House of Usher (film)

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House of Usher (also known as Fall of the House of Usher)
Original Theatrical Poster
Directed by	Roger Corman
Produced by	Roger Corman; James H. Nicholson, Samuel Z. Arkoff (Exec Prods)
Written by	Richard Matheson
Starring	Vincent Price Mark Damon Myrna Fahey Harry Ellerbe
Music by	Les Baxter
Cinematography	Floyd Crosby
Distributed by	American International Pictures
Release date(s)	1960
Running time	79min
Language	English
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

House of Usher (also known as Fall of the House of Usher and The Mysterious House of Usher) is a 1960 horror movie based on the Edgar Allan Poe story The Fall of the House of Usher. It is directed by Roger Corman and is the first of a number of films he directed based on the works the author. The script by Richard Matheson is a remarkably faithful expansion of the original work. It stars Vincent Price in the title role of Roderick Usher, as well as Mark Damon.

1 Plot
2 Themes
- 2.1 Raises Questions
- 2.2 Incest
3 Art Direction
4 Reception
5 Full Cast List
6 Trivia
7 References and Resources
8 External links

[edit] Plot

After falling in love with the apparently normal Madeline Usher, Philip Winthrop (Mark Damon) travels from Boston to visit his fiancé and her brother. Upon arrival he is surprised to find the Usher household in ruins, surrounded by barren and lifeless grounds. The eerie household is kept by the butler, Bristol, and lead by the severe and strict Roderick Usher (Madeline's brother played by Vincent Price). Philip learns that the Usher family is afflicted by a cursed bloodline which has driven all their relatives and ancestors to madness, evil and debauchery (this is played out in a particularly memorable scene where Roderick narrates the lives of his family whilst showing Philip the bizarrely sinister family portraits). Though Roderick shows signs of illness and weakness supposedly past on by the tainted blood (an example of this would be Vincent Price's hair which was made a very light shade of blonde as if he had very little pigment which was extremely effective as a constant reminder of his ill health) Madeline seems to show no sign of this however Roderick remains adamant that not only should Philip not marry her but that he should leave immediately as his and Madeline's deaths are imminent. The story continues as Philip discovers more and more about the Usher history and house and becomes increasingly desperate to take Madeline away.

Before he manages this however Madeline dies suddenly and is buried in the family crypt. As Philip is leaving the butler lets slip that Madeline suffered from catalepsy (a condition which can make sufferers appear dead). Philip opens the coffin to find it empty proving that Madeline is alive. Philip desperately searches for her in the ancient catacombs of the old house but he is too late as the now completely insane Madeline gets to her brother first and gets her revenge for him prematurely burying her. The whole thing ends in traditional fashion as the house burns to the ground.

[edit] Themes

[edit] Raises Questions

One thing that is synonymous in Edgar Allan Poe's stories is that the plots have more than one, if not several, interpretations. This particular tale is a fascinating debate as to whether the Ushers really were cursed or if they just had a bad history and it was in fact Roderick who had created Madeline's illnesses in his mind. Although Madeline did emerge from her coffin mad, exactly who wouldn't? It was not necessarily caused by the evil of the blood however Roderick did display a startling amount of conditions that were apparently passed down from his twisted relatives.

Roderick is also suspicious as Madeline's murderer as he may have wanted to keep her for himself. This is because it becomes apparent throughout the film, thanks to Vincent Price's excellent portrayal, that Roderick's love for his sister seems to be rather close to incest.

[edit] Incest

The film version does not directly state or overtly exhibit the subject of incest however it is a continuous undertone throught the film which can go un-noticed. Certainly the film works without the viewer noticing its presence but once it is noticed the whole film has a new layer added to it. Vincent Price's performance is not obscenely obvious which makes it all the more effective as its subtlety gives the audience the opportunity to decide for themselves whether he really is "in love" with his sister or is merely very fond of her. Another detail which can easily escape is when Madeline is showing Philip the crypt, her two great grandparents, two grandparents and two parents. In retrospect this shows that inbreeding has resulted in the Ushers following a direct line with no deviation. The film does not make a big deal out of the issue however in Edgar Allan Poe's original text the subject is introduced very early on, prior to the arrival at the Usher's house.

The following passage is an extract from the book version of the story by Edgar Allan Poe:- "I had learned too, the very remarkable fact that the stem of the Usher race, all time honoured as it was, has put forth no enduring branch. In other words that the entire family lay in the direct line of decent and had always with very trifling and very temporary variations, so lain."

[edit] Art Direction

Roger Corman worked with the fantastic art director Daniel Haller and together they created a feel to the house that although little is seen of it, it still manages to be isolated and yet claustrophobic. The whole film is overflowing with a deep red that not only gives it a sinister undertone it manages not to be dark and monochrome, but dramatic and striking. The sets are impressive and expressive despite being on a budget. However the budget does show in some of the special effects used but this does not detract from the overall collaborations of the Corman, Haller and Floyd Crosby (cinematographer) and excellent performance from Vincent Price even if the effects are a little phoney.

[edit] Reception

The Fall of the House of Usher sparked the successful combination of Roger Corman, Vincent Price and Edgar Allan Poe and from it stemmed a series of films inspired or adapted by the latter’s novels. When it was released, however, many respected critics did not think highly of it and it was only later that they began to recognise and credit Corman for his superb talent for creating good films on a tight budget. Although it was not critically acclaimed it was a success at the box office and a cult quickly formed around the Poe related Corman films.

Mark Damon as Philip next to a tortured and confused Vincent Price as Roderick. Beneath is Madeline's fingers protruding from her early grave. More images at The Vincent Price Film Site right

[edit] Full Cast List

Not all of the actors were credited in the original version however this is the full cast:-

Vincent Price as Roderick Usher
Mark Damon as Philip Winthrop
Myrna Fahey as Madeline Usher
Harry Ellerbe as Bristol
Eleanor LeFaber as Ghost
Géraldine Paulette as Ghost
Bill Borzage as Ghost
Mike Jordor as Ghost
George Paul as Ghost
John Zimeas as Ghost
Ruth Oklander as Ghost
David Andar as Ghost
Mike Jordan as Ghost
Nadajan as Ghost
Phil Sulvestre as Ghost

Stella Nutella 18:05, 19 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Trivia

Vincent Price considered his role in this movie to be "the finest role I have ever played", right to his death.^{[citation needed]}

The whole film was made in 15 days for around $250,000

Roderick Usher has a very striking appearance including extremely blonde hair however originally the character was to be dark, Price came up with an alternative which was to bleach his hair blonde to make him seem more pale and sickly.

Some of the shots of Philip riding through a sparse forest of dead and eerie trees were filmed at Hollywood Hills after a forest fire which had happened a few days earlier.