''Edgar Allen Poe'' is a 1909 American silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

produced by the

Biograph Company The Biograph Company, also known as the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, was a motion picture company founded in 1895 and active until 1916. It was the first company in the United States devoted entirely to film production and exhibition, ...

of New York and directed and co-written by D. W. Griffith.

Herbert Yost Herbert Yost (also credited as Barry O'Moore and Bertram Yost; December 8, 1879October 23, 1945) was an American actor who in a career that spanned nearly half a century performed predominantly on stage in stock companies and in numerous Broadw ...

stars in this short as the 19th-century American writer and poet

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

, while

Linda Arvidson Linda Arvidson (born Linda Arvidson Johnson, July 12, 1884 – July 26, 1949; sometimes credited as Linda Griffith) was an American stage and film actress who became one of America's early motion picture stars while working at Biograph Studios i ...

portrays Poe's wife Virginia.Graham, Cooper C.; Higgins, Steve; Mancini, Elaine; Viera, João Luiz. Entry fo
"Edgar Allen Poe"
''D. W. Griffith and the Biograph Company''. Metuchen, New Jersey and London: The Scarecrow Press, 1985, p. 37. I.A. Retrieved 11 April 2021. When it was released in February 1909 and throughout its theatrical run, the film was consistently identified and advertised with Poe's middle name misspelled in its official title, using an "e" instead of the correct second "a". The short was also originally shipped to theaters on a " split reel", which was a single reel that accommodated more than one film. This 450-foot drama shared its reel with another Biograph short, the 558-foot comedy ''

A Wreath in Time ''A Wreath in Time'' is a 1909 American silent comedy film written and directed by D. W. Griffith, produced by the Biograph Company of New York City, and co-starring Mack Sennett and Florence Lawrence.Niver, Kemp R. ''Early Motion Pictures: The ...

''. Prints of both films survive.

Plot

The film focuses on Edgar Allan Poe and his wife

Virginia Clemm Virginia Eliza Poe ( née Clemm; August 15, 1822 – January 30, 1847) was the wife of American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The couple were first cousins and publicly married when Virginia Clemm was 13 and Poe was 27. Biographers disagree as to the n ...

, who is bedridden and seriously ill. While Poe comforts her, a raven suddenly appears on a

bust Bust commonly refers to: * A woman's breasts * Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders * An arrest Bust may also refer to: Places * Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France *Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically Media * ''Bust'' (magazin ...

Pallas Pallas may refer to: Astronomy * 2 Pallas asteroid ** Pallas family, a group of asteroids that includes 2 Pallas * Pallas (crater), a crater on Earth's moon Mythology * Pallas (Giant), a son of Uranus and Gaia, killed and flayed by Athena * Pa ...

displayed on a high shelf in her room. Inspired by the sight, Poe writes "

The Raven "The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a myst ...

", his greatest poetic work. He then leaves, hoping to sell the poem to a local newspaper or book publisher so he can buy much-needed food and medicines for Virginia. At a newspaper office, the first potential buyer rejects the creation. Desperate for money, Poe rushes to another publisher's office, where a man and a woman are busy editing. Initially, one editor dismisses Poe's poem, but the other one reads the work, likes it, and pays him for it. Poe then uses the money to buy a basket of food and other items for his wife. Virginia is still lying in bed when he returns home, where he proudly unfolds a new blanket he also purchased, but as he places the blanket on her, he realizes that she had died while he was gone. Poe is devastated by her loss, and the film ends with him crying over her body.

Cast

Virginia Poe Virginia Eliza Poe (née Clemm; August 15, 1822 – January 30, 1847) was the wife of American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The couple were first cousins and publicly married when Virginia Clemm was 13 and Poe was 27. Biographers disagree as to the n ...

* Arthur V. Johnson as publisher at first office * Charles Perley as "Resident poet" at first office *

David Miles David Kenneth Miles (born 1959) is a British economist. Born in Swansea, he has spent his working life in London, in teaching, business and the public sector. He is a professor at Imperial College London, and was Chief UK Economist of Morgan ...

as publisher at second office *

Anita Hendrie Anita Hendrie ( – April 15, 1940) was an American actress. She appeared in 67 silent motion pictures between 1908 and 1912, in addition to working in stock theater and vaudeville. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter ...

as editor at second office

Production

The screenplay for this short was co-written by director Griffith and

Frank E. Woods Frank E. Woods (1860 – May 1, 1939) was an American screenwriter of the silent film, silent era. He wrote for 90 films between 1908 till 1925. He first became a writer with the Biograph Company. Woods was also a pioneering film reviewer. As a w ...

