Polis is This: Charles Olson and the Persistence of Place
Encyclopedia
Polis is This: Charles Olson and the Persistence of Place (2007
) is a documentary
about the life of the poet Charles Olson
produced and directed by independent film-maker, Henry Ferrini
. It was called “the best film about an American poet ever made” by William Corbett of the Boston Phoenix. The film was also an Official Selection at the 2007 Berkeley Film and Video Festival.
, in the squared circle of understanding. Film-maker Henry Ferrini
uses archival footage of Olson, as well as a great array of interview subjects, including actor John Malkovich
to paint a beautiful picture of Olson and his life. Throughout the course of the film, Olson struggles to save Gloucester, Massachusetts
, his home town, from progress, which in his opinion, was taking away the very essence of Gloucester. Henry Ferrini does a spectacular job of representing Olson, as he is a native of Gloucester himself, and feels the way Olson does about the issues of progress. Polis is This encourages viewers to appreciate where they come from and educates them about the extraordinary possibilities that exist in the ordinary things that exist around them in their daily lives.
Author Jim Harrison has called the film "sublime" and "simply stunning." Russell Banks has called the film "an invaluable contribution to our literature."
2007 in film
This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
) is a documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about the life of the poet Charles Olson
Charles Olson
Charles Olson , was a second generation American modernist poet who was a link between earlier figures such as Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams and the New American poets, which includes the New York School, the Black Mountain School, the Beat poets, and the San Francisco Renaissance...
produced and directed by independent film-maker, Henry Ferrini
Henry Ferrini
Henry Ferrini is an American non-fiction filmmaker best known for his portraits of Jack Kerouac and Charles Olson.Ferrini attended Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington, MA where he studied music...
. It was called “the best film about an American poet ever made” by William Corbett of the Boston Phoenix. The film was also an Official Selection at the 2007 Berkeley Film and Video Festival.
Synopsis
‘’Polis is This’’ is a film that follows the life of the poet, Charles OlsonCharles Olson
Charles Olson , was a second generation American modernist poet who was a link between earlier figures such as Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams and the New American poets, which includes the New York School, the Black Mountain School, the Beat poets, and the San Francisco Renaissance...
, in the squared circle of understanding. Film-maker Henry Ferrini
Henry Ferrini
Henry Ferrini is an American non-fiction filmmaker best known for his portraits of Jack Kerouac and Charles Olson.Ferrini attended Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington, MA where he studied music...
uses archival footage of Olson, as well as a great array of interview subjects, including actor John Malkovich
John Malkovich
John Gavin Malkovich is an American actor, producer, director and fashion designer with his label Technobohemian. Over the last 25 years of his career, Malkovich has appeared in more than 70 motion pictures. For his roles in Places in the Heart and In the Line of Fire, he received Academy Award...
to paint a beautiful picture of Olson and his life. Throughout the course of the film, Olson struggles to save Gloucester, Massachusetts
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Gloucester is a city on Cape Ann in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is part of Massachusetts' North Shore. The population was 28,789 at the 2010 U.S. Census...
, his home town, from progress, which in his opinion, was taking away the very essence of Gloucester. Henry Ferrini does a spectacular job of representing Olson, as he is a native of Gloucester himself, and feels the way Olson does about the issues of progress. Polis is This encourages viewers to appreciate where they come from and educates them about the extraordinary possibilities that exist in the ordinary things that exist around them in their daily lives.
Author Jim Harrison has called the film "sublime" and "simply stunning." Russell Banks has called the film "an invaluable contribution to our literature."