Word: poeme
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...recent years, the distinct art forms of "poetry slamming" and "spoken-word" have moved out of coffee houses and into the mainstream, heralding a convergence of poetry with performance. Unfortunately, those who explore poetry through visual media always run the risk of yielding a result at odds with the poem's intended message; or, even worse, one that reflects badly on the poem itself. A casual viewing of the films exhibited in the Museum of Fine Arts October 16 program, "Poetry on Film and in Performance," indicated that a fine line still exists in the video arts world between visualizing...
...with steeling himself against the gore, the blood and the tragedy in order to reconstruct the destroyed face and "exploded head" of the victim, so his mother's "dreams of her baby / in tuxedoed satin" can be fulfilled. Libert and Parker intersperse video of Smith's recitation of the poem with shadowy figures, discreet images of hands molding flesh onto the skull underneath and childhood playground scenes almost ominous in their innocence...
Smith's own experience as a seasoned "slam" artist is evident: her delivery of her own piece is remarkable. The viewer quite literally gets chills watching Smith's fury overtake her face during the most powerful part of the poem, when the undertaker fights off an urge to "take [the mother] down / to the chilly room, open the bag" and confront her with the remains of her son, so she can grasp the reality of his death, "wither finally, and move...
...final complete film was a premiere of "Sex Without Love." Perhaps offering a play on the "in too deep" idea, the film interposes footage of preadolescent children diving into a swimming pool with Sharon Olds' recitation of her poem of the same name. But "Sex Without Love" is not so sophisticated cinematically as the other two films shown, and the result seems a bit more like a home video soundtracked with poetry than an actual cohesive performance. In addition, Olds' words are spoken much too solemnly for the context of the visual images and, indeed, for the message...
...Without Love" tries hard not to be moralistic about teenage sex, the entire effort, in its tone, pace and solemnity, reminds the audience of a "Life...what a beautiful choice" commercial. Missing is the dubious examination of loss of innocence--in its joy and its amorality--which the poem itself would more aptly convey...