28 years ago, I had the opportunity to view the film, fresh off the presses, so to speak. This visualization of the timeless classic, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, produced by writer-director, Raúl daSilva, was actually completed in 1975, and is a first-of-its kind film. The director once lived here, in Rochester, NY. When he produced it, he was the executive producer for Eastman Kodak's industrial ad agency. Rochester is one of the three cities where it was created. The others are London and New York City. Some seascapes were taken as far south as the Cayman Islands. The original reason he created this reading of the timeless epic poem was to help students better understand it. The Coleridge work heralded in the Romantic movement in English literature.
In my view, shared by Library Journal, NPR, PBS and other critical reviews, Raul daSilva greatly succeeded. The film received a rave review from the Democrat & Chronicle when it premiered here at the Eastman House Dryden Theater. The reviewer noted that the director also wanted to celebrate the efforts of past illustrators to bring life to the great poem.
Among those illustrators is the historically significant 19th Century engraver, Gustave Doré, whose illustrations brought visual power to this and other poems and stories. By incorporating Doré's illustrations, the film succeeds on two levels: one, in bringing to the screen the immortal poem itself; and two, in letting viewers enjoy the work of a great illustrator.
This Samuel Taylor Coleridge work speaks to the sanctity of all life on Earth. Although written in 1798, the world still struggles to get its message.
