In the mid-19th century, Emily Dickinson was writing prolifically and in a passionate romantic relationship with her sister-in-law, yet is still popularly believed to be a recluse. Starring Molly Shannon and informed by Dickinson's private letters, Wild Nights with Emily is a humorous and bold take on this iconic American poet, who found herself facing male literary gatekeepers too confused by her genius to take her work seriously, and instead attracts the attention of an ambitious editor who also sees Emily as a convenient cover for her own bizarre love triangle. A timely critique of how women's history is rewritten, Wild Nights with Emily is a vibrant, irreverent, tender—and perhaps a closer—depiction of Emily Dickinson's real life than anything seen before.
B**L
A quiet story of tremendous passion
Emily Dickinson wasn't a recluse. She had a full life that history tried to erase, until now. With this film and the show on Apple TV, Emily is making a comeback as a lesbian hero. This is a quiet story that belies the passion that was a part of her life. The pacing is slow and the tone is both funny and poignant. The performances are excellent. Molly Shannon and Susan Zeigler have chemistry, and their story likely rings emotionally true for those who are queer and have had to come to understand themselves apart from received society. At least, it did for me. I'm now curious to read Emily's letters to Sue and to try to find a copy of Sue's daughter's book about her mother and Emily's relationship, published in 1914. It's a fairly simple story told through a slightly absurdist lends that adds vibrancy and love to a life presumed devoid of happiness. Nicely done, Madeleine Olnek and company!
A**N
Finally!
Forget what you learned in grade school about Emily Dickinson. This delicious little film exposes the decades of lies told about Dickinson and, with great humor, reveals the truth. It gives new meaning to Dickinson's words, "Tell all the truth but tell it slant - " One of the best films of the year. Thank goodness the Independent Spirit Awards in film recognized this gem. Gotta say, it's a lot better than The Irishman and only half as long.
R**A
Thoroughly Researched, Funny, Superbly Directed, Wonderful Actors
This is one of the best, most thoroughly researched movies on Emily Dickinson. This depiction highlights her humor, her boldness, her passionate (and well documented) love for her sister-in-law Susan. Scholarly books (esp. OPEN ME CAREFULLY: EMILY DICKINSON'S INTIMATE LETTERS TO SUSAN HUNTINGTON DICKINSON) and articles draw on her original writings to write about this homoerotic decades-long devotion, and the director/writer of WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY turned to those and to the writings by Emily Dickinson herself to make this film. Of her sister-in-law, Emily Dickinson wrote "To be Susan / is Imagination"; "I could not drink it, Sue, / Till you had tasted first - "; "When my Hands / are Cut, Her / fingers will be / found inside - "; "Be Sue, while / I am Emily - / Be next, what / you have ever / been, Infinity - " She also compared Susan's knowledge to that of Shakespeare. Dickinson shared more poems with Susan than with any other of her correspondents (more than 3 times as many writings as she shared with Thomas Wentworth Higginson), and she kept rewriting "Safe in their Alabaster Chambers" in response to Susan's feedback. This movie is thoroughly enjoyable and shows how devoted to poetry and to love Emily Dickinson was. As she wrote to Susan, "Poetry" and "Love. . .coeval come - ."
B**O
Emily Dickinson as a human being not a myth
The movie does take its liberties but it is well done, beautifully acted with a more than capable cast...Emily Dickinson was a living, breathing human being and I’m happy someone decided to make a film that challenges the widely discredited “myth of the recluse”...it is worth your time and money
S**X
Mostly terrible
This movie was terribly disappointing. The trailer implied that it would be a hilarious comedy about an unseen side of Emily Dickinson. Instead, the viewer is treated to stilted dialog, wooden acting, and an incoherent story line. The timeline is all over the place for no good reason that I can discern. Perhaps if I was an Emily Dickinson expert, I might find more humor in this movie, but I still don't think that the overall... flatness... of the movie is excusable. It looks and feels like adult actors/actresses recreating an elementary school play about an episode of drunk history. For a comedy, it was mostly boring and terribly un-funny. I take it back, it's somewhere between the elementary school play and a very boring documentary with terrible re-enactments. I truly enjoyed learning more about the hidden side of Emily DIckinson, I just regret watching this movie. I'm pretty sure it would have been funny if it had just been presented as a straight up documentary...
R**A
Thoroughly Researched, Funny, Superbly Directed, Wonderful Actors
This is one of the best, most thoroughly researched movies on Emily Dickinson. This depiction highlights her humor, her boldness, her passionate (and well documented) love for her sister-in-law Susan. Numerous articles and especially the book OPEN ME CAREFULLY: EMILY DICKINSON'S INTIMATE LETTERS TO SUSAN HUNTINGTON DICKINSON draw on her original writings to write about this homoerotic decades-long devotion, and the director/writer of WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY turned to those and to the writings by Emily Dickinson herself to make this film. Of her sister-in-law, Emily Dickinson wrote "To be Susan / is Imagination"; "I could not drink it, Sue, / Till you had tasted first - "; "When my Hands / are Cut, Her / fingers will be / found inside - "; "Be Sue, while / I am Emily - / Be next, what / you have ever / been, Infinity - " She also compared Susan's knowledge to that of Shakespeare. Dickinson shared more poems with Susan than with any other of her correspondents (more than 3 times as many writings as she shared with Thomas Wentworth Higginson), and she kept rewriting "Safe in their Alabaster Chambers" in response to Susan's feedback. This movie is thoroughly enjoyable and shows how devoted to poetry and to love Emily Dickinson was. As she wrote to Susan, "Poetry" and "Love. . .coeval come - ."
C**E
Bellissimo film che sfata il mito di reclusa di Emily Dickinson
Bellissimo film, felicissima di aver scoperto che Emily Dickinson non era una zitella reclusa sfortunata in amore ma dal prodigioso talento letterario come mi veniva ritratta a scuola. Ora apprezzerò la sua poesia molto di più. Non dò 5 stelle solo perché non ho trovato da nessuna parte un dvd adatto alla zona 2 (Europa) che avesse almeno i sottotitoli in inglese. Questo è in inglese con i sottotitoli in tedesco, quindi sconsigliato se non siete pratici in inglese.
A**E
Video
Wenn man Dickinson mag , ist dieser Film zum Ansehen
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