Wild Nights with Emily Dickinson

Starring... molly shannon, susan ziegler as emily dickinson and susan gilbert. Beautiful poetry, written as sonnets to "someone", with the name removed at some point. This version of dickinson's life and loves is much more blatant, with kissing and physical closeness occurring on camera. And a brief appearance by "kate", who stays with emily, making susan jealous. Although the character of kate doesn't appear in davies' film quiet passion. Susan would later marry emily's brother austin, ostensibly so they could be close. Cards at the end tell us that susan's daughter would write a book, confirming the truths and loves of emily's dickinson. Written and directed by madeleine olnek. This seems to have started as a play, performed in several houses around the country, according to wikipedia. It's well done, although a little confusing, with the frequent shifting back and forth in time. Mostly good!

Wild Nights With Emily (2018)

It was like an episode of 'Drunk History' (2013-9).

An awful Americanised period comedy, like a hammed up version of 'Murdoch Mysteries' (2008-) which has always been crazy cheesey anyway.

The timeline jumped all over the place and Molly Shannon showed the diversity that she has always had, that is to say, none.

It was based on the Writer/Directors one woman show and I think that there was too much comedy stage show left in it and not enough time spent converting it to a suitable format for film.

I couldn't get further than the first advert break, because it was just dull, patronising and silly all at the same time. I've seen better, more informative things from the five minute skits on 'Morecambe & Wise'. They were actually funny too!

Unscored as unfinished.

"Because I could not stop for death, He kindly stopped for me." Emily Dickinson

Most cultural historians had pegged Emily Dickinson (Molly Shannon) as about dead long before her time when they depicted her to be shy, reclusive, and virginal. Recent scholarship, upon viewing letters from her to sister-in-law Susan (Susan Zieglar) shows a secret passionate love between the two. Hurray for those of us who suspected that poetic soul had more than death on her mind.

Director/writer Madeleine Olnik bouncily constructs the story with different episodes, some flash backs, to give it the feel, as one critic puts it, of a "Victorian vaudeville." Yes, it has some stock characters, almost winking eyes breaking the wall, and laughable social conventions. More than that, however, it has the roguish tone of a character who is brainy but not above unconventional high-jinx in the love category.

Happily, some of Emily's prose and poetry is run across the screen at appropriate times in the jagged sequence of mildly torrid scenes. In a sense, these are as minimalist like Emily's poetry, suggesting much more than the shots reveal. So be it. A poet suggests and does not report.

Although Wild Nights with Emily is titillatingly titled, the film itself is a rather mild exposition of a similarly mild poet, on the outside, mind you. For us English majors, it's nectar; for the rest, it's entertaining vaudeville.

"Dying is a wild night and a new road." Dickinson

Wild Nights with Emily (2018) was written and directed by Madeleine Olnek.

It stars Molly Shannon as Emily Dickinson and Susan Ziegler as her sister-in-law, Susan Gilbert Dickinson.

The story comes to us in flashback, as narrated by Mabel Todd, portrayed by Amy Seimetz. Mabel lectures to women's groups, discussing Emily's poems and suggesting to them that Dickinson had a lesbian relationship with Susan.

It's clear that Mabel is a scheming opportunist. However, it's considered highly possible--in the movie and in real life--that Todd is correct.

The plot of the movie revolves almost entirely around the relationship of Emily and Susan. The film works because the actors are so good at presenting us with women in whom you can believe. It's wonderful to see two extremely talented actors bring their characters to life. (In her supporting role, Amy Seimetz does an excellent acting job as well.)

We saw this movie as in the Little Theatre as part of Rochester's ImageOut, the LGBT Film Festival. It will work well on the small screen.

The movie has a fairly weak IMDb rating of 7.0. However, it has been rated by less than 100 people, so it could still climb to a better position. I liked the film and highly recommend it.

This film by Madeline Olken is abit of satire on real life events. Poet, Dickinson was said to have bisexuality as a theme in her poetry. The film delves into her lifestyle within a conservative environment, whilst trying to have a love relationship with her sister-in-law, Susan Dickinson.

This film does well with satire in depicting Dickinson's life. The pace of the film works with the witty humor personified by Molly Shannon's portrayal of the poet. Behind the burgeoning setting, it explores Dickinson as poet trying to assert her writing to a male dominated literary scene.

The film brings light to Dickinson's poetry, which seemed always tragic, misunderstood but questions one's existence. It follows a young relationship between two young women until the death of Dickinson, with devoted caring from Susan.

Although this film has a humorous tone, it takes seriously in how women writers weren't taken seriously or equal to era-related white male authors. The film trys to break down via satire, the mythology that lies behind Dickinson's lifework.