As Halloween Month swiftly draws to a close here is one of my final seasonal posts. I will examine silent film adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe’s works.
SHERLOCK HOLMES IN THE GREAT MURDER MYSTERY (1908) – Shamelessly, the Crescent Film Company of New York adapted Poe’s Murders in the Rue Morgue but replaced his master detective Auguste Dupin with Sherlock Holmes and the orangutan of the original story with a gorilla.
Actor William Kolle was in the starring role and an unknown actor portrayed Dr. Watson, supposedly the first time the sidekick was depicted on film. No copies of this short movie have survived but promotional materials have.
THE SEALED ROOM (1909) – Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado was adapted by film pioneer D.W. Griffith in this movie. Besides changing the title, Griffith altered the story to feature a philandering man and woman being walled up to die. Showing up in small parts during this 11-minute short were America’s future sweetheart Mary Pickford, and Mack Sennett, future comedy icon. Continue reading
Balladeer's Blog 