In Search of Edgar Allan Poe

A detailed account of the life and career of acclaimed American author, poet and writer Edgar Allan Poe.

Through portraits, paintings, photographs, texts, narration and interviews with experts, this lengthy documentary takes the viewer on an informative, dramatic and emotional journey, teaching them a great deal about this exceptional individual.

Separated into chapters, the film's structure consists of beginning with Poe's birth and early life, before progressing to his travels and literature achievements and finally getting to his final days. In great detail, viewers will learn about his difficult childhood, his academic accomplishments, his romances, his tragedies and how his outstanding work affected the world of literature and influenced famous writers and scientists, including Robert Louis Stevenson, Herman Melville, H.P. Lovecraft and Jules Verne. Poe's work is thoroughly explored, including The Fall of the House of Usher, The Murders in the Rue Morgue and The Raven.

There are numerous interviewees sharing their vast knowledge regarding Poe and they include Chris Semtner, a curator at the Poe Museum, J. Gerald Kennedy, Boyd Professor of English Emeritus at the Louisiana State University and Maya Kronfeld, Assistant Professor of Literature at Duke University. Kaplan narrates and also appears as a presenter, while Synowiec provides a voice-over as Poe's voice, reciting passages from his work.

The many portraits that are seen throughout depict Poe himself and people he associated with throughout his life. There are also many beautiful paintings to be seen that depict significant locations involving the famous writer. When a particular written work is analysed, drawings that depict scenes related to the story are shown, making the experience more engaging and plenty of texts of his writings are also shown, whith Synowiec reading them. The visual experience is further enhanced by the addition of clips from films that are based on Poe's work such as The Plague of Florence (1919), The Fall of the House of Usher (1928) and The Pit and the Pendulum (1964).

Regarding the audio, the feature is rich, supported by dramatic music by Kaplan and Nora Krasniqi and containing wonderful pieces by a variety of famous composers including Frederic Chopin, Robert Schumann and Ludwig van Beethoven.

It is well worth mentioning that the filming took place in significant locations such as The Poe Museum, the Shockoe Hill Cemetery, the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum, the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site and the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage. Observing all these places makes the viewing experience even more powerful.

This documentary spends three hours analysing Edgar Allan Poe's life and career. Admirers will definitely appreciate the information that this feature offers and people who are unfamiliar with Poe will learn a great deal about him and be fascinated.