Wild Nights with Emily

Emily Dickinson: not just flowers and tombstones

It’s always a treat to find out more about the human side of historical and literary icons:   Shakespeare was once arrested for poaching; Sojourner Truth grew up speaking Dutch; Abraham Lincoln enjoyed earthy humor.  So, it was with great delight that I watched this DVD about Emily Dickinson and her love affair with Susan Dickinson, Emily’s sister-in-law and next- door neighbor.  Here we see the poet as a woman of intense passion, who expressed that passion through both literary creation and physical love.   High production value and a tightly-wound performance by Molly Shannon as Emily add to the crinoline-rustling fun.

Did it all happen the way this movie suggests?  Who knows, but this affectionate, funny and inspiring film makes us hope that most of it did.