2013 Film OCD #117 - House of Usher is the first Roger Corman / Vincent Price Poe film and while its good, theyre still clearly working out the kinks. But, with Price at the center of the film, mostly interior shooting giving a claustrophobic feel, and some color experiments you can see many of the trademarks of Cormans Poe films to come. More than most, this is a very straight-faced adaptation of Poe. Theres quite a bit of filler, including insertion of a romantic subplot which also serves to create conflict. Its a smart dramatization of a fairly small story. Its atmospheric and it gets Poes inner psychological terror quite well. Of course, Poes inner psychological terror which relies mainly on mood is sometimes a tough translation to live action. The Fall of the House of Usher is light on plot and incident, which creates some problems which arent all smoothly solved. In addition, the story has no real villain to push against, and Prices Roderick Usher, under a blond wig, is so slight and sensitive that even when he takes a more villainous turn, hes always sympathetic, which saps some of the drama in this case. I kind of think that Price is more fun when he gets to chew the scenery some and be arch and slightly campy, so while he turns in a fine performance it doesnt really showcase his personality. But, its a good start, and other than some technical issues with the copy we watched, I think its a fine start to a good series. Im looking forward to watching more of Cormans Poe films.
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 23:32:23 +0000
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