This 8-minute animated version "The Tell-Tale Heart" was nominated for an Oscar in the 1950s, but lost to Disney's music lesson. It comes from United Productions of America, which is not really a name to many anymore, but also created many Mr. Magoo short films for example, a quite established and prolific company back in the day. The famous story is written by Edgar Allen Poe and narrated by James Mason shortly before his first Oscar nomination for "A Star is Born". The animation is pretty odd, occasionally creepy, but as a whole I wasn't really as scared as I hoped I would when watching this short movie. I wonder if people back in the 50s felt otherwise.
I thought the parts with the evil eye and the beating heart could have been construed in more frightening manner. Mason did a fine job though in conveying the character's state of mind and my favorite was the comment early on on how the insane never realize their defective state of mind. Without him, it would have been even worse. I just wish the animation could have been better. It's simple (not necessary a bad thing if executed convincingly) and repetitive and does not do the story justice. Only one to watch for the biggest Poe enthusiasts and animation lovers.
I thought the parts with the evil eye and the beating heart could have been construed in more frightening manner. Mason did a fine job though in conveying the character's state of mind and my favorite was the comment early on on how the insane never realize their defective state of mind. Without him, it would have been even worse. I just wish the animation could have been better. It's simple (not necessary a bad thing if executed convincingly) and repetitive and does not do the story justice. Only one to watch for the biggest Poe enthusiasts and animation lovers.