Some historical figures have been fixtures of the big screen since the earliest days of cinema. Napoleon Bonaparte has appeared in over 200 films, only slightly outpacing the record set by Jesus Christ. However, less world-renowned figures must make do with only a few dozen films to their name. Renowned author Edgar Allan Poe has captured the imagination of enough creators to keep him around.
The Pale Blue Eye recently saw Henry Melling take on the role of Poe in a period mystery. His performance is the highlight of the film, imbuing Poe with a sense of giddy eccentric creativity to match his morose fascinations. To mark his outstanding performance, it's worth a look back at earlier actors who have taken on the challenging role.
Henry B. Walthall - The Raven (1915)
Walthall doesn't lay claim to the first on-screen Poe, but he is the actor once referred to as "the image of Poe." The first film about the author was the 1909 silent short Edgar Allen Poe, directed by monstrous racist D. W. Griffith who notably misspelled his subject's name in the title's theatrical run. Herbert Yost played Poe in that film, but Walthall took over in another Griffith production, The Avenging Conscience. Walthall then went on to reprise the role in Charles Brabin's The Raven. When most people picture Poe, they're picturing Walthall. Like most silent films, The Raven is bizarre. Poe is portrayed as a well-meaning eccentric who struggles with debt and alcoholism for his entire life. It's a grim portrayal and a sad film, but Walthall earns the image of Poe title handily.
Joseph Cotten - The Man With a Cloak
Jumping ahead just over 35 years, Fletcher Markle's noir drama puts Joseph Cotten in the role of Poe, though he doesn't use the name often. Cotten's character goes by Dupin, the detective in Poe's seminal short story The Murders in the Rue Morgue, but the film reveals his identity at the end. This film follows the weirdly prevalent trend of Poe as a detective, largely owed to the fact that he invented the genre with the aforementioned short story. This version of Poe is still financially broke and perpetually drunk, but he's also uniquely perceptive among his peers. He's considerably suaver in this iteration, closer to Humphrey Bogart than to the Charlie Chaplin-esque 1915 Poe. When he disappears at the end of the film, leaving nothing but an IOU in his stead, one could almost imagine a series of films in the same mold.
Jeffery Combs - Masters of Horror
Director Stuart Gordon and star Jeffery Combs are one of the best duos of the 80s. Gordon's H. P. Lovecraft adaptations Re-Animator and From Beyond are both groundbreaking cult horror classics. Combs' performance as Herbert West in the former remains one of the most iconic characters in horror cinema. Gordon and Combs reunited over 20 years after From Beyond for an episode of the hugely underrated Masters of Horror anthology series. The series brought some of the best horror filmmakers of all time together for unique short films. "The Black Cat" is Gordon's second episode as director and the eleventh episode of season two. Combs portrays Poe in the early 1840s, covering the events that would lead him to write and publish the short story of the same name. By far the most animated take on Poe, Combs gets to do his fair share of scenery chewing in this role. In a way, he simultaneously portrays the author and the unnamed character of "The Black Cat." Combs is an explosive performer, and his portrayal of Poe's reflexive defensiveness and unhinged need for inspiration guides him through a stunning lesser-known career highlight.
John Cusack - The Raven (2012)
This 2012 film by V for Vendetta director James McTeigue was poorly received upon release and widely forgotten immediately thereafter. Though the film as a whole is a mess, Cusack's Poe is very interesting. It follows in the tradition of films about Poe as a detective while attempting to make his brooding persona cool in a modern way. The film ends up with a proto version of Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock Holmes, complete with an armed sidekick for action scenes. Poe isn't an action hero, but he fits into the role well enough. The Raven plays out like a film made by an angsty 15-year-old. It's Saw by way of Poe's goriest hits. However, Cusack does give the world a fun modern Poe to play with.
Chris Conner - Altered Carbon
Finally, a funny one. Stage and screen actor Chris Conner doesn't technically portray Edgar Allan Poe in this Netflix series. He plays Poe, an AI concierge who runs The Raven, a hotel that swiftly becomes the lead character Takeshi Kovacs' base of operations. Though he's not a real boy, this take on Poe recontextualizes key parts of Poe's fictional portrayals. His perceptiveness is applied to humanity, causing him to take a special interest in the affairs of flesh and blood. He has a unique fascination with private detectives. He even suffers from money troubles due to his gambling addiction and largely failed business. Poe is a fascinating character in the series, but he's more interesting in the wider context of on-screen Edgar Allan performances.