One of the benefits of knowing Dave Sindelar (of sci-film.org and the "Movie of the Day" forum on the "Monsterkidsclassichorrorforum" on Yuku) is that sometimes I get to see some stuff I never would have know about otherwise.Well, I mean good stuff as well as the deservedly obscure stuff.
He pulled out this fairly short film recently as a break from all the 50's sci-fi dreck we've been wading through, and I have to say that this silent film was easily the single best example of the era that I've ever seen.
This director and the casting crew managed to cast and film a group of actors who were superbly suited for the demands of silent film...and by this, I mean that all you have to do is look at the actors in almost any given scene and you will already know almost everything there is to know about their characters. This is way different from the hammy over-emoting that jars my sensibilities even when I view something like the recently restored "Metropolis Complete".
And the photography and lighting and costuming and set design...they all combine to create and reinforce the atmosphere of Poe's little tale of decadence and dread.Especially impressive is the soundtrack, which seems to combine wire harp, scratching violins, hammered piano and heaven knows what else to provide a background that is at once beautiful, disturbing and haunting.
Only 8 stars because the story itself...is extremely annoying in its way, especially after the first 30 minutes. You can't help but wonder if maybe actually having a JOB with stuff to do OUTSIDE would work wonders for the situation. "THIS is what comes of having too much money and too much time on your hands..."
He pulled out this fairly short film recently as a break from all the 50's sci-fi dreck we've been wading through, and I have to say that this silent film was easily the single best example of the era that I've ever seen.
This director and the casting crew managed to cast and film a group of actors who were superbly suited for the demands of silent film...and by this, I mean that all you have to do is look at the actors in almost any given scene and you will already know almost everything there is to know about their characters. This is way different from the hammy over-emoting that jars my sensibilities even when I view something like the recently restored "Metropolis Complete".
And the photography and lighting and costuming and set design...they all combine to create and reinforce the atmosphere of Poe's little tale of decadence and dread.Especially impressive is the soundtrack, which seems to combine wire harp, scratching violins, hammered piano and heaven knows what else to provide a background that is at once beautiful, disturbing and haunting.
Only 8 stars because the story itself...is extremely annoying in its way, especially after the first 30 minutes. You can't help but wonder if maybe actually having a JOB with stuff to do OUTSIDE would work wonders for the situation. "THIS is what comes of having too much money and too much time on your hands..."