There is an interesting base to the concept of sonnet #79, and for me that was the way that the writer says that the subject should not give too much praise to this new poet, since really all he is doing is feeding back the beauty that she gives him – which is a bit rich considering one could level the same accusation at his door. I wasn't sure if the film would deal with this at all, but I wasn't disappointed when it didn't. Instead what we get is a fairly straight delivery; a writer looks on from afar while the object of his work is taken by a new artist who so effortlessly sketches her likeness in a way she loves.
As an interpretation of the sonnet, it really doesn't stray too far, and beyond the literal delivery of the other poet as an artist, it is a very straight delivery. This is not a complaint though, because in essence the goal of the project is to update the sonnets and present them in a modern setting in a way that helps modern viewers see the relevance of the text in their lives – which, in fairness, is just what the film of sonnet 79 does. Although not the most complex sonnet of the bunch, the film makes the text easy to understand, providing context with the delivery of the poet of the piece.
The delivery is reasonably good – with decent sound despite being captured at the location. The structure of the film has the usual struggles, which is that it is essentially a delivery by one person to camera, while the other 2 characters are merely devices and their performances are a bit stiff and unnatural as they have very little to do, and too much screen time to do it. I also could have done without the rather twee Shakespearean music and text at the start of the film – it does smack of playing a certain line rather than doing your own thing. Still, a solid film in the series which, although not really that memorable, makes the text accessible and easy to understand in a modern context.
As an interpretation of the sonnet, it really doesn't stray too far, and beyond the literal delivery of the other poet as an artist, it is a very straight delivery. This is not a complaint though, because in essence the goal of the project is to update the sonnets and present them in a modern setting in a way that helps modern viewers see the relevance of the text in their lives – which, in fairness, is just what the film of sonnet 79 does. Although not the most complex sonnet of the bunch, the film makes the text easy to understand, providing context with the delivery of the poet of the piece.
The delivery is reasonably good – with decent sound despite being captured at the location. The structure of the film has the usual struggles, which is that it is essentially a delivery by one person to camera, while the other 2 characters are merely devices and their performances are a bit stiff and unnatural as they have very little to do, and too much screen time to do it. I also could have done without the rather twee Shakespearean music and text at the start of the film – it does smack of playing a certain line rather than doing your own thing. Still, a solid film in the series which, although not really that memorable, makes the text accessible and easy to understand in a modern context.