Ah, nothing tops a quintessential Canadian icon like Gord Downie covering a great Canadian poet like Al Purdy. Kudos to Bravo for promoting some Canadiana by screening short films like this and a giant high five to whomever posted this. I loved it.
I’ve finally had an opportunity to go through many of the posts on our blog, and I’m blown away at the number and the variety of contributions. Reading everything today has made my rainy Saturday feel a little less grey, so thanks for that!
I believe this post was made in reference to our readings on adaptations, and I think it’s neat that someone found a film adapted from a poem. I think the natural tendency for film makers is to adapt a novel, or short story, as those formats lend themselves well to a script. However, I have always appreciated films that were adapted from shorter works like poetry because there is much less to work with in terms of text, and therefore so much room for interpretation. The great thing about studying an adaptation is that you get to analyze why the director and screenplay writer have taken certain liberties in interpretation and what methods they have used to convey meaning. I don’t want to go too far into why film literacy is such an important part of the learning environment I want to create for my classroom, only because I intend to include that in another response. This response is to share another adaptation of a poem written by John Keats, entitled Bright Star. The film shares the same name, and it is one of the most breathtaking and heartbreaking films I have ever come across. I kid you not. I felt as if the air had been knocked out of me as this film closed and it remains one of my favourite films of all time. Not only is the story itself so intriguing, but the cinematography in the film is like nothing I have ever seen. The film is based on the love story of John Keats and his neighbor, Fanny Brawne, and throughout the film, the audience is treated to many of his love letters to her, along with the poem he is most famous for, entitled Bright Star. The format is similar to the short film based on Al Purdy’s work in that there is a voice-over, reading some of the works as the film progresses. This is an effective way to connect the original piece to the visual representation we see on-screen.
The reason I share this with you is that although I love poetry, I have often struggled with it. It’s embarrassing to admit that, considering I’m an English major and have studied many of the great poets. However, whenever I have been provided with some context, it has enriched my learning experience. Considering we have been studying different forms of literacy, and their ability to promote understanding in the classroom, I thought this would be a perfect example of how students would be able to see another dimension to a poem that may be difficult to work through, initially. Although the film includes the poem, Bright Star, as mentioned earlier, it also includes excerpts from their love letters. The trailer for the film includes one excerpt from a love letter, written from Keats to Brawne. Here’s the excerpt, followed by the trailer of the film:
“Ask yourself my love whether you are not very cruel to have so entrammelled me, so destroyed my freedom. Will you confess this in the Letter you must write immediately, and do all you can to console me in it—make it rich as a draught of poppies to intoxicate me—write the softest words and kiss them that I may at least touch my lips where yours have been. For myself I know not how to express my devotion to so fair a form: I want a brighter word than bright, a fairer word than fair. I almost wish we were butterflies and liv’d but three summer days—three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain. But however selfish I may feel, I am sure I could never act selfishly: as I told you a day or two before I left Hampstead, I will never return to London if my Fate does not turn up Pam or at least a Court-card. Though I could centre my Happiness in you, I cannot expect to engross your heart so entirely—indeed if I thought you felt as much for me as I do for you at this moment I do not think I could restrain myself from seeing you again tomorrow for the delight of one embrace.” – John Keats
1 response so far ↓
kiranaujlay // Dec 1st 2012 at 5:30 pm
Ah, nothing tops a quintessential Canadian icon like Gord Downie covering a great Canadian poet like Al Purdy. Kudos to Bravo for promoting some Canadiana by screening short films like this and a giant high five to whomever posted this. I loved it.
I’ve finally had an opportunity to go through many of the posts on our blog, and I’m blown away at the number and the variety of contributions. Reading everything today has made my rainy Saturday feel a little less grey, so thanks for that!
I believe this post was made in reference to our readings on adaptations, and I think it’s neat that someone found a film adapted from a poem. I think the natural tendency for film makers is to adapt a novel, or short story, as those formats lend themselves well to a script. However, I have always appreciated films that were adapted from shorter works like poetry because there is much less to work with in terms of text, and therefore so much room for interpretation. The great thing about studying an adaptation is that you get to analyze why the director and screenplay writer have taken certain liberties in interpretation and what methods they have used to convey meaning. I don’t want to go too far into why film literacy is such an important part of the learning environment I want to create for my classroom, only because I intend to include that in another response. This response is to share another adaptation of a poem written by John Keats, entitled Bright Star. The film shares the same name, and it is one of the most breathtaking and heartbreaking films I have ever come across. I kid you not. I felt as if the air had been knocked out of me as this film closed and it remains one of my favourite films of all time. Not only is the story itself so intriguing, but the cinematography in the film is like nothing I have ever seen. The film is based on the love story of John Keats and his neighbor, Fanny Brawne, and throughout the film, the audience is treated to many of his love letters to her, along with the poem he is most famous for, entitled Bright Star. The format is similar to the short film based on Al Purdy’s work in that there is a voice-over, reading some of the works as the film progresses. This is an effective way to connect the original piece to the visual representation we see on-screen.
The reason I share this with you is that although I love poetry, I have often struggled with it. It’s embarrassing to admit that, considering I’m an English major and have studied many of the great poets. However, whenever I have been provided with some context, it has enriched my learning experience. Considering we have been studying different forms of literacy, and their ability to promote understanding in the classroom, I thought this would be a perfect example of how students would be able to see another dimension to a poem that may be difficult to work through, initially. Although the film includes the poem, Bright Star, as mentioned earlier, it also includes excerpts from their love letters. The trailer for the film includes one excerpt from a love letter, written from Keats to Brawne. Here’s the excerpt, followed by the trailer of the film:
“Ask yourself my love whether you are not very cruel to have so entrammelled me, so destroyed my freedom. Will you confess this in the Letter you must write immediately, and do all you can to console me in it—make it rich as a draught of poppies to intoxicate me—write the softest words and kiss them that I may at least touch my lips where yours have been. For myself I know not how to express my devotion to so fair a form: I want a brighter word than bright, a fairer word than fair. I almost wish we were butterflies and liv’d but three summer days—three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain. But however selfish I may feel, I am sure I could never act selfishly: as I told you a day or two before I left Hampstead, I will never return to London if my Fate does not turn up Pam or at least a Court-card. Though I could centre my Happiness in you, I cannot expect to engross your heart so entirely—indeed if I thought you felt as much for me as I do for you at this moment I do not think I could restrain myself from seeing you again tomorrow for the delight of one embrace.” – John Keats
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