. The drama was shot using three interior corner sets at Biograph's headquarters and main studio, which in 1908 and 1909 were located inside a renovated brownstone mansion at 11 East 14th Street in New York City. Filming by company cinematographer G. W. Bitzer was completed in just two days, although records differ as to those exact dates. Profiles on the film at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

cite January 21 and 23, 1909, while Biograph production records, which are noted in the 1985 reference ''D. W. Griffith and the Biograph Company'', give earlier dates: December 21 and 23, 1908.Niver, Kemp R. ''Early Motion Pictures: The Paper Print Collection in the Library of Congress''
"Edgar Allen
.e. AllanPoe". Washington, D.C.: Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division, 1985, p. 86. HathiTrust Digital Library. Retrieved 11 April 2021.

Lighting

The lighting of sets was invariably a collaborative efforts between director Griffith and his cinematographers, most notably in his work with "Billy" Bitzer. Film historian and university professor Joyce E. Jesionowski in her 1987 book ''Thinking in Pictures: Dramatic Structure in D. W. Griffith's Biograph Films'' regards ''Edgar Allen Poe'' as a notable one in Griffith's early filmography, a production that illustrates his growing awareness of the power of set lighting in establishing mood and enhancing storylines that, unlike stage plays, relied totally on orchestrating visual elements within a silent medium: With further regard to the moody "harshness" of the lighting employed by Griffith and Bitzer in this production, in an introduction to a copy of the short preserved in its film museum, the EYE Institute in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

states, "Although there is little to distinguish 'Edgar Allen Poe''now from its contemporaries, it had new and advanced lighting, notably the so-called '

Rembrandt lighting Rembrandt lighting is a standard lighting technique that is used in studio portrait photography and cinematography; it is also used in contrast with butterfly lighting It can be achieved using one light and a reflector, or two lights, and is po ...

' or profile portrait-effect."Play online copy o
"Edgar Allan Poe (U.S.A. 1908)"
copy of short with modern additions of an introduction and some crew and cast credits is preserved in the Filmmuseum of the EYE Institute (Netherlands); access through the European Film Gateway, a centralized on-line reference to film archives throughout the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

. Retrieved 2 September 2021. Now a standard lighting technique in cinematography and studio photography, the use of such "Rembrandt lighting" in 1909 predates by six years its credited use in motion pictures, most notably by

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cine ...

in his 1915 production '' The Warrens of Virginia''.

The short's "anonymous" actors

In 1909, Biograph, as a matter of company policy, did not publicly credit its performers or identify them in film-industry publications or in newspapers advertisements. Such recognition would not begin for another four years. In its April 5, 1913 issue, the Chicago-based trade journal ''

Motography ''Motography'' was an American film journal that was first published in 1909 and ran until mid-1918. The magazine was published in 1909 and was originally named ''The Nickelodeon'',"Motography." The Bioscope. 9 Feb. 2009. Web. 4 Nov. 2015 http:// ...

'' in a news item titled "Biograph Identities Revealed" announces that "at last" Biograph "is ready to make known its players.""Biograph Identities Revealed"
''Motography'' (Chicago), 5 April 1913, p. 222. I.A.; refer to Kelly R. Brown's ''Florence Lawrence, the Biograph Girl: America's First Movie Star'' (1999) about Biograph's policy of using anonymous or "unnamed" actors. That news item also informs filmgoers that for the price of ten cents they can purchase a poster from Biograph on which the names and respective portraits of 26 of the company’s principal actors and actresses were featured. The lead actor Herbert Yost in his 19th-century costume, wig, mustache, and makeup bears a striking resemblance to the real writer's general appearance. An experienced stage performer, Yost had adopted the name Barry O'Moore during his early years working in the "infant" film industry, reportedly an identity change made to distinguish his career in the

legitimate theatre Legitimate theatre is live performance that relies almost entirely on diegetic elements, with actors performing through speech and natural movement.Joyce M. Hawkins and Robert Allen, eds. "Legitimate" entry. ''The Oxford Encyclopedic English Dict ...

