An ordinary person elevated at a spark of poetic inspiration, or a poet reduced to mundane daily existence?

harry_tk_yung

Spoilers  

This summary line is something that I was still unable to answer after I had finished watching the movie. Many people have mentioned that not enough of Sylvia Plath the poet is shown in the movie, partly because her daughter does not grant the rights to most of her poems to the filmmakers. Maybe that's the reason why the movie ended up closer to being melodrama than an ode to poetry (as Dead Poet Society is).

What cannot be denied, however, is the dominating theme of Sylvia's jealousy. There is first the young student in a nocturnal call to bring some of her work to Ted Hughes, Plath's husband, and the business meeting he has with this BBC personage who is a `middle-aged woman', he explains. Finally these alleged affairs turn real, with Assia Wevill, fellow-poet and friend. Most significant is what Sylvia says to the old gentleman in the flat below, `I conjure her up', referring to her jealousy finally becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.

In the end, one cannot escape leaving the cinema with a profound sadness for Sylvia, whether as an unfulfilled poet (at least not when she was alive) or just an ordinary person with marital problems. One is also reminded of what Shaw said about the `tyranny of the flesh', about human beings' final prayer being reduced to `make me a healthy animal' (Man and Superman). Early in the movie, when Ted suggests moving back from The States to London, Sylvia `What do we live on?' The frustration is later accentuated with Sylvia trying to write against the sound of the wailing baby in the crib.


There has always been general consensus that Gwyneth Paltrow is perfect for the role of Sylvia Plath, long before this movie becomes a reality. The end result convincingly demonstrates the validity of this assertion.

The beauty of the cinematography deserves mentioning. In the early part, we see the romantically beautiful, sunny New England coast. Then, for a complete change in mood, the camera captures the melancholic, foggy Devon countryside. Finally, the one shot that haunts me is the angry cove where Sylvia is on the verge of walking out into the waves to end her life, leaving her two children in the car.

score /10

harry_tk_yung 27 June 2004

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw0881357/