Death of Poe (DVD)

Edgar Allen Poe, one of the most famous horror writers of all time, died at the age of 40 in 1849. The cause of Poe's demise remains unknown, but has been attributed to alcoholism, drug abuse, cholera, rabies, suicide, tuberculosis, and even a broken heart. He went missing for several days prior to his death, and no one knows for sure where he was, and what he was doing.

He was found wandering the streets of Baltimore dressed in tattered clothes which were clearly not their own, delirious and speaking the name "Reynolds" (no one ever figured out who that was), and though he was hospitalized, he could not be saved.

Poe scholar/writer/director Mark Redfield, who provides a persuasive starring performance as the doomed poet, attempts to answer that question in his independent film, Death of Poe. While the acting is superb, and the presentation is visually interesting, the movie has the static feel of a stage play and as time goes on, the story becomes quite tedious. I fast-forwarded through some of it, and even then it felt overly long.

But all is not lost. The 3-disc set has plenty of other attractions.

DISC ONE:

•THE DEATH OF POE feature film

•Making-Of Documentary

•Trailers

DISC TWO:

•THE AVENGING CONSCIENCE (1914), based on Poe's THE TELL-TALE HEART by D.W. Griffith

•THE RAVEN (1915) rare early film on the life of Poe

•Audio Commentary on THE RAVEN by Redfield

•"Poe's Baltimore" Travelogue

•"The Haunting of the Poe Grave" documentary

BONUS AUDIO CD:

Mark Redfield performs a selection of Poe's poems and tales.

- Danse Macabre

- The Raven

- The Cask Of Amontillado

- The Haunted Palace

- The City In The Sea

- Hop Frog

- The Tell-Tale Heart

- The Conqueror Worm

- Annabel Lee

I especially enjoyed the audio CD, as the assured, stirring readings of Redfield really brought the past to life. I also liked the documentary on Poe's grave, which originally aired on TV on a magazine-style show entitled Creepy Canada.

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