Analyzing the Gothic Masterpiece "The Fall of the House of Usher" or "La Chute De La
- by Introduction To Gothic Culture
- Feb 22, 2016
- 7 min read
Once upon a time, there was a man who gave his wisdom to all the romantic and melancholic souls. His strories, which were creations of mood and not narratives of some events, accompanied all these pure souls, from the earliest years to the present days. He couldn't be another figure than our favourite poet, Edgar Allan Poe, the king of the macabre.
While Poe's stories became popular and beloved by so many people around the world, filmmakers couldn't resist his dark aesthetics, too. In our case, we are talking about the brilliant surrealist Luis Buñuel, who collaborated with the famous director Jean Epstein, in order to remake Poe's brilliant story The fall Of the House of Usher and to depict it in a gothic silent film. Luis Buñuel was well-known for his collaboration with Salvador Dali on Un Chein Andalou, another masterpiece we have inherited. Unfortunately, the two surrealists finished their cooperation after a quarrel that they had, which was the reason that Buñuel had to quit. In fact, Buñuel's disagreement came from Epstein's decision to ignore Edgar Allan Poe's story. The film was rescued by the famous collector Raymond Rohauer, in the 1960s.
Although Poe had given specific roles and relationships to his own characters, Buñuel and Epstein eventually changed the story a little bit, since they were influenced by Oscar Wilde's masterpiece The Picture Of Dorian Gray (1890). The deviations are between Roderick Usher (Jean Debucourt) and Madeleine Usher (Marguerite Gance), the film's mysterious figures, who incarnate the roles of a married couple. In the original story by Edgar Allan Poe these two characters were connected with family relations, as brother and sister. This fact kills one of the story’s most resonant themes, the incest. However, Jean Epstein indemnified all of us by expressing the obsession that all the men of the House of Usher had with their wives. He explains that those gentlemen used to believe that if they paint their wives' figure, then, after their death, they will return to life, more alive than ever. It was something like a weird perception that the soul is captured in a lifeless painting and it is going to come back after its purification.
Jean Debucourt is a convincing silent star, who as Roderick Usher, expresses the aura of a man consumed by his fears. Marguerite Gance, as Madeleine Usher, has a main task: to be an object. She poses for his painting, while at the same time, she slowly sinks toward the grave. Moreover, in our story we have another character, who was the person that introduced us to the Usher Family. This person is called Allan (Charles Lamy) and he appears to be an old friend of Roderick, who decides to visit the Usher Family. Unlike other silent horror films, such as Nosferatu and Dracula, in which the local people used to refuse to convey the visitor to the house, in this film we see the opposite reaction. In the beginning of the film we notice a negative attitude from the locals, though. However, the protagonist is just a demented person, not a vampire. Futhermore, the story has one last character, the doctor (Fournez-Goffard), who tries to look after the peculiar couple, when he has to.
While watching the film we notice that there is an ambiguity about the painting. On one hand, there are some shots in which the painting is depicted as a real canvas. On the other hand, in some other shots we realize that this is not a canvas, but Madeleine, who stands there pretending that she is the canvas. There are two different interpretations from two different critics about the analysis of the painting. The first critic is Mark Zimmer, who claims that Madeleine's life inhabits the painting, such that it begins to blink and move, as she dies. The other theory is from Glenn Erickson, who says that Madeleine is not painted. She sits behind the portrait's frame and she pretends to be a painted image. According to Erickson, the reason that the woman's image blinks is because Madeleine (inside Roderick's imagination) reminds to her husband that she is not a picture. On the contrary, she is standing there alive and all of this is only an illusion.
Regardless of the critics -which caused us chaos, but they would bring delight to the surrealists who made the film, if they were alive- we have to admit that the painting scenes were the key of success. Besides, Jean's and Marguerite's acting was a complete enjoyment, as well. Most horror silent actors used to pose during their roles, in order to show us the entrapment in their minds' and souls' prison. They didn't pose aiming that they would express the human nature via their acting. Our protagonists use so many facial expressions that it was impossible for us not to recognize their deep emotional world- desperation, fear, sadness, insanity, dread. In addition, the attendance of their visitor does exist for one main reason: to be a witness in the couple's dramatic story. If they had no one to share their drama with, then they probably would appear less dramatic and more normal. But now there is someone to confirm the obsessions they both have.
