The different parts of C.K. Williams' life told through his poems. His childhood, his teens, college years, to when he meets and marries his wife, Catherine (Mila Kunis) and the birth of his children. The film is narrated by different versions of Williams (Franco, Hopper, March, Unger), depicting the different aspects of Williams through the years.
Williams is not a household name, and probably not even well-known to many academics. Although he has won the Pulitzer Prize and countless other awards for his poetry and translations of classic literature, his field of study earns accolades but little notice. Maybe this is proper, or maybe it says something about the appreciation of the arts.
Anyway, "Color of Time" (which has also been shown under the titles "Tar" and "Forever Love") was written and directed by twelve New York University film students. Much like the poetry it brings to life, there are numerous segments from the various writers and directors, and not all of them necessarily go together as a coherent narrative.
This film is bound to get bad reviews. Not because it is a bad film, but because it may not be evident to viewers what to expect. A casual viewer will walk through Family Video and see James Franco, Mila Kunis and Jessica Chastain, perhaps assuming this is some sort of romantic comedy. It is not. At all. This is poetry put to film, a moving form of art. Judging it by any other standard would be wrong, though inevitably it will be judged by its entertainment value -- something it does not claim to have.
Franco is, of course, very appropriately cast. One suspects that when he was asked to play Williams, he jumped at the chance. His career is littered with portrayals of great writers, making him something of a go-to guy in that niche market. Bruce Campbell has a nice cameo as, appropriately enough, a Detroit native. Not sure how he got involved...
Anyway, this is a great film if watched by the right people, those who love art and poetry. This is, in the end, an "art film" in the best sense of the (often derided) term. See it to understand a poet as told by a poet... and perhaps while you are at it, go pick up one of Williams' books from your local library.
Williams is not a household name, and probably not even well-known to many academics. Although he has won the Pulitzer Prize and countless other awards for his poetry and translations of classic literature, his field of study earns accolades but little notice. Maybe this is proper, or maybe it says something about the appreciation of the arts.
Anyway, "Color of Time" (which has also been shown under the titles "Tar" and "Forever Love") was written and directed by twelve New York University film students. Much like the poetry it brings to life, there are numerous segments from the various writers and directors, and not all of them necessarily go together as a coherent narrative.
This film is bound to get bad reviews. Not because it is a bad film, but because it may not be evident to viewers what to expect. A casual viewer will walk through Family Video and see James Franco, Mila Kunis and Jessica Chastain, perhaps assuming this is some sort of romantic comedy. It is not. At all. This is poetry put to film, a moving form of art. Judging it by any other standard would be wrong, though inevitably it will be judged by its entertainment value -- something it does not claim to have.
Franco is, of course, very appropriately cast. One suspects that when he was asked to play Williams, he jumped at the chance. His career is littered with portrayals of great writers, making him something of a go-to guy in that niche market. Bruce Campbell has a nice cameo as, appropriately enough, a Detroit native. Not sure how he got involved...
Anyway, this is a great film if watched by the right people, those who love art and poetry. This is, in the end, an "art film" in the best sense of the (often derided) term. See it to understand a poet as told by a poet... and perhaps while you are at it, go pick up one of Williams' books from your local library.