Cinema
The Fall of the House of Usher
La Chute de la maison Usher
Jean Epstein · 1928
Synopsis
A friend goes to the dilapidated home of Roderick Usher, where he lives with his gravely ill wife Madeline. Roderick, as if possessed, devotes his days to painting Madeline's portrait. As the painting advances and seems to come to life, the model who sits for him wastes away, day after day, in the vast house.
Context
The film combines two stories by Edgar Poe: the one that gives it its title and The Oval Portrait, from which comes the story of the painter whose model wastes away. Madeline, Roderick's sister in Poe, becomes his wife here. Luis Buñuel, credited on the screenplay and assistant director, left the shoot after a disagreement with the filmmaker. Jean Debucourt plays Roderick, and Marguerite Gance plays Madeline.
Who it is for
A silent film of about an hour, slow in rhythm, in which slow motion plays a large part; atmosphere takes precedence over plot.
Prizes and reception
Regarded as one of the peaks of silent experimental cinema, it is known in English under the title The Fall of the House of Usher.
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