Introduction
These poems began life on Poemhunter.com some years back. I did them mainly as an exercise but they proved to be relatively popular.
For me I saw film, for the first time, on the Television; mainly old film in black and white. A lot of these films stayed with me. Not as total works but as memories of certain scenes that reminded me of the films and seem to encapsulate the whole film for me
Film was the first art form that I really fell in love with. Like pop songs it had romanticism. Such films as It's A Wonderful Life or Singin' In The Rain were obviously escapism and to an extent they did that for me. But Frank Capra’s film took on new meaning for me as I grew older. It’s theme of the celebration of the ordinary man, was lost as the impact of films like Blue Velvet drew out the darkness that lies beneath apparent innocence. The film Kings Row (with an outstanding performance from Ronald Reagan) also dealt with trusting our feelings.
My love of film stays with me and I find that a certain scene can still impact on me: The movement of Helen Mirren, through different colours in Greenaway’s The Cook, The Thief And His Lover; the uncertainty on the face of Emilio Echevarria, when faced with the bloodfest of his dogs in amores peros or the impact of the individual who breaks ranks in Sonatine.
This series of poems allows me greater freedom to experiment. The Ring (長歌,) , for example, is written in a Japanese form called Choka, which follows the 7 & 5 syllable count of traditional Japanese form but is a longer poem (and also Westernised).
Frankenstein (1931)/Of Mice And Men(1939) is a double sonnet that may have a stronger impact when read by two voices.
It may seem strange to include a poem on Smiley's People. This was a BBC series from the 80s. Ironically the accusations against the state sponsored TV company, of elitism, at the time, were the very issues that produced, what for me, is one of the finest moments in British television history. Today, thanks to 'inclusiveness', quality programming is not something the BBC concerns itself with. It is still elitist, but the elite are producing programmes that they think the masses want.
Smiley's People does get shown in cinema these days and was produced with the backing of Paramount Pictures. For these reasons I include it here. It is also a far superior experience to other John le Carre stories, that were also films, than, say 'The Tailor Of Panama' or 'Red House'.
Some might think that looking at film this way is like judging an opera by its famous aria. Electra’s first aria in Strauss’ opera, certainly paints the complex character of the woman and 'Nessum Dorma', from Puccini’s Turandot, certainly is a fine illustration of what despicable lengths a person will go to get what they want. But an aria is just a moment within a continual narrative (made sequential by music). A film has the ability to express many narratives even when it is restricted by the number of characters (Jean Vigo’s L'Atalante, for example).
Like all art form, people approach cinema differently. For me a particular scene can encapsulate the entire spirit of the film(that is not to propagate the idea that a film can be appreciated in its entirety by just viewing the one scene), though not all films have this trait.
The narratives of these poems are not intended as critiques: they bear no relationship to the objective aspect of a film such as its direction, acting, storyline or even aesthetic. Even though the narrative of Weekend may seem like a critique the intent is to capture what, for me, is the essense of the film. The narratives derive from emotions and thoughts that a particular scene impacted on me.
Neither are the films my favorite films, though, obviously, some are.
These poems, as with all poems, are not finished. They can be improved upon and that is what I attempt to do. It is not necessary to know the film (though don't let that remark stop you from checking them out). Some films may not be available(Celia, has been unavailable for years and has not, until recently, appeared on DVD. This is strange considering the fact that it is one of Australia's most critically acclaimed films). It is not even necessary to search for my meaning in the poems.
I hope that these poems, as with my others, stimulate the reader into a thinking for themselves what will provide other meaning to these poems.
For me I saw film, for the first time, on the Television; mainly old film in black and white. A lot of these films stayed with me. Not as total works but as memories of certain scenes that reminded me of the films and seem to encapsulate the whole film for me
Film was the first art form that I really fell in love with. Like pop songs it had romanticism. Such films as It's A Wonderful Life or Singin' In The Rain were obviously escapism and to an extent they did that for me. But Frank Capra’s film took on new meaning for me as I grew older. It’s theme of the celebration of the ordinary man, was lost as the impact of films like Blue Velvet drew out the darkness that lies beneath apparent innocence. The film Kings Row (with an outstanding performance from Ronald Reagan) also dealt with trusting our feelings.
My love of film stays with me and I find that a certain scene can still impact on me: The movement of Helen Mirren, through different colours in Greenaway’s The Cook, The Thief And His Lover; the uncertainty on the face of Emilio Echevarria, when faced with the bloodfest of his dogs in amores peros or the impact of the individual who breaks ranks in Sonatine.
This series of poems allows me greater freedom to experiment. The Ring (長歌,) , for example, is written in a Japanese form called Choka, which follows the 7 & 5 syllable count of traditional Japanese form but is a longer poem (and also Westernised).
Frankenstein (1931)/Of Mice And Men(1939) is a double sonnet that may have a stronger impact when read by two voices.
It may seem strange to include a poem on Smiley's People. This was a BBC series from the 80s. Ironically the accusations against the state sponsored TV company, of elitism, at the time, were the very issues that produced, what for me, is one of the finest moments in British television history. Today, thanks to 'inclusiveness', quality programming is not something the BBC concerns itself with. It is still elitist, but the elite are producing programmes that they think the masses want.
Smiley's People does get shown in cinema these days and was produced with the backing of Paramount Pictures. For these reasons I include it here. It is also a far superior experience to other John le Carre stories, that were also films, than, say 'The Tailor Of Panama' or 'Red House'.
Some might think that looking at film this way is like judging an opera by its famous aria. Electra’s first aria in Strauss’ opera, certainly paints the complex character of the woman and 'Nessum Dorma', from Puccini’s Turandot, certainly is a fine illustration of what despicable lengths a person will go to get what they want. But an aria is just a moment within a continual narrative (made sequential by music). A film has the ability to express many narratives even when it is restricted by the number of characters (Jean Vigo’s L'Atalante, for example).
Like all art form, people approach cinema differently. For me a particular scene can encapsulate the entire spirit of the film(that is not to propagate the idea that a film can be appreciated in its entirety by just viewing the one scene), though not all films have this trait.
The narratives of these poems are not intended as critiques: they bear no relationship to the objective aspect of a film such as its direction, acting, storyline or even aesthetic. Even though the narrative of Weekend may seem like a critique the intent is to capture what, for me, is the essense of the film. The narratives derive from emotions and thoughts that a particular scene impacted on me.
Neither are the films my favorite films, though, obviously, some are.
These poems, as with all poems, are not finished. They can be improved upon and that is what I attempt to do. It is not necessary to know the film (though don't let that remark stop you from checking them out). Some films may not be available(Celia, has been unavailable for years and has not, until recently, appeared on DVD. This is strange considering the fact that it is one of Australia's most critically acclaimed films). It is not even necessary to search for my meaning in the poems.
I hope that these poems, as with my others, stimulate the reader into a thinking for themselves what will provide other meaning to these poems.
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