''Polis Is This: Charles Olson and the Persistence of Place'' is a 2007 documentary film about the life of the poet

Charles Olson Charles Olson (27 December 1910 – 10 January 1970) was a second generation modern American poet who was a link between earlier figures such as Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams and the New American poets, which includes the New York ...

produced and directed by independent film-maker,

Henry Ferrini Henry Ferrini (born 1953, Boston, Massachusetts, United States) is an American non-fiction filmmaker best known for his portraits of Jack Kerouac and Charles Olson. Ferrini attended Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington, MA where he ...

. It was called “the best film about an American poet ever made” by William Corbett of the

Boston Phoenix ''The Phoenix'' (stylized as ''The Phœnix'') was the name of several alternative weekly periodicals published in the United States of America by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts, including the ''Portland Phoenix'' and ...

. The film was also an Official Selection at the 2007 Berkeley Film and Video Festival.

Plot

''Polis Is This'' is a film that follows the life of the poet

. Filmmaker Henry Ferrini uses archival footage of Olson, as well as an array of interview subjects, including actor

John Malkovich John Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Screen Actors Guild Aw ...

, to paint a picture of Olson and his life. Throughout the course of the film, Olson struggles to save

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...

, his home town, from progress, which in his opinion was taking away the town's very essence. Henry Ferrini is a native of Gloucester himself, and feels the way Olson does about the issues of progress. ''Polis is This'' encourages viewers to appreciate where they come from and educates them about the extraordinary possibilities that exist in the ordinary things that exist around them in their daily lives. Author Jim Harrison has called the film "sublime" and "simply stunning." Russell Banks has called the film "an invaluable contribution to our literature."

Reception

The film, despite having a limited release, has received very positive reviews. '' The Phoenix'' of Boston gave it 3.5 out of 4 stars, calling it “the best film about an American Poet ever made.” Ken Hanke of Mountain Xpress gave the film 4 stars, saying it was “extraordinary.”

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 1092086, Polis Is This 2007 films Documentary films about poets American documentary films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films