Essay Questions

Brian Gilbert maintains that the movie is a work of fiction but is based on true happenings. Does he present these events fairly?

Many of those who knew T.S. Eliot felt that the movie treated Vivienne rather unfairly in that her instability was emphasized whilst Eliot's was largely overlooked. His tendency to wear green face make up in order to preserve his skin was left out of the film as was his absolute terror of any emotions al contact whatsoever. By contrast, Vivienne, whose emotional highs were really not that histrionic in the scheme of things, is portrayed as a wildly unstable emotional train wreck which was really not the case at all. Although the film is fictional, the fictional portrayal of Eliot is far more generous than the portrayal of Viv.

Vivienne's story is rather tragic; how could it have turned out differently?

Vivienne suffered from terrible hormonal imbalances that at the time were not understood at all; in the early twentieth century gynecological issues were neither understood or prioritized. Any behavioral or emotional issues that a woman might suffer from would be attributed to a mental disorder rather than a hormonal one. Coupled with this was the issue of a woman being a "possession" of her husband Vivienne did not have any control over what happened to her. Eliot could have her committed for his own convenience without a psychiatrist having to talk to her first. Eliot's friends also contributed to the issue since her more flamboyant behavior was seen as a social faux pas and so nobody was really on her side or fighting her corner. Had she been with someone less emotionally crippled than Eliot, her emotional swings might not have proved so problematical.

Many reviewers and critics were surprised by the casting of Willem Dafoe as Eliot but came to be impressed with his Oscar-worthy performance. How did he accomplish this?

Willem Dafoe was largely panned for his British accent (more Dick Can Dyke in "Mary Poppins" than Royal Shakespeare Company) but the depth of his performance transcended any accent discrepancies. His Eliot was priggish and arrogant, a tortured genius who was tormented by the lack of genius in those around him. He was also incredibly cold emotionally as well as. Ring visibly repelled by Amy show of emotion on others. The only problem with Dafoe's performance was that he was so captivating to watch that his character was almost more watchable than that of Vivienne, making the audience "root for" the more antagonistic of the characters rather than the weaker and more victimized one.