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Exclusive to The Waste Land App is a groundbreaking filmed performance of the entire poem by Fiona Shaw. Filmed in Dublin, the performance runs approximately 37 minutes and includes all five sections of the poem. Shaw's dynamic performance of the poem goes beyond the scope of traditional poetry reading; she creates a number of individual characters, each possessing their own voice, physical posture, facial expressions, and personality. Through her characters, Shaw finds humor in an overwhelmingly bleak piece of literature. Her character voices are comical; her physical gestures are energetic; her facial expressions allow for hints of sarcasm to be carried across Eliot's original words. | Exclusive to The Waste Land App is a groundbreaking filmed performance of the entire poem by Fiona Shaw. Filmed in Dublin, the performance runs approximately 37 minutes and includes all five sections of the poem. Shaw's dynamic performance of the poem goes beyond the scope of traditional poetry reading; she creates a number of individual characters, each possessing their own voice, physical posture, facial expressions, and personality. Through her characters, Shaw finds humor in an overwhelmingly bleak piece of literature. Her character voices are comical; her physical gestures are energetic; her facial expressions allow for hints of sarcasm to be carried across Eliot's original words. | ||
| − | For example, this video of Shaw's performance of The Burial of the Dead contains a scene in which Shaw brings to life the famous Madame Sosostris. Her portrayal of the clairvoyante is captivating, and the viewer feels as if he is having his own fortune read to him. A bubbly, elderly woman, Sosostris clearly contradicts her title as "the wisest woman in Europe." Instead, Shaw highlights the fact that this woman is a fraud. Her humorous justification of the blank card, and the short and snappy conclusion to her reading--a mechanical "thank you" accompanied by an extended and expecting hand--bring serious doubts as to the legitimacy of her profession. The humor of this performance serves to convey Eliot's message that society has begun to search for meaning from the most ridiculous sources because the sources of the past have proven unreliable. | + | For example, this video of Shaw's performance of The Burial of the Dead contains a scene in which Shaw brings to life the famous Madame Sosostris. Her portrayal of the clairvoyante is captivating, and the viewer feels as if he is having his own fortune read to him. A bubbly, elderly woman, Sosostris clearly contradicts her title as "the wisest woman in Europe." Instead, Shaw highlights the fact that this woman is a fraud. Her humorous justification of the blank card, and the short and snappy conclusion to her reading--a mechanical "thank you" accompanied by an extended and expecting hand--bring serious doubts as to the legitimacy of her profession. The humor of this performance serves to convey Eliot's message that society has begun to search for meaning from the most ridiculous sources because the sources of the past have proven unreliable. |
Interesting in its own right is the filming technique of the performance itself. Because Shaw's performance is a solo act, there is not a lot of camera work required to capture it. As a result, many of the camera angles are reminiscent of a documentary interview (see images below). Suddenly, each new speaker within the poem becomes, in a sense, its own interview. Rather than a crowd of random voices, these characters get a chance to offer their testimony of their experiences. This can be seen in the opening lines of the poem as Shaw (in character, of course) tells of her memories with her cousin: | Interesting in its own right is the filming technique of the performance itself. Because Shaw's performance is a solo act, there is not a lot of camera work required to capture it. As a result, many of the camera angles are reminiscent of a documentary interview (see images below). Suddenly, each new speaker within the poem becomes, in a sense, its own interview. Rather than a crowd of random voices, these characters get a chance to offer their testimony of their experiences. This can be seen in the opening lines of the poem as Shaw (in character, of course) tells of her memories with her cousin: | ||
| Line 58: | Line 58: | ||
In the mountains, there you feel free. | In the mountains, there you feel free. | ||
I read, much of the night, and go south in the winter. | I read, much of the night, and go south in the winter. | ||
| + | |||
| + | This final line carries new weight when spoken directly to the camera. If unclear before, it is not unmistakable that this is the confession of insomnia caused by traumatic experiences. | ||
==Pieces of Work Influenced By Eliot and The Waste Land== | ==Pieces of Work Influenced By Eliot and The Waste Land== | ||
