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Summary:

Dream of a rarebit fiend presents a man who eats rarebit and then has nightmares in which inanimate objects come to life and his bed flies off with him. -- Salome is an adaptation of the Oscar Wilde play and stars the famous dancer Alla Nazimova. -- The fall of the house of Usher is a version of Edgar Allan Poe's tale. It stresses atmosphere by optical distortions, multiple exposures, and dramatic lighting. -- The bridge is Charles Vidor's experimental version of Ambrose Bierce's "An occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge". -- Lot in Sodom is an experimental telling of the Old Testament story in terms of homosexuality and the subconscious.

Table of Contents:

• Dream of a rarebit fiend (1906, 6 min.) / directed by Edwin S. Porter
• Salome (1922, 30 min.) / [directed by Charles Bryant]
• The fall of the house of Usher (1928, 12 min.) / [directed by] James Watson, Melville Webber
• The bridge (1931, 15 min.) / adapted and directed by Charles Vidor
• Lot in Sodom (1933, 28 min.) / [directed by] James Watson, Melville Webber.

Contributors:

Porter, Edwin S.

Bryant, Charles, 1879-1948

Watson, James S. (James Sibley), 1894-1982

Webber, Melville

Vidor, Charles, 1900-1959

Nazimova, 1879-1945

Wilde, Oscar, 1854-1900

Poe, Edgar Allan, 1809-1849

Bierce, Ambrose, 1842-1914?

Languages:

English

Language Notes:

Item content: English

Included Works:

Dream of a rarebit fiend

Salome

Fall of the house of Usher

Bridge

Lot in Sodom

Related Works:

Motion picture adaptation of: Salomé [by Wilde, O.]

Motion picture adaptation of: Fall of the house of Usher [by Poe, E.A.]

Motion picture adaptation of: Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge [by Bierce, A.]

Genres:

Experimental films — United States

Short films

Silent films

Experimental films

System Details:

VHS.

Production Credits:

Director, Dream of a rarebit fiend, Edwin S. Porter; drawings, Salome, Aubrey Beardsley ; directors, fall of the house of Usher, James Watson, Melville Webber ; director, the bridge, Charles Vidor ; directors, Lot in Sodom, James Watson, Melville Webber.

General Notes:

VHS format [NTSC].
Silent film with music and English subtitles.
Gift: University of North Texas. College of Visual Arts and Design, October 2012.

Physical Description:

1 videocassette (91 min.) : sound, black & white with some tinted segments ; 1/2 in.

Physical Characteristics:

polyester; 1/2 in.; monochrome

Audio Characteristics:

analog; magnetic; mono

Video Characteristics:

VHS; NTSC

Call Numbers:

MV 13326

OCLC Numbers:

18918312