User Reviews

The life and death of the famed, and notorious, writer and poet Edgar Allan Poe. He was more than a writer of horror stories (albeit some of the most famous and revered horror stories ever written).

Interesting and edifying documentary on the great, and misunderstood, Edgar Allan Poe. The public perception of him is formed by his most well-known works, the vast majority of which were dark and macabre. His reputation was also sullied by his literary rivals (and one in particular) who sought to denigrate him after his death.

This documentary sets the record straight.

This meticulously researched and cerebral docudrama is part of the PBS American Masters series, centering on the life and writings of Edgar A. Poe (he seldom used his middle name Allan). Denis O'Hare ably portrays Poe here and since I knew little of his life and how he crafted his masterworks I found the film highly insightful and fascinating.

The PBS documentary, directed by Eric Stange, also gives a vivid picture of what life was like in the 19th century, so different than today. Overall, for those that like historical movies and want to know more of what influences went into Poe's often macabre genius, I can highly recommend this one.

I am clearly being sarcastic with my summary, as nearly all the episodes of "American Masters" are exceptionally well made and quite compelling. In this case, it's an analysis of the life of Poe...and it gives him a bit more depth and challenges some of the assertions about him that are commonly accepted. Apparently, the man who wrote is obituary and created our modern image of Poe didn't like him...and the show goes about trying to correct these errors and make Poe seem like more than just a moody, depressed jerk. Now in some ways the real Poe WAS a jerk...as he was quarrelsome and tended to be hyper-critical of other authors...even famous folks like Longfellow. But there's so much more to him and it's all told very well using experts as well as a Poe lookalike who recreates quite a few scenes from the great author's life. Well worth seeing and, once again, expertly crafted and compelling.