SYNOPSICS
Edgar Allan Poe (1909) is a None,English movie. D.W. Griffith has directed this movie. Barry O'Moore,Linda Arvidson,Arthur V. Johnson,Charles Perley are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1909. Edgar Allan Poe (1909) is considered one of the best Short,Biography,Drama movie in India and around the world.
The story, while not biographical, is founded on incidents in his life, showing his devotion for his sick wife, Virginia. Desperate from his utter helplessness to ameliorate his dying wife's suffering, owing to extreme destitution, he is in a frenzy of grief, when a raven is seen to perch on a bust of Pallas above the door of their cold, cheerless apartment. An inspiration! He sets to work, and that masterpiece. "The Raven," is the fruit. During his work he has divested himself of his coat, putting it over his wife to protect her from the cold. The poem finished, he rushes coatless and hatless to the publisher, where he meets with scant attention. One editor, however, thinks the work possesses some merit and offers ten dollars for it. Ten dollars for the greatest jewel in the diadem of fame - think of it! Poe thinks of the comforts, meager though they needs must be, for his poor wife and accepts the offer. Hastening to the store, he procures food, a heavy comfortable for the cot, and ...
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Edgar Allan Poe (1909) Reviews
Pop goes the Raven
Like many of the earliest Biograph shorts, the title cards for Edgar Allan Poe have gone missing. In the version they made available as an extra on The Avenging Conscience DVD, Kino decided against attempting a restoration. A wise choice; this motion picture has no need of words. Although Griffith was yet to develop the advances to the editing process he is well known for, his staging of drama, his use of space and his handling of actors already placed him well ahead of his peers in making cinema a form of visual storytelling. Typically, a short like this might begin with a title card describing Poe as a struggling writer, but actually his conditions are adequately revealed to us through the small, dimly lit set, an interior which is made all the more confining by that sloping wall on the left of the frame. Also of note is the following scene in which Poe is turned away by the publishing house. Most directors of this time would directly show Poe talking to the publisher, but Griffith places another man (I assume the "resident poet" from the cast list) unconcernedly working away in the foreground. This touch, which would be unremarkable in a film made five years later, adds realism to the setting and the necessary tone of unpleasantness to the situation. Griffith's shorts from 1909 vary immensely in quality, and some of his attempts at action episodes are appalling (see for example Voice of the Violin, released six weeks after this), but this understated drama is nicely suited to his abilities of the time, and satisfying on its own simple terms. It's ironic though that it draws from the life of one of Griffith's favourite authors, because its style owes more to theatrical traditions than the literary narrative techniques that would galvanise his later pictures.
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary
D.W. Griffith didn't really start shooting films until 10-15 years after Méliès, but when he got going, it was a force of nature. Here he shot one of the first biopics in movie history. I wouldn't really count these lasting for a few seconds as biopics that show dancers/athletes do their show. Of course there were tons of these already at this point. Anyway, we get to see famous writer Edgar Allen Poe back when he was not so famous yet how he is inspired to write the Raven while his wife's health is quickly deteriorating. As he's trying to find a publisher for his work, his wife Virginia Clemm is depicted lying in her bed suffering. She's portrayed by D.W. Griffith' gorgeous first wife Linda Arvidson magnificently in this short film. She really nails the part. This is one of the few short films from the very early days of cinema I'd not only recommend to those interested in the silent era, but also to most other people. It really makes a compelling watch.
Good Short
Edgar Allen Poe (1909) *** (out of 4) Short, seven-minute film on the life of Poe (Herbert Yost) sees the author suffering as the woman he loves his slowly dying. Poe goes out to try and sale his stories but ends up getting rejected. You'll notice that the writers name is misspelled in the title and according to the notes on the DVD, historians believed this was the fault of Biograph who rushed this out to capture crowds on the celebration of Poe's centenary birthday. As for the film, it's pretty good as long as you know what not to expect. Those expecting a full bio will be disappointed but Griffith handles the seven-minutes pretty well and delivers a quick and by the numbers picture. Yost does a very good job as Poe and what's shocking is how much they look alike.
The award for most subtle performance by a guy imitating Poe does NOT go to this film!
I have to hand it to D.W. Griffith, the guy he got to play Edgar Allan Poe certainly looked an awful lot like him. Facially it was him and the clothing, makeup and hair were dead on target. Unfortunately, the acting performance itself can be called many things...but subtle certainly isn't one of them. Even by 1909's standards the acting is a bit over the top and heavy-handed. The story begins with Poe at home with his wife. She's quite sick and he hopes to make a sale--presumably to get her medicine or take her to Arizona for the climate or pay for a subscription to Match.com. Regardless, he spends much of the film going from publisher to publisher trying to get his story published. Only in the end does he find a buyer and when he returns home, he's saddened to see her dead--unable to share in his joy. While the story is VERY short, it does capture the essence of Poe's life and loss of his wife. However, the film was quickly rushed to production and shows it. Not one of Griffith's better shorts but it's quite watchable.
interesting early griffith short
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.