Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was acclaimed by many to be America's greatest
writer in the 19th century. As you see he lived but 40 years. But this had to be
a most complex mind to have written the poems and stories he did in that time.
Which you will not get from this biographical film that came from 20th Century Fox's B picture unit. All we get from him here is he was an alcoholic and he crusaded against the copyright laws which made him sell his work for pittance. Under today's laws Poe would have been rich. I also think he would have been as dissipated a person he was in his century as such like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Eugene O'Neill would have been in this century.
It's obvious this film had a bigger destiny for it, but Darryl F. Zanuck downgraded it to the B picture unit. It might have been something for Tyrone Power or Don Ameche. Sheppard Strudwick took the lead and he does turn in a fine performance with very little to work with.
The loves of his life are Virginia Gilmore whom he loses to another and Linda Darnell his beautiful, but sickly second wife to whom a lot of his work was dedicated.
A nice film, but way too brief and superficial.
Which you will not get from this biographical film that came from 20th Century Fox's B picture unit. All we get from him here is he was an alcoholic and he crusaded against the copyright laws which made him sell his work for pittance. Under today's laws Poe would have been rich. I also think he would have been as dissipated a person he was in his century as such like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Eugene O'Neill would have been in this century.
It's obvious this film had a bigger destiny for it, but Darryl F. Zanuck downgraded it to the B picture unit. It might have been something for Tyrone Power or Don Ameche. Sheppard Strudwick took the lead and he does turn in a fine performance with very little to work with.
The loves of his life are Virginia Gilmore whom he loses to another and Linda Darnell his beautiful, but sickly second wife to whom a lot of his work was dedicated.
A nice film, but way too brief and superficial.