Among those interviewed is Jane
Wald, who is the executive director of the Emily Dickinson Museum, which is in
the home where Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts. Mike Kelly, the
head of the archives at Amherst College, is also interviewed, and shows us some
of the items from the collection, including “the one and only authenticated portrait of Emily Dickinson,” as he
tells us. Kelly also displays a copy of the issue of the college literary
magazine that featured Emily Dickinson’s first published work. Christopher
Benfey, a professor of English, offers some interesting information regarding
the earliest publication of her poetry, mentioning that the first editor made
lots of changes to the poems, “changing
words and regularizing the punctuation and the capitalization.” Her photo
was also doctored: “They added little
curls.” It is interesting that they attempted to make both the poems and
the poet herself more acceptable to an audience.
And of course the film treats
us to some of her poetry as well as her letters, and these really give us a
sense of who she was, how she thought. Leslie A. Morris, the curator of modern
books at Harvard University, tells us: “She
speaks to people in a very personal way. She speaks to a deep emotion.”
Several of those interviewed also talk about the musicality of her poetry, how
it can be sung. There is also some fascinating material on alternate versions
of her poems, plus the various items she would write on – envelopes, chocolate
wrappers and so on. I appreciate that a good deal of her actual written
manuscripts are shown on screen. The film also includes lots of shots of
nature, for, as one person mentions, her god was a god of nature.
It is not just Dickinson’s work
that so fascinates scholars and readers, but her life. She is famous for being
reclusive, and not leaving her home. But that was only later in her life. The
documentary mentions her dog and the effect the animal had on her life. For
while the dog lived, Emily was active, walking it about the town. After the dog
died, she became drawn to seclusion. There is also some mention, some
speculation on Emily Dickinson’s sexuality, particularly because of that
mysterious Daguerreotype which may or may not depict Emily and another woman,
but also because of her love for Susan Gilbert. That material is, as you might
guess, some of the most interesting of the film. But it is her writing that is
at the center of this enjoyable and moving documentary.
Special Features
The DVD includes readings of several
of Emily Dickinson’s poems, including “Because I Could Not Stop For Death,” “I
Heard A Fly Buzz,” “To Fight Aloud Is Very Brave,” “We Never Know We Go When We
Are Going,” “I Reason, Earth Is Short,” “This Is My Letter To The World,” “Because
I Could Not Stop For Death” and “The Dying Need But Little, Dear.” The readings
are done by Cynthia Nixon and Terence Davies. The film’s trailer is also
included in the special features.
My Letter To The World was directed by Solon Papadopoulus, and was
released on DVD on June 12, 2018 through Music Box Films.
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