In Search of Edgar Allan Poe (2024)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Search of Edgar Allan Poe: Meet the Man Behind the Myth is a two-part documentary film which premiered in 2024.

 

The title explains the topic: this film is about the life and work of the famous American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1949).

 

Here is some basic information about it:

 

** Writer and director: Andrew D. Kaplan

** Historical consultant: Alfred Robert Hogan

** Narrator: Stephen Shore

** The voice of Edgar Allan Poe: Paul Synowiec

** Part 1 = 1 hour 28 minutes

** Part 2 = 1 hour 38 minutes

 

Five historical and literary experts are interviewed in this film. Here are the names of the participants. Listed in alphabetical order:

 

** Jeff Jerome – Curator Emeritus, Poe House & Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

** J. Gerald Kennedy – Professor of English, Louisiana State University

** Maya Kronfeld – Assistant Professor of Literature, Duke University

** Roger McCormack – Director of Education, Edgar Allan Poe Cottage, Fordham, New York

** Chris Semtner – Curator, Poe Museum, Richmond, Virginia

 

This film covers the life and work of the famous American writer in great detail, from the beginning in 1809 to the end in 1849.

 

This film also focuses on his legacy. Many writers and scholars were inspired by Edgar Allan Poe.

 

The first part covers thirty-two years (1809-1841), while the second part covers the final seven years (1842-1849) as well as his legacy.

 

The general presentation is positive, but Edgar Allan Poe is not presented as a flawless hero. He is presented as a human being who has flaws.

 

He was, in some ways, his own worst enemy. When he faced a small problem, he often began to drink alcohol. But this was no solution. In fact, the problem only became bigger than it was before. 

 

Whenever this happened, he was fired from his job. He continued to drink alcohol until he hit rock bottom. 

 

When he was sober, he had a better personality and he was more productive.

 

The famous poet is often described as a sad person with a dark outlook on life. If this is true, he had many reasons to be sad. In his short life, he faced many problems and he suffered many losses:

 

** His father David Poe abandoned the family in 1810

** His mother Elizabeth Arnold Poe died in 1811

** When he became an orphan, he lived with a foster family, but he was never adopted by this family

** Jane Standard, the mother of a childhood friend, died in 1824

** His brother Henry died in 1831

** His foster mother Frances Allan died in 1829

** His foster father John Allan died in 1834

** In 1826, he was secretly engaged to a young woman named Sarah Elmira Royster. But her father was opposed to this alliance. She married another man in 1828. In 1849, when they were both single, they met again and they were engaged again. He died just ten days before the planned wedding

** He married his young cousin Virginia in 1836. She was taken ill by tuberculosis in 1842. Having suffered for five years, she died in 1847

** Having worked as an editor on several literary journals, he had for many years dreamed of starting his own journal. In 1846, he was finally able to fulfill his dream, but only for a short while. He was unable to finance the project and it had to be abandoned after a few months

 

What do reviewers say about this film?

 

On IMDb it has a rating of 77 percent. A review by J. Zimmerman offers 70 percent, while a review by Jason Knight offers a rating of 80 percent.

 

In my opinion, these ratings are very appropriate. I think this product deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent).

 

Four locations

 

Edgar Allan Poe Cottage

** Fordham, New York

** Opened as a museum in 1913

 

Edgar Allan Poe Museum

** Richmond, Virginia

** Established in 1922

 

Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum

** Baltimore, Maryland

** Established in 1949

 

Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site

** Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

** Opened as a museum in 1980

 

Two reviews

 

Jason Knight, “In Search of Edgar Allan Poe: Film Review,” UK Film Review, 24 August 2024

 

J. Zimmerman, “In Search of Edgar Allan Poe: Meet the Man Behind the Myth,” Video Librarian, 28 March 2025

 

Four biographies

 

Edgar Allan Poe:

His Life and Legacy

By Jeffrey Meyers

(1992 = hardcover)

(2000 = paperback)

 

Poe: A Life Cut Short

By Peter Ackroyd

(2009)

 

The Oxford Handbook of Edgar Allan Poe

Edited by J. Gerald Kennedy and Scott Peeples

(2018)

 

Edgar Allan Poe: A Life

By Richard Kopley

(2025)                                               

 

*****

 

The famous American writer

Edgar Allan Poe

(1809-1949) 

On his shoulder, you can see a cat

He was a cat lover

In the background, you can see his wife

Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe

(1822-1847) 

 

*****