from the "inferior" medium of screen acting, where

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

, not the spoken word, defined performances. Despite Yost's use of his alternative name, a name of any type was essentially irrelevant while he worked for Biograph in 1908 and 1909, years in which the company did not credit its performers. In available production records from that period, the actor is not cited as Barry O'Moore, only as Herbert Yost. Linda Arvidson, who portrays Poe's wife Virginia in this production, was actually the wife of D. W. Griffith at the time. If fact, the couple had been secretly married three years earlier, in 1906. Biograph's policy of not identifying cast or crew extended as well to both Arvidson and Griffith, neither of whom received a screen credit, any specific recognition in advertisements for the film, nor in any other publicity for ''Edgar Allen Poe''.

Release and promotion

Just days before the short's release on February 8, 1909, Biograph marketed it as "a work of art" that the company produced to commemorate "this season of oe'sbirthday centennial." Less than two weeks later, the Dixie Theatre in Fairmont, West Virginia characterized the "

picture play Picture Play (1941–1956) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare, who raced during World War II and was best known for winning the classic 1000 Guineas in 1944. As a two-year-old she won twice from four races before winning the 1000 ...

" in its newspaper advertisement as a "'class' production"; and since Biograph, as company policy, did not credit its cast of players on screen or identify them in any promotions for its releases, the theatre's management simply described the presentation of America's "Poetical genius" as being "portrayed by clever Biograph actors.""Dixie/Edgar Allen Poe"
''The Fairmont West Virginian'' (Fairmont, West Virginia), 20 February 1909, p. 1. Chronicling America, LC. Retrieved 15 April 2021. Months later in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, ''The Brunswick Daily News'' in its October 27 issue announces that evening's "grand program" at the local Grand Theatre, noting that the "feature picture" would be "one of biograph's most famous subjects entitled 'Edgar Allen Poe.'""AMUSEMENTS/Grand Tonight"
''The Brunswick Daily News'' (Brunswick, Georgia), 27 October 1909, p. 7. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress (LOC), Washington, D.C. Retrieved 15 April 2021. The Brunswick newspaper then adds, "This is one of the most pathetic love stories ever seen in motion pictures." The use of the term "pathetic" within the context of the program announcement was not intended to impart in any way a lack of quality in the drama's portrayal of the Poes' relationship. Instead, the term was employed to underscore the emotional power of the couple's depiction on screen and to indicate the unnamed actors' success in performing the film's sad scenario.

Preservation status

An original 1909 paper roll of

contact print A contact print is a photographic image produced from film; sometimes from a film negative, and sometimes from a film positive or paper negative. In a darkroom an exposed and developed piece of film or photographic paper is placed emulsion ...

s made frame-by-frame from the short's now-lost 35mm master nitrate negative is preserved in the film archive of the

(LOC). That paper roll, reduced in size, measures only 161 feet in length instead of the film's full-size release length of 450 feet. Submitted by Biograph in 1909 to the United States government shortly before the film's release, the roll of paper prints is part of the original documentation required by federal authorities when motion-picture companies applied for

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, educatio ...

protection for their productions.Niver
"Preface"
pp. ix-x. While the library's paper print record is not projectable, a negative copy has been transferred onto modern polyester-based safety film stock as well as a positive copy for screening. That work was part of an extensive decade-long preservation project done at the LOC during the 1950s and early 1960s. The project, performed by Kemp R. Niver and other library staff, restored more than 3,000 such paper rolls in the library's collection and transferred most of them, including ''Edgar Allen Poe'', to safety stock. Additional copies of this short are preserved in various film archives in the United States and Europe, including a copy, as previously noted, at the EYE Filmmuseum in the Netherlands.

Notes

References

External links

*
''Edgar Allan Poe''
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edgar Allan Poe 1909 films 1909 drama films 1909 short films Silent American drama films American silent short films American black-and-white films Films directed by D. W. Griffith Biograph Company films Films with screenplays by Frank E. Woods Cultural depictions of Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe Articles containing video clips Surviving American silent films 1900s American films 1900s English-language films Films shot in New York City