Customer Reviews

The Edgar Allan Poe Collection Volume 1: Annabel Lee

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Several years ago, I read about a fellow out east making a stop motion adaptation of a classic Edgar Allan Poe poem, Annabel Lee, in his cellar. After a long wait, George Higham's macabre marionette play is available on DVD! It was certainly worth the wait.

That's not to say the film is technically superb - don't expect the fluidity or grace of the stop-motion masters (Higham is a self-taught animator and, admittedly, this is his first real attempt). The film is full of quick cuts and glancing scenes of Poe and his tormentors in motion, but there's absolutely no denying Higham's talent for sculpture, staging and expression. Nightmarish characters -- bony reapers, fleshy demons, zombie rats -- haunt a convincingly unreal stage, deepening the horror and the tension of the poem. I also love the way Higham subtly moves between puppetry and animation, an effect which actually complements the narrative and emphasizes the power that the Poe puppet has in shaping his own destiny. Marvelous!

The DVD also deserves high praise for its professional packaging and impressive bonuses. A "making of" documentary for Annabel Lee is included, as well as two commentary tracks by Higham. Two other Poe-inspired live action short films and an interview with Poe expert Paul Clemens are also thrown into the mix. To top it all off, an informative booklet is tucked inside the case. Very well done!

If you're a romantic Goth, a fan of Edgar Allan Poe, of stop-motion animation, or just a champion of independent short cinema, I recommend this DVD -- and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Purchased for research. The Annabelle Lee on this disc is good, if a bit long, and looks much better on a big screen than on a computer screen. If you can watch these projected, it is recommened. However, The Raven makes this disc worth it. It is a notable student production (it seems) with some very creative commentary located in the special features section of the disc.

I bought this stop-animation with students in mind. I teach 10th Grade English and Annabel Lee is one of the readings in the curriculum. When I got it I thought it was just interesting, but once I played for the students I confirmed! They were quiet the entire time the dvd played and they liked, they said what is that? It's different and the most important thing is that it caught their attention and finally they got to understand the poem. As teachers we have to go out of our way to try to teach students about extraordinary writers like Edgar A. Poe and what better way than to introduce them to this great stop-animation film.

the raven short was ok... if the selling price is over $5 save your money... or at least see it before you buy it. its on netflix.

Annabel Lee is terrible in many ways. The Barbie doll Annabel looks like a bimbo, and seeing the Poe puppet pawing and nuzzling her like a desperate high school boy is pathetic. The "new age" soundtrack is distracting, not complimentary. All the effort here seems to have gone into making scary looking puppets representing death. They look good, but overshadow everything else, especially during the long and exhausting final sequence where death runs rampant over Poe. Way too drawn out, at the expense of the poem itself. And the final image, of more desperate pawing, is laugh-out-loud terrible.

The production quality is fantastic - for those that are fans of interesting animation style, stop-motion or marionettes in particular, it will blow you away.

With that said, however, the adaptation of "Annabel Lee" is odd, at best. It seems to be based on a barely-remembered memory of the poem rather than the poem itself. This interpretation of Poe's work is painted as dark, frightening, and angry... completely bypassing the somber sadness from the original. Maybe just my personal opinion, but the narrator's struggle with inner demons being turned into a struggle with literal external demons isn't in tune with the spirit of "Annabel Lee". This adaptation is NOT Poe's poem; it is inaccurate and (as in any adaptation of Poe's works that features Poe as the main character) borders on insulting. Incidentally, I don't think this is one to show in a classroom because it's either too strange/violent, or confusingly too unlike the source material.