Sonnet #36
- Episode aired Aug 25, 2015
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1.107: Sonnet #36: Delivery doesn't add much that isn't obvious from the text, and the location seems to only add some poor sound design
Prior to watching my way through this mostly great series of short films, I had limited knowledge of the sonnets apart from the one or two that tend to get quoted and speak of romance or love. As such sonnets like 36 do stand out, as they feature the end of love – a fact made obvious by the very first line of the sonnet. In this short film then, it was disappointing that there is little added to the delivery of the text other than this information. The text is narrated as we see a couple break up down on South Street Seaport; we also see flashes of their relationship by way of history. However the on screen delivery is fairly simplistic, and it doesn't add much to the delivery of the text other than making the break-up element very clear (as if it wasn't already). Given the nature of the break- up in the text, it would have been good to have had the film help me understand this more, to add to the words in the way that the best films in this series have done. However in this case it does not do that at all, which is a real shame – and anyone looking to gain more understanding of the detail of the sonnet, will not find it here.
Technically the film works against this understanding more than it needed to. As the film is narration over filmed images, this usually means that the lack of sound captured on-set means the film can avoid challenging sound issues. In this film that is the case, however one of the things added to the soundtrack is the constant sound of the sea washing against the piers. Perhaps it is my old ears, but to me this sound was too heavily done and too consistent, because it meant the soft delivery from the actress as actually pretty hard to catch several times during the film. Considering the film doesn't add much to the words, then it is additionally disappointing to see that the technical delivery makes even hearing the words harder than need be.
A disappointing film as it does so little with the material, and what it does seems to mostly make it harder to access, not easier. Below the standard of this series for sure.
Technically the film works against this understanding more than it needed to. As the film is narration over filmed images, this usually means that the lack of sound captured on-set means the film can avoid challenging sound issues. In this film that is the case, however one of the things added to the soundtrack is the constant sound of the sea washing against the piers. Perhaps it is my old ears, but to me this sound was too heavily done and too consistent, because it meant the soft delivery from the actress as actually pretty hard to catch several times during the film. Considering the film doesn't add much to the words, then it is additionally disappointing to see that the technical delivery makes even hearing the words harder than need be.
A disappointing film as it does so little with the material, and what it does seems to mostly make it harder to access, not easier. Below the standard of this series for sure.
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- bob the moo
- Oct 9, 2015
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