Imagine
a comedy by Edgar Allan Poe! The Facts in the Case of
M. Valdemar (1845), Poe's short story, is anything but.
Brought to the screen by director Gil Cates, Jr., as The
Mesmerist, the attempt at comedy is a butchery
of Poe's genius. Fewer cinema patrons stayed through the entire
screening that I attended, but some remained awake because
of the chomping of popcorn, and the rest were blissfully asleep
at least some of the time. The story is about a physician,
Dr. Pretory (played by Jason Carter), who summons a man's
daughter, Daisy Valdemar (played by Jessica Capshaw), because
his death is imminent. The physician has also summoned Dr.
Hoffler (played by George Wyner), who claims to be a mesmerist.
Dr. Hoffler plans to place the father, Mr. Ernest Valdemar
(played by Howard Hesseman), into a trance so that he can
learn what approaching death is like. Daisy brings along her
fiancé, Benjamin (played by Neil Patrick Harris), who
can hardly wait until the father dies so that he can marry
her, as the father is opposed to the marriage. After campy
lines that are unfunny and overdramatic scenes, the film ends
with the father possessing the fiancé's body, and the
mesmerist confined to the same wheelchair previously occupied
by the father. Had Edgar Allen Poe been on the set of the
film, an even more surreal scene might be in store for the
filmmakers. For Poe fans, however, there is consolation: The
short story is posted on the Internet and can be read in five
minutes. Those who have paid for the ninety-five minutes of
the film might be well advised to sneak into another film
at a multiplex. MH
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