A QUIET PASSION
UK, 2016, 125 minutes, Colour.
Cynthia Nixon, Jennifer Ehle, Duncan Duff, Keith Carradine, Jodhi May, Joanna Bacon, Catherine Bailey, Emma Bell, Annette Badland.
Directed by Terence Davies.
This is a portrait of the 19th century American poet, Emily Dickinson.
It is a film written and directed by Terence Davies, who made an impression in the past with his classic Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988 as well as The Long Day Closes in 1992. Davies also made a screen version of Edith Wharton’s House of Mirth and a very telling remake of Terence Rattigan’s The Deep Blue Sea.
Davies might be called a fastidious director, great attention to detail, a great sensitivity to human feelings, and setting them within a historic and cultural context. A Quiet Passion is set between the 1840s and the 1880s and Davies re-creates the period, its look, its feel, costumes and decor, sensibilities meticulously. The period covers the lives of very proper Bostonians with a Protestant and evangelical religious outlook, the challenge of the Civil War, the unsettled aftermath. It also covers the media of the period, the newspapers and magazines, especially for outlets for the publication of poetry.
The film opens with Emily asserting herself at the religious school for young ladies, some in the group choosing to be women of faith and Christianity, others choosing to be women of faith but not committed to Christianity, with Edith standing in the middle, her own woman, defying the threats of hell from the prim women in charge. She feels it necessary that her family come to rescue her, her patrician father and her younger sister and brother. She returns to their quiet, comfortable and settled life in Boston. She is skilled in writing poetry but it is not the done thing for young women to be published – especially when they go to a concert and her father disapproves exceedingly of a woman singing in public. Despite the objections of her aunt, the father does make contact with an editor and a problem is published.
Externally, nothing very much happens in Emily Dickinson’s life, though there is an intensity in her inner life. She is played, very effectively, as a traditional spinster by Cynthia Nixon (a long way away from Sex and the City). Her sister is played by Jennifer Ehle, one of those smiling, kind and gentle performances at which Jennifer Ehle is expert. The patriarchal father is played by Keith Carradine.
Edith and her sister stay at home, with some views on slavery and the Civil War, religious in outlook but Edith, especially, refusing her father’s invitation to actually go to church. Their mother is loving but is sickly and dies.
Edith is self-contained, has no desire to marry, is happy and secure in her home life, with some women friends who pass in and out of her life. There is quite a moral crisis when she finds that her brother is unfaithful to his wife with whom Edith is friendly, sharing books and other matters of taste. She emerges as quite intolerant, unforgiving, despite efforts by her sister and brother to mollify her outlook – and she does, at times, admit that she can be far too harsh.
As she grows older, she becomes unwell – and the scenes of her illness and treatment are quite forthright.
On paper, it might be said that the life of Emily Dickinson is not a subject for a feature film. Rather, it might have been effective as a piece of theatre. As it is, it is a film of words with many of the Emily Dickinson’s problems being recited by Cynthia Nixon – although, poems which require more than one reading to grasp their meaning and tone, something not possible with the film. It is a film of tableaux. To that extent, A Quiet Passion is quite theatrical but, with Davies’ sensitivity and sensibility, it does offer an audience an opportunity to get to know and appreciate Emily Dickinson.
1. A portrait of Emily Dickinson? Of herself, her times, the United States in the middle of the 19th century?
2. The films of Terence Davies, a man of taste, at home in the 19th century, visual elegance and techniques?
3. Locations in Amherst, Massachusetts, the majority of the film made in Belgium? A film of interiors? The musical score, classic, religious hymns?
4. Audience knowledge of Emily Dickinson, the poetry? Its being spoken throughout the film, by Cynthia Nixon? Cynthia Nixon embodying Emily Dickinson?
5. The initial setting, the school for girls, Miss Lions, her speech, Evangelical, emphasis on hell and sins, the women to be saved to the right, non-Christians wanting to be saved to the left, Emily Dickinson left in the centre, the interchange with the teacher, about certain to hell, sin, God in creation?
6. The family coming to take her home, Vinnie as a young girl, Austin as a young man? The patriarchal father, the mother too sick? Arrival at home, with Aunt Elizabeth, prim, judgemental, wanting religious answers, the children and their smart reactions and responses? The moralism of the times?
7. Going to the theatre, Emily’s joy in the singing, the father refusing to applaud, anti woman on the stage? Yet prepared to contact the editor about his daughter’s poems being published?
8. The family portraits, 19th century style, serious, the gradual transformation and the traditions of the older members of the cast?
9. Her father permitting Emily to write a night, the quiet? Her routines? Upon being published, her aunt’s purses and Austin is comparing them with Paradise Lost? The aunt reading the poem and glad that it was anonymous?
10. Emily, growing older, keeping to herself, the spinster personality, sexual issues or not? Joyful at Austin’s marriage, greeting Susan, their discussions and reading? Yet remaining reserved, her apprehension about men? Susan’s pregnancy, part of the family?
11. Vinnie growing up, sweet personality, at home, not marrying, mediating in difficulties? A plea for tolerance with Emily?
12. The father, stern, religion, church, the Minister and preaching, the issue of slavery? His death and funeral? The mother, quiet, loving her children, Emily playing hymns? The vivid sequence of her illness and death?
13. The importance of the Civil War, the announcement, the attack on Fort Sumter? The captions for the battles and the years, cumulative effect of the wounded? Apprehensions? Family discussions, slavery? Many not wanting to talk about slavery? The comments on the speeches at Gettysburg and the dismissal of Lincoln’s?
14. Emily identifying with the slaves – and identifying with women, challenging Austin to become a woman for a week and survive ?
15. Her outspoken friend, wit, going for walks, talking, enjoying the company?
16. The passing of the years, Emily and the routines of her life, staying at home, writing or question or room? Her reliance on Vinnie?
17. Her illness, the tense sequences, diagnosis, suffering?
18. The visiting vicar, his wife, their puritanical outlooks and behaviour, the reaction of the two sisters?
19. Emily, the visit of the University editor, her staying upstairs,not coming down?
20. Austin, the visitor, Emily catching him and their encounter? Her principles, intolerance, her sharp responses to Austin? Compassion
for Susan? Vinnie trying to counter this? The talk, the accusations, Austin and his reaction? His reading out the hurtful article?
21. Vinnie, the talks with Emily, trying to moderate her harshness, Emily religious but not churchgoing?
22. Her seizures, the illness and her suffering? The family surrounding her, the moment of death?
23. Achievement, in the 19th century, later, her reputation? The film as a satisfying portrait?
