MILD nights with Emily

This is a delightful film - tender, amusing, quite a light and fun watch. I liked that lines of Emily's poetry is displayed on screen. The relationship between Emily and Susan puts things in context. it is somewhat thought provoking, though I believe it isn't intended to be an entirely accurate/faithful period film but that didn't bother me - the themes are well conveyed. I enjoyed the piano pieces played throughout that feature in the background but don't make it difficult to hear the dialogue, thankfully. I enjoyed this film and would certainly recommend it to others, yes.

Wild Nights with Emily (2018), written and directed by Madeleine Olnek, is a biographical comedic dramatization of the life of 19th century American poet Emily Dickinson. It shines a light on her life as a writer, her pursuit of success to become a published poet, and her romantic relationship with Susan Huntington Gilbert Dickinson which dispels the literary myth that she was unloved and lived a life as a reclusive spinster. Molly Shannon plays the adult Emily and Susan Ziegler plays the adult Susan. Amy Seimetz plays Mabel Todd, Austin's mistress, and the first person to publish her poetry. Jackie Monahan plays the Adult Lavina and Kevin Seal plays the Adult Austin. Dana Melanie plays the Young Emily, and Sasha Frolova plays the Young Susan. Allison Lane plays the Widow Kate. Lisa Haas plays Maggie, the maid. Robert McCaskill plays Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Brett Gelman plays Thomas Wentworth Higginson. The film follows a non-linear structure. Olneck juxtaposes the narrative of Emily's romantic relationship with her childhood friend Susan Huntington Gilbert who eventually goes on to marry her brother Austin and live next door against the narrative of Mabel Todd's version of Emily's life as she tells it during a talk at the Ladies Rotary Club Auxiliary celebrating the publication of Emily's poetry. As adult women, Emily and Susan steal passion when they can and keep up a daily correspondence with Susan encouraging and inspiring Emily with her poetry. Emily's brother Austin never suspects but Susan's children seem to have an inkling especially Martha Dickinson. Olnek has woven together many visuals elements including narration, diverse angle shots, superimposed images, juxtaposition of interior/exterior shots, editing techniques, and the filmification of Emily's poetry to create a refreshing and intriguing film which puts aside preconceived notions of her life as a spinster, a recluse who never left her room. The motif of romance and intimacy between Emily and Susan and to a lesser degree between Austin and Mabel stitch the film into a cohesive structure. The film is peppered with comedic moments and touches of slapstick comedy which gives the film a "je ne sais quoi" feel. The opening shot of the two sisters-in-law greeting each other in the homestead parlor which turns into an embrace and then, a romp sets the tone for the film. Shannon is marvelous to watch as is Ziegler. Shannon gives a poignant portrayal of the head strong, irreverent, intelligent, and talented poet. Ziegler shines in her performance as Emily's romantic love interest. Their performances allow us to empathize with their characters and experience the narrative of their romantic relationship. The visuals reveal much about Emily's life and the enduring and loving relationship she shared with her childhood friend Susan. There are many tender and touching scenes in the film and one of the loveliest and sweetest is seeing the adult Emily hoist down a basket of freshly baked bread from her bedroom window to a group of appreciative and smiling young children, and than, seeing the same children revisit the spot under different circumstances. There are many comedic moments in the film which are cleverly done and a hoot to watch especially seeing Shannon's face as she hosts Judge Lord and listens to his rendition of the Bronte novels, or when she catches a glimpse of Ralph Waldo Emerson from a doorway. Another comedic highlight in the film is the scene between Austin Dickinson and Lavinia Dickinson. Austin impresses on his sister to force an introduction between Mabel Todd and Emily. Lavinia suggests she substitute her cat who happens to be called Emily Dickinson. One of the most moving and heart wrenching scenes in the film is seeing the adult Susan prepare Emily's body for burial. There's so much to recommend the film. It retells the poet's life in a bold and beautiful way and shatters preconceived notions about her spinster life, and her character. It's a film that celebrates the bonds of love between two women whose relationship found a way to thrive despite the constraints and conventions of 19th century American society. I am fan of period films about literary characters and this film went beyond my expectations for its refreshing take on Emily Dickinson's life. It's superbly acted, well-written, and beautifully shot . Olnek has succeeded in shattering the "lily white" image of Emily Dickinson and creating an authentic portrait of the true Emily Dickinson. If you are a fan of period pieces, you'll love Wild Nights with Emily. If you are a fan of Molly Shannon, you'll love her in her brilliant performance of the poet. If you are a fan of the poet Emily Dickinson, you'll love the film for its authentic re-telling of her life. Do see it for you won't be disappointed.

I enjoyed this film. I like Molly Shannon and the type of humor she presents. The numerous Emily Dickinson stories are wearing a little thin, but this comic treatment made the retelling interesting.

Loved all the research that went into this, though it definitely takes its liberties. Lavinia is the true mvp, best scene is when she suggests they introduce Mabel Todd to Emily Dickinson the cat instead of the human.

