Verses in the celluloid : poetry in film from 1910-2002, with special attention to the development of the film-poem

Poetry is not a new phenomenon in film and television. It is consistently treated as such because its presence is not common; poetry is repeatedly viewed as a 'special element' in a production. However, visual poetry is becoming less and less of an oddity in modern-day films. This thesis,...

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Main Author: Speranza, Robert Scott
Published: University of Sheffield 2002
Subjects:
791
Online Access:http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.289594
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spelling ndltd-bl.uk-oai-ethos.bl.uk-2895942015-03-19T03:58:34ZVerses in the celluloid : poetry in film from 1910-2002, with special attention to the development of the film-poemSperanza, Robert Scott2002Poetry is not a new phenomenon in film and television. It is consistently treated as such because its presence is not common; poetry is repeatedly viewed as a 'special element' in a production. However, visual poetry is becoming less and less of an oddity in modern-day films. This thesis, which surveys multiple intersections of poetry and cinema, places particular emphasis on the most specific and direct use of poetry within film: 'film-poems'. Numerous poets and filmmakers today have made film-poems, particularly poet Tony Harrison. These works are important because they are revolutionary in their combination and application of the two media: a film-poem is a simultaneous collaboration of writing, shooting and cutting, which makes for extraordinary, sense-inundating viewing. Their qualities, not to mention their evolution, have escaped formal study for the most part, and fully deserve critical exploration. The Harrisonian film-poem heavily involves both filmmaker and poet in most aspects of production. Yet there are discrepancies that emerge when using the term 'film poem'. Other classifications link the words to the arena of avant-garde cinema. Avant-garde films might contain some verse, but mainly they depict a theme or story through a cinematically metaphorical means, using images as those metaphors, using cinematic devices as poetic devices. A study of the avant-garde and a language of cinema that is called 'poetry'itself (by some)is another focus of this thesis. I also concentrate on the cinematic placement of poetry in feature films. When films cite poetry, they immediately take on a new dimension, a significant deeper layer to their own story lines. Similarly, the poem also gains a significance that will link it with a scene and theme in the film, and the film's specific images. I begin this thesis with a study of this kind of citation, discussing the prospect of poetic presence in film, and proceed to discuss the development of film and poetry, which inevitably leads to its most significant intersection: the film-poem.791LiteratureUniversity of Sheffieldhttp://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.289594http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/6018/Electronic Thesis or Dissertation
collection NDLTD
sources NDLTD
topic 791
Literature
spellingShingle 791
Literature
Speranza, Robert Scott
Verses in the celluloid : poetry in film from 1910-2002, with special attention to the development of the film-poem
description Poetry is not a new phenomenon in film and television. It is consistently treated as such because its presence is not common; poetry is repeatedly viewed as a 'special element' in a production. However, visual poetry is becoming less and less of an oddity in modern-day films. This thesis, which surveys multiple intersections of poetry and cinema, places particular emphasis on the most specific and direct use of poetry within film: 'film-poems'. Numerous poets and filmmakers today have made film-poems, particularly poet Tony Harrison. These works are important because they are revolutionary in their combination and application of the two media: a film-poem is a simultaneous collaboration of writing, shooting and cutting, which makes for extraordinary, sense-inundating viewing. Their qualities, not to mention their evolution, have escaped formal study for the most part, and fully deserve critical exploration. The Harrisonian film-poem heavily involves both filmmaker and poet in most aspects of production. Yet there are discrepancies that emerge when using the term 'film poem'. Other classifications link the words to the arena of avant-garde cinema. Avant-garde films might contain some verse, but mainly they depict a theme or story through a cinematically metaphorical means, using images as those metaphors, using cinematic devices as poetic devices. A study of the avant-garde and a language of cinema that is called 'poetry'itself (by some)is another focus of this thesis. I also concentrate on the cinematic placement of poetry in feature films. When films cite poetry, they immediately take on a new dimension, a significant deeper layer to their own story lines. Similarly, the poem also gains a significance that will link it with a scene and theme in the film, and the film's specific images. I begin this thesis with a study of this kind of citation, discussing the prospect of poetic presence in film, and proceed to discuss the development of film and poetry, which inevitably leads to its most significant intersection: the film-poem.
author Speranza, Robert Scott
author_facet Speranza, Robert Scott
author_sort Speranza, Robert Scott
title Verses in the celluloid : poetry in film from 1910-2002, with special attention to the development of the film-poem
title_short Verses in the celluloid : poetry in film from 1910-2002, with special attention to the development of the film-poem
title_full Verses in the celluloid : poetry in film from 1910-2002, with special attention to the development of the film-poem
title_fullStr Verses in the celluloid : poetry in film from 1910-2002, with special attention to the development of the film-poem
title_full_unstemmed Verses in the celluloid : poetry in film from 1910-2002, with special attention to the development of the film-poem
title_sort verses in the celluloid : poetry in film from 1910-2002, with special attention to the development of the film-poem
publisher University of Sheffield
publishDate 2002
url http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.289594
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