The Tell-Tale Heart (1960)

I keep holding out hope that I'll stumble across more Edgar Allan Poe movies that I will like. His stuff works better on the page than it does on the screen I guess because few of his adaptations are worth seeing. This version of The Tell-Tale Heart perhaps works better than some of the others, but I still wouldn't call it a triumph of movie making.

There are a number of movies going by this title and based on Poe's story so to make sure you're reading about the right one allow me to spell out some details. This was made in 1960 and is in black and white. Ernest Morris directs and Laurence Payne plays the lead of Edgar (obviously a nod to the original writer, but not meant to actually be Poe as far as I can tell though some viewers disagree).

Edgar is an awkward and troubled man – arguably insane, even - and seems to have an obsession with porn (though porn in the 1960's is probably a lot different than what you're thinking – more on that later). A lovely girl moves into his neighborhood and he's instantly taken with her. Edgar manages to get a date with Betty but then promptly screws it up. He becomes a man obsessed.

Betty meets his friend Carl and sparks fly, not a good thing for Edgar! When Betty shuts Edgar down to take it to the next level with Carl it's more than Edgar can bear. He kills Carl and is then plagued by hearing his cold, dead heart beating incessantly. The sound of it is driving Edgar far past the brink of insanity.

So as you can tell Poe's original story is greatly expanded to fit the run time of a feature length movie. There are a couple of new angles added such as the romance and some bits I'm not going to give away. I'll just say that some of the new elements are better than others, and I can't help but wonder if studio exec. pressure resulted in some of what we end up with.

However that worked out what we've got is maybe half to three quarters of a movie about romantic frustrations and only a small portion devoted to the dead heart still beating in Edgar's head. I found some of the character establishment at the beginning weak, but the later suspense not bad. I like the Rue Morgue nod.

The acting is pretty good particular from the three stars. Laurence Payne nails the tormented Edgar. Adrienne Corri plays the reactions of the love interest well. Dermot Walsh as the other man, Carl, is an excellent foil for Edgar: following his heart but never meaning harm to his troubled friend.

MORALITY:

This one gets a little closer to nudity than many black-and-white movies of the day. We catch Edgar looking at 1960's porn which in actuality barely shows enough skin to be considered nudity. These days you can find more sexuality in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue. Other than that there is very little sexuality in this.

There is no real violence other than the concept and description of what Edgar has done to his friend. The insanity is played well enough that it could be disturbing for some, but you'd have to be very sensitive to such things.

There is no strong language that I noticed.

SPIRITUALITY:

Edgar feeds the darkness in his heart even before his insecurities lead him to violent acts. People these days want to control weapons, games, movies, music, and all sorts of things. Darkness in the heart is the problem, and people have been fostering that since nearly the beginning of time.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I don't know if I would call The Tell-Tale Heart a good movie, but at the very least it's adequate as a movie-viewing experience. Check it out if you are a Poe fan.

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