Following the straight delivery of sonnet 8 with its intercutting of the filming of that delivery, the film of sonnet 34 is a much straighter attempt to put a narrative that fits the sonnet. The film is about a relationship where the two seem to have a falling out of sorts, leaving the woman alone and hurt, only for the man to return and make peace which, although clearly not totally making amends for what just happened, does seem to bring the couple back to each other, which is what is important. The sonnet puts this a different way, asking why the other brought them out without a coat, only for storm clouds to then come and soak the writer. In this way the film suggests that the woman has made some sort of step and the guy is perhaps not ready for it – a feeling which is backed up by the tentative but clearly returned affection of the final shots.
It works well in terms of bringing the delivery of the sonnet into context, and I appreciated that it did this since it has thus far been less common in the series than I would have expected. The downside of it is that the delivery is so very literal that it perhaps lack flair in the delivery. The shots selected seem very obvious and I thought it was a shame that the scene is silent with the sonnet delivered over the top in a slightly flat style. This is compensated for by the fact that the two actors do well to silently deliver feelings and motives which correspond with the sonnet – not easy to do without having any sound and only having a few minutes on screen, but the two do well.
The delivery does add clarity and context to the sonnet and I liked it for this, just a shame that this delivery is so very literal and a little lacking in spark and creativity in the style.
It works well in terms of bringing the delivery of the sonnet into context, and I appreciated that it did this since it has thus far been less common in the series than I would have expected. The downside of it is that the delivery is so very literal that it perhaps lack flair in the delivery. The shots selected seem very obvious and I thought it was a shame that the scene is silent with the sonnet delivered over the top in a slightly flat style. This is compensated for by the fact that the two actors do well to silently deliver feelings and motives which correspond with the sonnet – not easy to do without having any sound and only having a few minutes on screen, but the two do well.
The delivery does add clarity and context to the sonnet and I liked it for this, just a shame that this delivery is so very literal and a little lacking in spark and creativity in the style.