There is a certain sarcasm to sonnet 57 as the poet goes out of their way to stress how they do nothing unless their love desires it and how basically the poet exists like almost a loyal dog, thinking only of the master's happiness when they are gone. These sentiments are contradicted a little by the final lines which confirm the role of the poet as fool in these actions. Seeing that the Sonnet Project film had this sent in a bar in the Bronx, I pictured this sonnet being delivered in a slightly drunken rant towards the subject of the words – almost in a "you're bad for me but I can't help but love you" way, and I was interested to see how they would deliver it.
I wasn't too far off but actually the makers were (of course) much smarter than I, because they put the sonnet in the hands of a woman waiting alone at a table, looking out for her partner who is (yet again we presume) late to the meeting. The film moves the camera into the lively Yankee Tavern sports bar, giving us a feel for how alone and exposed the woman must feel, to add to her frustration. The camera movement is a bit rocky but I guess steadicams cost money which is not worth it for such a fleeting shot. Impressively the film manages to keep the sound just at the right level so we do not lose that sense of being in a busy bar, but at the same time can clearly hear and focus on the words of the sonnet.
The delivery by Maya Jordan is very good. She gets the passive aggressive sarcasm of the sonnet, playing up with excessive gestures to highlight the extremes of the sentiment (I have no tasks to do until I have done yours). This gives way to more of a reality, as the actual upset comes through clearly, and this works well too, although I would have preferred anger to come out rather than hurt, since it felt like a more natural lead from the aggression of the sarcasm. The end of the film is not great as the camera seems to just scan off into white on the side, but this is a minor quibble as the film does a good job of delivering a place and a narrative that fits and adds to the sonnet, which itself is very well delivered by Jordan.
A very enjoyable film in the Sonnet Project series.
I wasn't too far off but actually the makers were (of course) much smarter than I, because they put the sonnet in the hands of a woman waiting alone at a table, looking out for her partner who is (yet again we presume) late to the meeting. The film moves the camera into the lively Yankee Tavern sports bar, giving us a feel for how alone and exposed the woman must feel, to add to her frustration. The camera movement is a bit rocky but I guess steadicams cost money which is not worth it for such a fleeting shot. Impressively the film manages to keep the sound just at the right level so we do not lose that sense of being in a busy bar, but at the same time can clearly hear and focus on the words of the sonnet.
The delivery by Maya Jordan is very good. She gets the passive aggressive sarcasm of the sonnet, playing up with excessive gestures to highlight the extremes of the sentiment (I have no tasks to do until I have done yours). This gives way to more of a reality, as the actual upset comes through clearly, and this works well too, although I would have preferred anger to come out rather than hurt, since it felt like a more natural lead from the aggression of the sarcasm. The end of the film is not great as the camera seems to just scan off into white on the side, but this is a minor quibble as the film does a good job of delivering a place and a narrative that fits and adds to the sonnet, which itself is very well delivered by Jordan.
A very enjoyable film in the Sonnet Project series.