Movie Review: Wit

So, as most members of the class know, several of us watched the movie Wit on Friday. I was really struck by the movie and thought that writing a review might promote conversation about the movie. So...



I really, really liked it. I thought Emma Thompson did a marvelous job as Prof. Bearing (the role seemed a bit more natural to her than other roles like Prof. Trelawny in Harry Potter; the movie was more akin to her Kenneth Branagh past). I like how the character was not necessarily endearing from the start. Her nature was more removed and callous than the audience would automatically be drawn to. Instead, Prof. Bearing became more endearing throughout the movie. The slow revelations about her past certainly softened her character, particularly the scene where she first learned the meaning of "soporific". The director's choice to switch between the young Bearing and the cancer-ridden bearing in that scene was particularly moving, as I remembered that everyone (even my PROFESSORS) have a past.

The constant breaking of the fourth wall was another artistic choice that really added to the depth of the movie. Rather than allowing the audience to remain stagnant and separate from the pain of watching a cancer patient die, they are pulled in, their wishes, and hopes, irrefutably intertwined with the character that is directly addressing them. While addressing the audience does not always work in movies, I really thought Wit did a good job of it.

Donne's poetry was very appropriately placed throughout the movie, and I thought that Wit had a number of interesting connection to Donne's poems. One that particularly struck me was how in metaphysical poetry, the poets create connections between the abstract and the physical; as opposed to some other artists, metaphysical poets emphasize the physical and body as something to be explored, and rejoiced in (a far cry from the Catholic tradition of celibacy). In Wit, it is clear the Dr. Bearing has a grasp of the the abstract side of life, having spent her whole life in an intellectual world, but appears to lack a connection with the physical. She has never been pregnant, she has no companions or lovers to rely on. It is not until the physical world is thrust upon her in the form of cancer that Bearing really understands the depth of Donne's poetry in a metaphysical sense.

I definitely recommend watching this movie, but beware, it is really emotionally taxing. I had to repeatedly tell myself not to cry. But, as far as an introduction to Donne's work and a good use of new media it is awesome!