The Fall of the House of Usher (1950 film)

The Fall of the House of Usher
The Fall of the House of Usher
	Opening titles
Directed by	Ivan Barnett
Written by	Edgar Allan Poe (story); Dorothy Catt; Kenneth Thompson;
Produced by	Ivan Barnett
Starring	Gwendoline Watford; Kaye Tendeter; Irving Steen; Vernon Charles;
Cinematography	Ivan Barnett
Music by	W.L. Trytel
Production; company	GIB Films
Distributed by	Vigilant Films
Release date	June 1950 (UK);
Running time	70 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

The Fall of the House of Usher is a 1950 British horror film directed by Ivan Barnett and starring Gwen Watford in her film debut, Kaye Tendeter and Irving Steen.^[2] The screenplay was by Dorothy Catt and Kenneth Thompson, adapted from the 1839 short story of the same title by Edgar Allan Poe.

Plot

The film uses a framing device set in a gentlemen's club where one of the members reads to his friends from a copy of Poe's book.

A century before, a young man visits a bleak-looking mansion in the English countryside where his friend Lord Roderick Usher lives with his sister Lady Madeline. They are both mysteriously ill and he discovers that they are suffering from a curse caused by their father which will lead to them both dying shortly, resulting in the downfall and end of the ancient family of Usher.

Cast

Gwen Watford as Lady Madeline Usher (credited as Gwendoline Watford)
Kaye Tendeter as Lord Roderick Usher
Irving Steen as Jonathan
Vernon Charles as Dr. Cordwall
Connie Goodwin as Louise
Gavin Lee as the butler
Keith Lorraine as George
Lucy Pavey as the hag
Tony Powell-Bristow as Richard
Robert Woolard as Greville

Production and release

The film was made in Hastings by a low-budget company GIB Films. Ivan Barnett produced the film and also worked as director and cinematographer. The film was made in 1948,^[3] but it was not released until 1950. It was issued an 'H' Certificate, a rarity at the time, by the British Board of Film Censors. Despite its limited budget the film proved surprisingly successful on its release as a second feature and even topped the bill in some cinemas.^[4] It was reissued in 1955 and again in 1961.^[5] It may have been an influence on the subsequent development of Hammer Horror.^[6]

References

^ Harper p. 232
^ "The Fall of the House of Usher". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
^ Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era. Midnight Marquee Press. p. 322. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
^ Chibnall & McFarlane p. 210
^ Harper p. 232
^ Chibnall & McFarlane p. 210

Bibliography

Chibnall, Steve & McFarlane, Brian. The British 'B' Film. Palgrave MacMillan, 2009.
Harper, Sue. Picturing the Past: The Rise and Fall of the British Costume Film. British Film Institute, 1994.

External links

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[1] Harper p. 232

[BFIsearch-2] "The Fall of the House of Usher". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 7 August 2024.

[3] Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era. Midnight Marquee Press. p. 322. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.

[4] Chibnall & McFarlane p. 210

[5] Harper p. 232

[6] Chibnall & McFarlane p. 210

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v t e Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" (1839)
Film	La Chute de la maison Usher (1928, French) The Fall of the House of Usher (1928, American) The Fall of the House of Usher (1950) House of Usher (1960) The House of Usher (1989) The Fall of the Louse of Usher (2002) Descendant (2003) Usher (2004) The House of Usher (2006) The Bloodhound (2020)
Television	The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)
Operas	La chute de la maison Usher (Debussy) The Fall of the House of Usher (Glass) The Fall of the House of Usher (Hammill) Usher House (Getty) The Fall of the House of Usher (Sitsky)
Other	Alone in the Dark "Lady Eleanor"