Sonnet #64
- Episode aired Jan 13, 2014
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S1.51: Sonnet #64: Some quibbles but good choice of location and good context for the sonnet
The writer is in a reflective mood for this one and it is this and a few other things that the film picks up on and makes pretty good use of. Essentially we have the writer thinking on the fact that he has seen time destroy everything, lofty towers down-razed, brass eroded, the sea level rising over land and other such things. The film is given a big push in what direction to take by the fact that the location assigned to it is Trinity Church – a place I have been myself several times but yet a connection to this sonnet that escaped me until the film spelt it out for me.
The line "sometime lofty towers I see down-razed" is the connection since the church is just a few blocks from the former World Trade Centre. The connection may feel a bit corny and obvious but actually it works well in the context of the short because we have a man carrying flowers on his way through the cemetery, clearly mindful of time and death and the fleeting nature of all of this. In this way the connection to 9/11 is fair enough and well done, as it does fit the words and the mind of the main character. The walk through the gravestones brings most of the film into context and the final few lines are added weight by the way it draws to a close.
I must confess I didn't like the delivery of the dialogue – the narration device makes the shoot easier, but in this case it detaches the physical performance from the words too much. As a result Elfer spends too long looking thoughtful and staring, and his narration of the text is a bit too flat. The few lines where he speaks on the street feels awkward and Kurowski looks like she has held that pose for quite a while as they get the shot. Fundamentally it works though with good location and a clear context that adds value; the few quibbles are secondary to these things.
The line "sometime lofty towers I see down-razed" is the connection since the church is just a few blocks from the former World Trade Centre. The connection may feel a bit corny and obvious but actually it works well in the context of the short because we have a man carrying flowers on his way through the cemetery, clearly mindful of time and death and the fleeting nature of all of this. In this way the connection to 9/11 is fair enough and well done, as it does fit the words and the mind of the main character. The walk through the gravestones brings most of the film into context and the final few lines are added weight by the way it draws to a close.
I must confess I didn't like the delivery of the dialogue – the narration device makes the shoot easier, but in this case it detaches the physical performance from the words too much. As a result Elfer spends too long looking thoughtful and staring, and his narration of the text is a bit too flat. The few lines where he speaks on the street feels awkward and Kurowski looks like she has held that pose for quite a while as they get the shot. Fundamentally it works though with good location and a clear context that adds value; the few quibbles are secondary to these things.
- bob the moo
- Aug 8, 2014
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