Subtitled 'Immortal', this short film is based on sonnet 81, which is one of those which claims that the beauty of the love will live on forever thanks to the writing of the poet. The persistence of the subject through works of art is reflected in the location selected being the Amphitheatre on the East River. In terms of delivery the film does it without a great deal of flair, following a woman leaving a book down on the bench and also being on the stage for a few lines. The fact that the film is subtitled suggests that maybe there is more to it in terms of plot or theme, but the airs and gracing it gives itself in the naming are not in the film.
This doesn't always mean a bad thing, because the films are often very good even when they are 'just' delivering the sonnet. In this instance though it is not really the case because there are too many things distracting. The most obvious is the rather heavy tone throughout, represented by the choice of score and how it is used – it is laid on thick and I have no idea why or what it was going for. The overall delivery does suggest some great darkness or weight to the piece, but again I didn't see it. The music brings a second issue in that it makes the words harder to hear – a problem that is rooted in the fact that the sound quality is variable. The background noise is an unnecessary distraction and this is a film that could have benefited from some ADR work.
The lead actress Levine plays things too ponderously and she doesn't convince because the film doesn't convince in that weight. I also am not sure that Levine didn't have a cold the day they did this film; her delivery seems very nasal throughout, although this may be just the way she talks or a side-effect of the poor sound work. Director Kamkolkar shows up on the bench for some reason, but his appearance makes as little sense as his vision for the film. A shame – not only a weaker film in the series, but it comes as part of a handful of films which have not been up to the usual high standards.
This doesn't always mean a bad thing, because the films are often very good even when they are 'just' delivering the sonnet. In this instance though it is not really the case because there are too many things distracting. The most obvious is the rather heavy tone throughout, represented by the choice of score and how it is used – it is laid on thick and I have no idea why or what it was going for. The overall delivery does suggest some great darkness or weight to the piece, but again I didn't see it. The music brings a second issue in that it makes the words harder to hear – a problem that is rooted in the fact that the sound quality is variable. The background noise is an unnecessary distraction and this is a film that could have benefited from some ADR work.
The lead actress Levine plays things too ponderously and she doesn't convince because the film doesn't convince in that weight. I also am not sure that Levine didn't have a cold the day they did this film; her delivery seems very nasal throughout, although this may be just the way she talks or a side-effect of the poor sound work. Director Kamkolkar shows up on the bench for some reason, but his appearance makes as little sense as his vision for the film. A shame – not only a weaker film in the series, but it comes as part of a handful of films which have not been up to the usual high standards.