April 13, 2011
UW Poetry Film Series
W.H. Auden likened poets to makers of “verbal objects.” Filmmakers attempt to bring those objects to life. As part of National Poetry Month — and in connection with the 2011 Common Book, You Are Never Where You Are — the UW Libraries is presenting a series of films with poetry connections.
The selection ranges from an animated tale to an all-consuming affair to an antagonistic beatnik… all of which have their roots in poetry. All films will be shown in 220 Odegaard and everyone is welcome to attend.
Howl, 4:30 p.m. April 20. San Francisco, 1957. Poet Allen Ginsberg has just published Howl which immediately generates a great deal of controversy. Challenges of being too explicit for publication lead to charges of obscenity. The subsequent trial tested the boundaries of freedom of expression. 84 minutes.
Bright Star, 4:30 p.m. April 27. Inspired by Keats’s poetry and the actual love letters the pair exchanged, Bright Star details the passionate three-year romance between 19th century Romantic poet John Keats – who died at 25 – and his great love and muse, Fanny Brawne. 119 minutes.
The Iron Giant, 4:30 p.m. May 4. Hogarth Hughes just rescued an enormous robot that fell from the stars to Earth. Now young Hogarth has one very big friend and an even bigger problem: how do you keep a 50-foot-tall, steel-eating giant a secret? Based on The Iron Man by Ted Hughes. 86 minutes.