The Fall Of The House Of Usher was a chest, full of gothic elements inside it. While people open it, usually they cannot believe in their eyes. The elegance of its gothic atmosphere tends to mesmerize and bewitch every individual. What shall we comment first? Actually, it is really difficult to describe this masterpiece with simple words. Its dark aesthetics activate people's feelings, making hard for them to rationalize the scenes they see.
To begin with, we should make a reference to Roderick's nightmarish visuals. His haunted mind freaks us out and makes us realize his insanity and imbalance, which have their own issues of gothicism. His frozen gaze, everytime he sees his wife's ghost, creates a sense of cosmic anguish and uncertainty. Madeleine always seems to wear a melancholic mask on her face. She lives in her own doom, feeding the desolation of her soul with desperation and feeling the greatest decay. She poses for her husband without objection, as if she was a motionless object.
Jean Epstein shoots some amazing exteriors of the Usher's House. We notice that their mansion is surrounded by an extremely peaceful place, in the midst of the obligatory blasted health, which seems to be unwelcome at the same time- the mist, the bare trees and the placid lakes complete the idea of an old grey photograph. The secluded house reminds us of a creepy abandoned palatial, in which only ghosts and spirits could cover its emptiness. The melancholic extrerior terrorizes the watcher via its muddy tranquility. The visualization of the interior of the mansion is the other film's triumph. At first glance, the house seems to be totally vacant, with huge furniture that have been placed incidentally in the bare place, without specific reason. With a closer look we discover all the majesty of the gothicism, with its nightmare details: the architecture is outstanding- like a scary tale castle from the 18th century, the huge quantity of white burning candles hold our breath while they melt together, the curtains dance with the wind and make the place more haunted, the leaves of the bare trees have now come inside the house and fill the screen with their movement, the wind turns to a tornado which lifts the books from the library and force them to dance, too, in the madness and the mental chaos.
The creepiest scene of the film, which is a breathtaking one, is Madeleine's burial. Her husband and his guest put the young lady's body into a coffin and take the road for their bizarre family crypt. There is an outstanding variety of gothic elements in Madeleine’s funeral procession. First of all, as the men prepare the dead body we perceive straight away that she will be buried as a bride. While they cross forests and lakes till their final destination, we notice that the coffin is followed by a see-through white veil. The spectacle of the corpse bride's veil, which floats calmly in the water completes the magnificent picture of death. The director added some extremely dark issues in Madeleine's funeral: we see four men carrying a coffin, while they cross forests of bare trees and frozen lakes, under the boundless grey sky and a series of burning candles. When they finally arrive at the crypt, Roderick goes completely mad. He cannot accept the death of his beloved one, neither that he is forced to bury her soulless body. Suddenly, he becomes really upset by the idea that the woman is not dead. He believes that her soul continues to live without her body and that she is afraid of being buried alive. He starts hearing voices, but he cannot recognize where they come from. Does he imagine that he hears Madeleine clawing her way out of the coffin? Or has she been buried alive?
A lot of critics believe that The Fall Of The House Of Usher is a bad version of Poe's story. Jean Epstein changed important things in his film and only the “House” is a true transcript of the homonym story. However, we have to admit that this film is a landmark of expressionist cinema, with its atmospheric and experimental effects that make every viewer thirsty to learn and study more about it. Furthermore, its visuals were extraordinary enough for a 1928 film. Maybe it is a little difficult for the average viewer to appreciate how innovative this film was, but anyone can refuge to describe it as a jewel of Gothicism. Epstein depicted many issues from the horror genre in his film, using simple but effective techniques (burning candles, creepy shadows, wooden doors from which we can feel their creaking, even if we can't hear it in reality).
In conclusion, The Fall Of the House Of Usher is a film that will hypnotize the lovers of silent horror films, such as Nosferatu, Vampyr and Das Cabinet of Dr.Caligari. In my opinion, it is a masterpiece of Goth and Horror that everyone who is interested in these genres should devote a little of his time to watch it.
Other adaptations of The Fall Of The House Of Usher :
1948 - The Fall of the House of Usher
1960 - The House of Usher
1983 - The Fall of the House of Usher
1989 - The House of Usher
2006 - The House of Usher
2008 - House of Usher
2015 - Extraordinary Tales (as an episode of the animated anthology)
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