THE NIGHT MAIL
It will come as no surprise, as you read further into this blog, to discover that I am fascinated by words. I am equally entranced by the shape of the words on the page, as I am by the sound they make. The words bubble, nemesis or idiosyncratic each have their own form, cadence and character. The English language has a vocabulary that is wider and more varied than any other in the world. We are the proud inheritors of billions upon billions of utterances.
In 1936, the General Post Office (GPO) Film Unit produced a short documentary film entitled Night Mail. The bulk of the narrated voice-over was written in the form of a poem by WH Auden. It tells the simple story of an overnight mail train as it travels from London to Scotland. Heading north, the train speeds up, climbing into the Pennines and beyond and the rhythm of the poem changes. It slows and changes again as the train nears its destination.
This film harks back to an age long gone. But, in my opinion, the words, and the sounds they make are as fresh as the day they were written. Have a look (and listen) and see what you think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmciuKsBOi0&feature=related
“This is the Night Mail – WH Auden”
An alternative version of the poem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8_jmtbvzmY&NR=1
For further background on the film: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Mail
No comments:
Post a Comment