Something about the line delivery didn't work for me. The actors seemed to be deliberately reading the lines like high school students might read a play aloud in class. I can see what they were going for with that, maybe, but it didn't work for the movie. If I didn't already know a little bit about this story, I'd have been confused by the jumping around between time periods. For a fresher, more irreverent look at Emily Dickinson's young life, check out Apple 온라인카지노추천's Dickinson series.

It often seemed like the actors were reading their lines for the first time and trying hard not to laugh.

Hubby has seen a lot of these Emily Dickinson biopics over the years and the way Dickinson is portrayed here is the antithesis of anything you've seen. If this is your first dealing with one, like it was for my wife, then you may be better off. Even if this is 100% real, the film just wasn't funny. It's a comedy filled with long stretches of time where we were both bored. Molly Shannon is acting the heck out of this, but we're talking a great comedic actress in a comedy where she doesn't make you laugh. For us that adds up to a miss. And if this is the TRUE Emily Dickinson story (the press packet had citations to facts), then YOU GO GIRL!! Final Score: Hubby: 4.2/Wife: 5.6 Average: 4.9/10

So glad this movie was made! It's laugh-out-loud funny and an important window into what we had been taught about Emily Dickinson in years past and why. Thank you Madeleine Olnek and everyone involved for the great writing, casting, acting and everything else!

Molly Shannon stars as Emily Dickinson in the satirical comedy Wild Nights with Emily. Based on a stage play (and it shows), the story follow a supposed homosexual relationship Emily Dickinson had with her sister-in-law. Unfortunately it tries to mix period drama with farce and doesn't quite get there. And the actors don't seem to be on the same page either. Also, the directing is pretty weak, as many of the scenes come off looking staged and the backgrounds and settings are rather dull. Still, some of the comedy bits work, and there's some cleverness to the script in how it uses a frame story with an unreliable narrator. Wild Nights with Emily isn't all bad, but it doesn't translate to screen very well.

This is a marvelous retelling of the life of Emily Dickinson. Emily was underestimated throughout her life, but Molly Shannon brings a joy to a somber existence that burns with a bright flame of love, passion, and joyous expression. I do not understand the negative viewer reviews....Emily seems to have evoked these types of responses throughout her life, so it shouldn't be surprising that this film does the same. A joy to watch and marvel at this passionate woman living somewhat of a secret life....historically edited to portray her as a withdrawn spinster, avoiding public display, when in reality she was bursting with passion, desire, and singing her love to her muse. Respect.

A joyously funny Feminist re-examination of Dickinson's personal life.

This is a small film about the life of Emily Dickinson. Now I have seen the recent apple tv series with Haliee Steinfeld about this subject and the actress they cast as young Emily looks so much like Steinfeld that it was a bit weird.. but the majority of the film has Molly Shannon playing her in her later days. The movie is mostly about her relationship with her sister-in-law, and the moves after her death to hide that relationship by the woman who published her poems. They do a decent job with it, but some of the scenes are a bit too stilted and the the pacing has some issues.

I normally love movies about famous people told from another angle. I usually love independent films and especially those with historical settings. My question is how they heck did they make a movie about a famous person in a lesbian relationship boring? I don't know how they did it - but wowzah. Snoozefest. Wooden acting and oddly paced. I want those 2 hours of my life back. This one was my husband's choice - so he owes me at least the next two movies.

This has to be one of the most awful, poorly-written, poorly-acted cheap-looking excuse for a movie I've ever seen. I want my time back.

really interestingly written and directed

On the whole, godawful. High school drama club performances, a festival of indication -- and poor Austin had to spend the film with what appeared to be a load of potting soil on his head. Some credits for cinematography that avoided the sepia tones of so many period films, for Dana Melanie (young Emily) who captured something of the poet's febrile intensity and Jackie Monahan (Lavinia) in whom an authentic wildness could be glimpsed. But the recitations of the poems completely missed the prosodic impact of those dashes -- that's Emily catching herself in the act of thinking -- and no one who has closely read those astonishing verses will recognize their creator in this movie.

Wild Nights With Emily is a reflection on Emily Dickenson's life with a focus on her poetry and the relationship with her sister-in-law. Even though most of her work was post-humorous, Emily Dickenson's work popularized the love letter poem. The names in her poems were altered after her death to be more masculine, because the nature of a love letter between two women was found to be too controversial at the time. This period piece also has English subtitles for when parts of her poems are influential to or are referenced in the story.

I did not know much about Dickinson going into this movie. During the movie, I often wondered if what was being shown had much connection to the real life of Dickinson, or if much was fabricated. I assumed it was mostly real, or had some connection to reality. I found the film was not especially interesting, and certainly not "wild" as the title implies. It often seems to be trying to be funny, but the humor was often lost on me. I wondered if students and fans of Dickinson might find more of interest in this film than I did. For a low-budget movie, the film does a commendable job of setting the period through sets and costumes. The acting seemed stagey -- like a play, with lots of artificiality. Maybe it was supposed to be farce? Though the film was a disappointment, I do feel like I know a little more about Dickinson, and might even be open to learning more about her life.

I don't really see what everyone loved about this film. Sure, it does quote from Emily's letters and give evidence for her relationship with her sister-in-lay Sue. But the script was poorly written, there is little character develpment, and a lot of the characters seem one dimensional. Plus it wasn't really all that funny.