5 Lyrical (& 5 Terrible) Movies About Poets For National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month, a tradition established in 1996 by the Poets Academy of America. Even if you’re not a fan of poetry, there are countless fascinating biographies of famous poets and authors well done in their own right. Movie.

That being said, there have also been a number of gruesome biopics that have simplified or exaggerated the lives of famous inventive wordsmiths. This list compares five great movies about poets with five terrible movies.

Lyrics: Shining Star (2009)

Australian director Jane Campion directed this touching and heartbreaking film about British romantic poet John Keats, who died of tuberculosis at the age of 25. The film follows Keats, played by Ben Whishaw, as he spent the last three years of his life, from 1818 to 1821, with Abbie Cornish’s Fanny Boo, Fanny Brawne began a romantic relationship and began searching for the voice of a poet.

The film’s title is taken from a line in a sonnet Keats wrote while he was dating Brown: “Bright star, if only I were as steady as you.” Wishaw and Cornish’s poignant in their speech were praised for his performance.

Terrible: Sylvia (2003)

Christine Jeffs’ biopic about 20th-century American poet Sylvia Plath doesn’t showcase her talent as a poet, but instead focuses on her relationship with the British. The story of poet Ted Hughes’ marital problems and her eventual suicide in 1963. Gwenyth Paltrow) stars as Plath and Hughes (Sylvia Plath) is played by Daniel Craig (Daniel Craig).

The film shortens Plath’s story to a heartbroken housewife who takes her own life because of her husband’s infidelity. Indeed, Plath has struggled with mental health issues her entire life, and her vibrant creative production deserves a more nuanced cinematic build.

Lyric: A Silent Passion (2016)

Cynthia Nixon plays 19th-century American poet Emily Dickison, a reclusive woman whose work was not published until after her death in 1886. Dickinson spent his life in Amherst, Massachusetts, where he worked. wrote more than 1,800 poems.

Mood, slow-paced and direct, Terrence Davis tries her best to imitate Dickinson’s tense, brooding writing style. The film stars Jennifer Ehle and Keith Carradine along with Nixon.

Scary: Light Up the Stars (2014)

20th-century Welsh poet Dylan Thomas became a popular author in the United States and England during the 1940s and 1950s, best known for his public and radio performances. Thomas is also known for his pompous speech and alcoholism.

andy goddard movies light up the stars Based on the life of Thomas, the film follows a poetry graduate, played by Elijah Wood, who decides to track down Thomas, played by Celyn Jones. Jones did his best with the script, but the film failed to capture the creative impulse Thomas displayed.

Lyrics: Grand Slam (1998)

movie by mark levine great competition Paying homage to the tradition of slam poetry, it also introduces a contemporary poet and musician: Saul Williams, who co-wrote the screenplay. Williams plays Ray Joshua, a young black man living in Washington, DC, trapped in two worlds: one of poetry and one of violence fueled by poverty.

Incarcerated after a friend of Joshua’s was killed in a drug deal, he was transferred to a justice system that turned against him, where he struggled with words rather than violence. Although not a biopic, great competition Exposing social and racial inequalities inhibits creative expression.

Terrible: A Story of Ordinary Madness (1981)

Talented Italian director Marco Ferreri directs a gripping story inspired by the life and works of American poet and novelist Charles Bukowski. Ben Gazzara plays Charles Serking the fictional version of Bukowski, who dumps his girlfriend in Los Angeles after winning a book contract.

The film details Serkin’s sexuality and his excessive alcoholism. The female characters in the film are one-dimensional, perpetuating a tortured artist image while glorifying toxic masculinity.

Lyrics: Poetry (2010)

a korean gem, poem is a beautiful, emotionally complex film about a woman in her 60s who, in the midst of a battle with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, decides to study poetry. Directed by Lee Cangdong, the film celebrates the beauty of poetry and the exhausting value of creative expression in contemporary society.

The film’s protagonist, Yang Meizi, learns that his disrespectful nephew is involved in the drowning of a local girl. As the situation grew increasingly tense, Yang Meizi’s only consolation was her poetry lessons.

Scary: Little Ashes (2008)

small ash Highlight three young Spanish artists who played an important role in the Cultural Revolution caused by the Spanish Civil War: Luis Bunuel, Salvador Dali and Federico García Lorca. Buñuel and Dalí are considered, respectively, an experimental filmmaker and surrealist visual artist who lived his life to the fullest, but Lorca was a poet and playwright who, at the start of the war in 1938, was decimated by the nationalist murder.

small ash Dive into the supposedly romantic relationship between Dali and Lorca (played by Robert Pattinson and Javier Beltran). The film never found its footing, flourishing between high art, goofy comedy and a dramatic love story.

Before Night Fall (2000) lyrics

Julian Schnabel’s heartbreaking biopic about Cuban poet and revolutionary Reynaldo Arenas stars Javier Bardem and Olivier Martínez. Bardem’s performance as Arenas was touching. Like many young Cubans, Arenas was an early supporter and later critic of Fidel Castro’s government. Arenas was gay, went in and out of prison for several years, and eventually left his country to immigrate to the United States.

Like the other lyrical films on this list, before night falls Combine Arenas’ text and life story in a visually convincing way. Arenas died of AIDS-related causes in 1990.

Scary: Whole Foods (1995)

total lunar eclipse A young Leonardo DiCaprio plays 19th-century modern French poet Arthur Rimbaud. DiCaprio stars with David Thewlis, who plays the older poet Paul Verlaine. The film highlights their aggressive personalities while portraying a turbulent love affair over many years that culminates in the scene where Rimbaud shoots Verlaine to death.

Despite Thewlis and DiCaprio’s strong performances, the film portrays their lives and legacy so unevenly that viewers fail to understand the depth and importance of their creative output. Instead, their story is reduced to a dramatic quarrel between lovers.