PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

This captivating film by Jane Campion, though not about poetry per se, enraptures the soul as any numinous poem does. Well it has mine anyway. In the voice of a mute's hands, whether playing the piano or playing the air, evoking emotion through both... poetic. In the panorama of the lonely piano left behind on the beach, tide tugging at its spindling legs... poetic. In the pursuit of a spurned husband to claim the quarry he feels justly his, a desperate dance through thicket & vine... poetic. The betrayal of a child, precocious & innocent at the same time... poetic. A black hoop skirt billowing up around its wearer as she sinks to the muddy ground... poetic. A naked Harvey Keitel tenderly polishing the piano with the shirt off his back... poetic. And quite possibly the most wretchedly romantic line ever uttered either on screen or off, "My mind has seized on ya and I can think of nothing else. This is why I suffer." Who could argue with the poetic merit therein...

Beguiled, I've watched this film dozens of times and will watch it dozens more. It haunts... endures.