PRAISE
"For more than two
decades, Henry Ferrini has been living and extending the
art of documentary cinema through a conscious relation to
American poetic tradition. His films advance a deep and profound
play of image, poet, place and word upon consciousness. Now,
with "Polis Is This", he demonstrates mastery of
the beautifully complex and sometimes tragically lettered
life-stream through which Charles Olson can be fathomed from
top to bottom."
Kenneth Warren—House Organ
"Efforts to make films about poets and poetry are numerous.
All are valiant but few succeed like Henry Ferrini's evocation
of Charles Olson. I commend this brilliantly thoughtful work
to all who may have doubted it could be done."
Robert Gardner, Founding Director, Film Study Center, Harvard
University
"A beautifully composed homage to one of the few
truly monumental
American poets of our times."
Jack Hirschman, Poet Laureate of San Francisco
"Quite simply the best film made on an American poet ever."
Bill Corbett, Professor of Writing & Humanistic Studies, MIT
"A moving tribute to a man and his creativity. I think in
that silence,
we were all transfixed. For that we thank you.
Harvey Breverman, Distinguished Professor of Art, SUNY, University
of Buffalo
"What an incredible Piece of Electronic Cinematic Art! The
bar of historical relevancy of contemporary American Poetry
has been raised several notches.
Every Student in a literature
class needs to see it."
Mel Vapour, Berkeley Film Festival
"...an impressionistic, yet informative and moving documentabout
the
act of creation that neither shies away nor oversimplifies."
Michael Kelleher, ArtVoice
"A visual and auditory dance of poetic beauty."
Chet Williamson, Worcester Magazine
"Henry Ferrini's images are absolutely brilliant. John Malkovich
enkindles Olson words and makes them come alive."
Magilla Schaus, Literary Buffalo Newsletter
"Polis Is This is a beautifully shot and edited portrait
of Olson in his Gloucester seen through his eyes. It is truly...almost
mythical...the maximus
of Tyre persona
striding down from
the fort"
Jennifer Dunbar Dorn
REVIEWS
Polis
is This: Charles Olson and the Persistence of Place by
Elyssa East, The Brooklyn Rail
Polis
is This: Charles Olson and the Persistence of Place by
Michael Antman, POP Matters
The
landscape of a great poet by
Mark Feeney, Boston Globe, April 4, 2009
Q&A
with Henry Ferrini by
Greg Carlson, southpawfilmworks, March 30, 2009
Review
of Polis is This by
Paul Nelson, Global Voices Radio, March 2009
Polis
Review by
Mary Woodbury, Jack Magazine, March 2009
Polis
Is This: Charles Olson and the Persistence of Place by Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress,
4/16/2008
Polis Is This: Charles Olson and the Persistence
of Place by Don Byrd, New England Quarterly, September, 2007.— Polis-is-this-review-Byrd.pdf
Poetry and the persistence of place by Chet
Williamson, Worcester Magazine, 12 April, 2007.—http://www.worcestermagazine.com/content/view/1343
Poetry in motion picture: Worcester-born
poet immortalized in new film by Chris Mellen, Worcester
Movies, 12 April, 2007.
http://worcestermovies.com/2007/04/12/local-news-film-on-local-poet-makes-worcester-premiere/#more-477
Rediscovering Charles Olson: New film looks
at a poet's life by Richard Duckett, Worcester Telegram &
Gazette, 8 April, 2007. http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070408/NEWS/704080431/1110
The Poet and the City: Polis Is This: Charles
Olson and the Persistence of Place by Michael Kelleher, ArtVoice.—http://artvoice.com/issues/v6n15/film_reviews/poet_and_the_city
