Otto Matiesen stars in this art film based on the Poe tale. It's from a DVD collection entitled "Unseen Cinema: 1884-1941" and is from Disc 2. The collection consists of a lot of art and experimental films--the sort you'd never see the average person seeing. I watched them because after 11,000 plus reviews, I wanted something different.
The film begins with the words of Poe moving up the screen. Then, the eyes of the killer are superimposed over them and the story begins. What follows is faithful to Poe's story--but it's told using very interesting sets--very much like those of "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" along with some animations superimposed over the picture. The look is really exceptional--and works great with the Poe style. It's often exaggerated and strange--and I liked it a lot--though I am not necessarily one to like artsy films. I also like Matiesen--his expression was often quite insane and fit the story well. He was perfect for such a silent film. I really liked it...except for one thing. The entire plot about the crazed killer hearing the beating of the dead man's heart isn't even mentioned until the very, very end. Odd...but still quite compelling and wild.
The film begins with the words of Poe moving up the screen. Then, the eyes of the killer are superimposed over them and the story begins. What follows is faithful to Poe's story--but it's told using very interesting sets--very much like those of "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" along with some animations superimposed over the picture. The look is really exceptional--and works great with the Poe style. It's often exaggerated and strange--and I liked it a lot--though I am not necessarily one to like artsy films. I also like Matiesen--his expression was often quite insane and fit the story well. He was perfect for such a silent film. I really liked it...except for one thing. The entire plot about the crazed killer hearing the beating of the dead man's heart isn't even mentioned until the very, very end. Odd...but still quite compelling and wild.