Word: poems
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1950-1959
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Image by image, in short, Castellani's Romeo and Juliet is a fine film poem. Unfortunately, it is not Shakespeare's poem. In his obsession with the beautiful single frame, Castellani has ignored not only the rhythm of Shakespeare's scenes but has even failed to set a rhythm when he cuts from frame to frame. Furthermore, his continental ear could not catch the endless modulations of voice that are necessary to make Shakespeare's language intelligible-let alone affecting-to a modern audience...
...longing for primitivism is expressed pathetically and obviously in the selections from Peter Sourian's novel Mavrean's Place, but with sophistication and in tones of dignified and calculated regret in Miss V. R. Lang's poem Address to the Redcoats. In the former, Sourian seems to keep a careful eye upon his intended audience, "well-dressed rich foreign dull stupid boys and girls who should all be choked" and yet who, I can't help thinking, he hopes will be shocked and delighted by the escapades of his vapid figures. Miss Lang's poem, in spite of the skill...
...Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Alfred Wallenstein, also tried some electronic tricks. Its featured soloist was a black box-an Ampex tape recorder. The work, called Poem of Cycles and Bells, was composed by Manhattan Tape-sichordists Vladimir Ussachevsky and Otto Luening (TIME, Nov. 10, 1952). Described as "music trapped from beyond the range of the human ear," the solo part consisted of ordinary flute, piano and vocal sounds, recorded and then sometimes distorted beyond recognition by various mechanical and electronic means. The composition got notice as far away as Baltimore, where the Sun protested: "Down with Space Music . . . Give...
Artistically, the issue is hardly better. P. Herrera again contributes two good sketches, but L. D. Hill's work is disappointing. His illustration for Fletcher's title page poem is bold, but obvious, and his failure to master the tone technique in one cartoon is exceeded only by his inability in this case, to draw people. Hill's illustration for a satire on the founding of Yale are good, however; unfortunately they are dulled by the quality of the accompanying text. An unsigned cartoon commentary on Natural Sciences 3 is well-conceived, but ill-executed, and three of the other...
...poetry is somewhat better. Fletcher's title page poem is excellent: ("I shall miss the ticket filing/I shall miss the frenzied cheers./I shall miss the cozy parties/With their one-too-many beers. . ."). George Vaillant contributes a deft satire of argument by authority...