An obscure and difficult to watch movie about an
obscure and difficult to read poet. It’s
the brief life of Hart Crane a poet and writer well regarded by his peers but who
was one very unhappy homosexual who took his own life in 1932 when he was mere
33 years old.
obscure and difficult to read poet. It’s
the brief life of Hart Crane a poet and writer well regarded by his peers but who
was one very unhappy homosexual who took his own life in 1932 when he was mere
33 years old.
In his short career Crane’s perpetually failed to
achieve his own writing goals:he so desperately wanted to write an epic tome like ‘The Waste Land’, and that compounded his deep discomfort with being gay. On a
professional basis it didn’t stop the likes of Eugene O’Neil writing a forward
for one of his books, and on a personal basis it didn’t stop Crane from working
his way through half of the French Fleet at one time. In fact it was after making an (unwanted) pass
at a Sailor that poor Crane jumped overboard to his death.
achieve his own writing goals:he so desperately wanted to write an epic tome like ‘The Waste Land’, and that compounded his deep discomfort with being gay. On a
professional basis it didn’t stop the likes of Eugene O’Neil writing a forward
for one of his books, and on a personal basis it didn’t stop Crane from working
his way through half of the French Fleet at one time. In fact it was after making an (unwanted) pass
at a Sailor that poor Crane jumped overboard to his death.
The hand held camera is shaky and bordering on annoying:
the story is patchy and confusing, and if you know little about Crane before
viewing, you really wont be a lot wiser afterwards. This very odd movie has
been bought to the screen by James Franco who directed, starred, wrote the
screen play in what is obviously something of a passion (obsession?) with the
man. (And coming so soon after ‘Howl’ where he portrayed Allen Ginsberg another
gay poet).
the story is patchy and confusing, and if you know little about Crane before
viewing, you really wont be a lot wiser afterwards. This very odd movie has
been bought to the screen by James Franco who directed, starred, wrote the
screen play in what is obviously something of a passion (obsession?) with the
man. (And coming so soon after ‘Howl’ where he portrayed Allen Ginsberg another
gay poet).
I know now from my ‘research’ that I am far from alone
in being unable to understands Crane’s poetry, and I am most definitely not the only one who simply didn’t get Mr. Franco’s movie. And no, the mere fact that Mr. Franco has his
own ‘Brown Bunny’ type scene where he performs fellatio on some sailor’s prosthetic, is still not worth wading through this one!
in being unable to understands Crane’s poetry, and I am most definitely not the only one who simply didn’t get Mr. Franco’s movie. And no, the mere fact that Mr. Franco has his
own ‘Brown Bunny’ type scene where he performs fellatio on some sailor’s prosthetic, is still not worth wading through this one!
It went straight to DVD. but is available on Netflix
★★★★
Labels: dramatized reallife, gay
