Compare And Contrast Tell Tale Heart Book And Movie

The Tell-Tale Heart was written by the famous Edgar Allan Poe. Edgar Allan Poe was born in 1809 and published The Tell-Tale Heart in 1843. (Shmoop Editorial Team) The story explains how you cannot escape your own conscience, since the narrator could hear his heartbeat so loudly and strongly. The twist in this story is that the narrator is saying he is sane but proves and shows that he is actually insane. The short story was adapted into an animated short film in 1953 and was the first cartoon to be X-rated in film history. (The Big Cartoon DataBase) The 1953 film was one of the most successful film adaptations because of the great use of visuals and sounds. The animation is so simple but also so eerie and creepy. This animated film was also one of the most accurate to the book, following it very closely. It has an old style of animation and has consistent dark colors that make it even scarier. The director could of have created a back story for the murderer but he kept it short just like Poe did with the original story so it could be finished in one sitting. The only face you really see throughout the film is that of the old man and his eye which emphasized the obsession the narrator had for it. The killer is never seen but his presence is felt by the use light-and-shadow to give the impression of impending disaster. (IMDb) The animated …show more content…
I have known the short story ever since high school and it stays one of my most favorite works of Poe. This was the first time I saw this animation adaptation of the short story and I was so amazed. Although, the Yellow Wallpaper and Bartleby had well-done film adaptations I overall felt that the Tell-Tale Heart was the most immersive and accurate to the book. The film did a very good job of showing the perspective of the narrator so that we feel his experience. Overall, I enjoyed reading and watching this short story and they were an excellent learning