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For example, this video of Shaw's performance of The Burial of the Dead contains a scene in which Shaw brings to life the famous Madame Sosostris. Her portrayal of the clairvoyante is captivating, and the viewer feels as if he is having his own fortune read to him. A bubbly, elderly woman, Sosostris clearly contradicts her title as "the wisest woman in Europe." Instead, Shaw highlights the fact that this woman is a fraud. Her humorous justification of the blank card, and the short and snappy conclusion to her reading--a mechanical "thank you" accompanied by an extended and expecting hand--bring serious doubts as to the legitimacy of her profession. The humor of this performance serves to convey Eliot's message that society has begun to search for meaning from the most ridiculous sources because the sources of the past have proven unreliable. | For example, this video of Shaw's performance of The Burial of the Dead contains a scene in which Shaw brings to life the famous Madame Sosostris. Her portrayal of the clairvoyante is captivating, and the viewer feels as if he is having his own fortune read to him. A bubbly, elderly woman, Sosostris clearly contradicts her title as "the wisest woman in Europe." Instead, Shaw highlights the fact that this woman is a fraud. Her humorous justification of the blank card, and the short and snappy conclusion to her reading--a mechanical "thank you" accompanied by an extended and expecting hand--bring serious doubts as to the legitimacy of her profession. The humor of this performance serves to convey Eliot's message that society has begun to search for meaning from the most ridiculous sources because the sources of the past have proven unreliable. | ||
| − | Interesting in its own right is the filming technique of the performance itself. Because Shaw's performance is a solo act, there is not a lot of camera work required to capture it. As a result, many of the camera angles are reminiscent of a documentary interview (see | + | <blockquote><videoflash type="youtube">lPB_17rbNXk</videoflash></blockquote> |
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| + | Interesting in its own right is the filming technique of the performance itself. Because Shaw's performance is a solo act, there is not a lot of camera work required to capture it. As a result, many of the camera angles are reminiscent of a documentary interview (see image below). Suddenly, each new speaker within the poem becomes, in a sense, its own interview. Rather than a crowd of random voices, these characters get a chance to offer their testimony of their experiences. This can be seen in the opening lines of the poem as Shaw (in character, of course) tells of her memories with her cousin: | ||
And when we were children, staying at the arch-duke's, | And when we were children, staying at the arch-duke's, | ||
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I read, much of the night, and go south in the winter. | I read, much of the night, and go south in the winter. | ||
| − | This final line carries new weight when spoken directly to the camera. If unclear before, it is not unmistakable that this is the confession of insomnia caused by traumatic experiences. | + | This final line carries new weight when spoken directly to the camera. If unclear before, it is not unmistakable that this is the confession of insomnia caused by traumatic experiences. This interview-style filming makes a fairly inaccessible poem quite personal. Shaw creates troubled characters, and the filming captures her emotional vulnerability for the audience in an intimate setting. As a whole, the series of interview-like segments cause the performance to feel much like a war documentary. Given the context of the poem, this is an entirely appropriate mood. After all, the poem is an exploration of the various responses to World War I. |
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| + | <blockquote>[[Image:male7-interview-shot-480.jpg]]</blockquote> | ||
==Pieces of Work Influenced By Eliot and The Waste Land== | ==Pieces of Work Influenced By Eliot and The Waste Land== | ||
