The Fall of the House of Usher (1928)
"La chute de la maison Usher" (original title)

Allan has a hard time finding the Usher's house, which is known to be cursed... But he is a personal friend of Roderick Usher, who lives with his sick wife Madeline and a doctor. Roderick ... See full summary »

Director:

Jean Epstein

Writers:

Edgar Allan Poe (short story), Luis Buñuel (adaptation),

Stars:

Jean Debucourt, Marguerite Gance, Charles Lamy

Cast

Credited cast:
Jean Debucourt	...	Sir Roderick Usher
Marguerite Gance	...	Madeleine Usher
Charles Lamy	...	Allan, The Guest
Fournez-Goffard	...	The doctor
Luc Dartagnan
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Abel Gance
Halma
Pierre Hot
Pierre Kefer

Storyline

Allan has a hard time finding the Usher's house, which is known to be cursed... But he is a personal friend of Roderick Usher, who lives with his sick wife Madeline and a doctor. Roderick is painting a portrait of Madeline, but every pose exhausts her. Allan worries more and more...

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Plot Keywords:

friend | painting | portrait | haunted house | fire | 

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Genres:

Horror

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Details

Country:

France USA

Language:

French

Release Date:

5 October 1928 (France)

Also Known As:

The Fall of the House of Usher

Company Credits

Production Co:

Films Jean Epstein

Technical Specs

Runtime:

63 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Luis Buñuel, who was Assistant Director, quit the picture after clashing with producer/director Jean Epstein over Epstein's decision to basically ignore Edgar Allan Poe's story.

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Connections

Version of The House of Usher (1989)

User Reviews

Dazzling Convulsive Beauty & Phantasmagoria!

I've read the Poe source for this film more times than I can remember, and Epstein's film captures that story's sense of decay and degeneracy the best by far. Corman's version can't hold a candle to this film; in fact, I feel as if I'm doing a grave disservice to Epstein's work by mentioning Corman's film in the same sentence with it. Let it pass.

Although I'd read about Epstein's USHER for many years and pondered the stills, particularly of the Lady Madeline in her billowing, winding sheet, I was not at all prepared for the terrifying beauty and hypnotic delirium of this motion picture.

It's certainly not for all tastes, and, for those not particularly well-read in outre or occult literature, it will be inscrutable. But for those with an open mind and an appreciation of convulsive beauty, it's hard to find a more exquisite film.