Voices and Visions

April 7, 2009 8:48 AM

Voices and Visions explores -- through interviews, archival footage, and readings -- the lives and works of some of America’s greatest poets. Newsweek called the series "the most ambitious, most expensive and most accomplished series of films ever made about American poetry." Elizabeth Bishop 1::2::3 l T.S. Eliot 1::2::3::4 l Robert Frost 1::2::3 l Wallace Stevens 1::2 l William Carlos Williams 1::2 l Ezra Pound 1 l Langston Hughes 1::2 l Marianne Moore 1::2 l home
posted by vronsky (8 comments total)

I have favorited
your post
that was on
the front page

and which
you were probably
hoping
would get more comments

Forgive us
we were watching the poets
and got distracted
by funny dog videos
posted by Optimus Chyme at 11:15 AM on April 7, 2009 [4 favorites]

I've wanted to see these again for years. Thank you so much.

Also, once again this demonstrates that the best posts sometimes garner the fewest comments.
posted by jokeefe at 11:19 AM on April 7, 2009

I probably shouldn't admit this, but ever since middle school I could never take Langston Hughes seriously. I and my friends referred to him as "Wangston Hughes" and that is now how he exists in my head. Try it. It affects the reading.

Sorry, Mr. Hughes.
posted by cmoj at 11:31 AM on April 7, 2009

Fantastic post. It reminds me of why I still hang around here.
posted by languagehat at 12:02 PM on April 7, 2009

I don't care for him much either cmoj, or Marianne Moore, That is why I put them last. I do like the archival footage of Harlem though, and of early New York in the Moore doc. (I shouldn't say I don't like them, I find interesting bits here and there, but Bishop, Eliot, Frost and Stevens, I think it is safe to say, are in a different league)

My favorite poet, James Merrill, makes appearances at 8:35 in the Wallace Stevens clip (Part1), and 6:33 in the Bishop clip (part2).
posted by vronsky at 12:03 PM on April 7, 2009

Just by way of a thank you: LEGO Ezra, LEGO Eliot, LEGO Langston.
posted by steef at 12:14 PM on April 7, 2009

Oh boy, this is good stuff, as were the episodes on Whitman and Robert Lowell. Merrill doing 'Final Soliloquy of the Interior Paramour' from the Water Street house in Stonington is one of my favorite things ever. Thanks!
posted by Kinbote at 3:01 PM on April 7, 2009

Thanks much, Vronsky - I've never seen these before.

(And Lego Pound is awesome, Steef!)
posted by Iridic at 9:02 AM on April 8, 2009