The Fall of the House of Usher

Fulfilling the request of his ailing friend Roderick Usher, a man named Allan arrives to visit a gloomy household that causes fear and anxiety among the surrounding residents.

At the scene, he finds the master of the house, his dying wife Madeline, and a doctor watching over her health. Madeline is at the same time the muse of her husband and poses for him for portraits, however, each subsequent session exhausts her more and more. When his wife dies, Roderyk can't come to terms with her leaving. One night Madeline comes back.

The Fall of the House of Usher was based on a novel by Edgar Allan Poe, and the co-creator of the film was Luis Buñuel. The work of Jean Epstein, a representative of film impressionism, is a moody, poetic horror film, the action of which takes place among fogs, in twilight, in flickering candlelight. The dreamlike atmosphere of the avant-garde work is enhanced by the specific rhythm of the montage and the use of technical treatments, such as slow motion or trick shots, which deform the shapes and dimensions of reality.

Live music | live music: Eta Hox, Pruski

Screening as part of the 27th Silent Film Festival.

Previously, as part of the 16th Silent Film Festival.

This film has been restored by La Cinémathèque Française.