Fall Of The House Of Usher

1956 television
This is an excellent adaption of Poe's story. It was filmed in 1956 for NBC's Matinee Theater on live television. I ordered this DVD because I am a fan of Tom Tryon's movies, stage works and books. Matinee Theater presented 5 stories a week from 1955 to 1958, most of them live. According to the DVD cover, all were shot in color to promote a new invention--color television. But please remember, this was 1956 and although i caught a glimpse of a muted gold tie or vest, it is mostly black and white. This doesn't detract from the extraordinary acting, drama and set design. The sound quality is very good. I recommend this hour-long show to Poe fans who want to experience Poe's gothic style to the max, but more important, to those of you who want to learn about, or are nostalgic for, the early days of television. I hope more DVD's are made of Matinee Theater.

The Real House of Usher
i ordered this to use as a follow-up to a unit in the READ 180 program for 7th graders based on the Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe. Even though the students were struggling readers, they were fascinated by the adapted version they read in their basal reader. My team teacher and I wanted to find a video to show the students to give them a better feel for the story events. This was perfect as it followed the original story closely. Even though it was not a current show, the simple presentation was fine for our students and there was no foul language or inappropriate references to worry about.

Gothic brilliance
This is a fine and disturbing 50-minute videotape production dating from 1956, originally presented on NBC's Matinee Theatre.

Tom Tryon's Roderick Usher is remarkable. The actor's later work did not prepare me for his thorough command of both the intimate camera and the Gothic emotional content. One never doubts that this is a man tormented by a secret comprised of equal parts doom and love, torn between an attraction to death and the hope of life. Watching it reminded me that Tryon later achieved significant success as a writer of Gothic horror fiction himself. And his most famous novel, The Other, also featured twins.

There are a few flaws to be tolerated. First, Marshall Thompson is wooden as the visitor/narrator. But his function here is essentially that of a straight man, so he does no severe damage. Second, while the atmosphere is beautifully developed and sustained, the wolf howls might have been dispensed with.

Finally, there is the...

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