this type of expressionistic filmmaking, and an absolute delight to watch.

Roderick Usher is in distress because his beloved wife, Madeleine, is deathly ill, so, he summons his longtime friend to the House of Usher to provide comfort and assistance. There's a strange, supernatural force surrounding the house, however, that immediately engulfs all who enter. After Madeleine's death, strange sounds exude from her grave, sounds which torment Roderick's every waking moment and drive him to the brink of madness. Using superimpositions, slow motion, rhythmic editing and moving camera shots, surrealist Jean Epstein creates a superb, atmospheric retelling of Poe's famous story. I found particularly striking the scene in which Roderick intently works upon a portrait of his beloved wife as she collapses unnoticed behind him. There is also a beautiful scene in which Madeline's coffin is carried down a long corridor of trees that are superimposed with images of lit candles.

All Day Entertainment has done a wonderful job of bringing this classic film to DVD. The transfer was digitally mastered from a 35mm preservation positive and it's remarkably clear and watchable. They have preserved a 1980 soundtrack created by Rolande de Cande featuring atmospheric medieval music--a wonderful complement to the stunning visuals. Instead of English translations of the French intertitles, a spoken English narration is provided by Jean Pierre Aumont. While this is slightly distracting, it is a small glitch in what is otherwise great production. All Day is an independent DVD label that is "dedicated to motion pictures of artistic merit and entertainment value that have been overlooked by the Hollywood mainstream." Kudos to them for preserving this surrealist masterpiece.



FEAR FACTOR: Not scary but it creates a beautiful gothic atmosphere---

BLOOD & GORE GAUGE: None---

COOLEST THING ABOUT THE DVD: It preserves a wonderful film that could have been lost to us forever. Liner notes provide a nice background and context for the film's viewing.---

TRIVIA TIDBIT: A young filmmaker, Luis Bunuel, worked on this film with Epstein just prior to creating one of the most famous surrealist films of all time, Un Chein Andalou (sliced eyeballs, anyone?) Many of the shots in that film mirror ones found in Usher.---

BEST "OW, THAT'S GOTTA HURT" MOMENT: No shots of actual physical pain, but Roderick's psychological torment is intensely portrayed.---

BEST QUOTE: (from the liner notes) Life and death have the same substance, the same frailty. Just as the spell of life is suddenly broken, so death becomes undone.

Official Website:
http://www.alldayentertainment.com

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