A Poet in New York
GenreDrama
Based onDylan Thomas
Written byAndrew Davies
Directed byAisling Walsh
Starring
Theme music composerDebbie Wiseman
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerRuth Caleb
CinematographyMartin Fuhrer
Running time
Production companyModern Television
Original release
Network
Release
  • 30 April 2014 (2014-04-30) (UK)

A Poet in New York is a British drama television film that was first broadcast, in a 60-minute version, by BBC One Wales on 30 April 2014. A longer 75-minute version was later broadcast by BBC Two on 18 May 2014. The film, written by Andrew Davies and directed by Aisling Walsh, explores how Welsh poet Dylan Thomas died in New York at the age of 39.[1][2] The film was made to mark the centenary of Thomas' birth on 27 October 1914.[2]

Cast

Production

A Poet in New York was commissioned for the BBC by Janice Hadlow, Ben Stephenson, Adrian Davies and Faith Penhale.[2] The executive producers were Griff Rhys Jones, Rob Warr, Faith Penhale and Bethan Jones.[3][4] Filming took place in Cardiff and Laugharne over 18 days.[2][5][6][7][8] Tom Hollander put on two stone in weight to play the role.[5]

Reception

Thomas expert George Tremlett did not understand why the BBC had chosen to commemorate the centenary of the poet's birth by making a film about his death.[9]

In The Guardian Stuart Jeffries wrote: "Hollander and Essie Davis as Caitlin performed well youthful concupiscence gone sour."[10] Ceri Radford, in The Daily Telegraph said: "[Hollander] made a startlingly good Thomas, while the script came from one of the few writers who could hope to do the poet justice." and "This was tragedy in the Shakespearean sense: a great man undone by one fatal weakness. ... The production was lush, lyrical and very, very funny."[11] In Financial Times, Antonia Quirke wrote: "We see so many performances based on real people ... actors faced with the gnarled question of whether to impersonate or interpret. ... Tom Hollander gives a performance finely balanced between the two approaches: terrific mimicry, but unpredictable and subtle.".[12]

References

  1. ↑ Jackson, James (4 September 2013). "Tom Hollander cast as Dylan Thomas in new drama, A Poet in New York". The Times. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "New drama by Andrew Davies to mark centenary of Dylan Thomas's birth". BBC. 23 April 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  3. ↑ Dams, Tim (4 September 2013). "Tom Hollander to play Dylan Thomas in BBC biopic". Televisual. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  4. ↑ "Tom Hollander cast as Dylan Thomas in new drama A Poet In New York". BBC. 4 September 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  5. 1 2 McCrum, Kirstie (26 April 2014). "Portrait of the poet - last days of Dylan Thomas in new BBC drama". Wales Online. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  6. ↑ Owen, Cathy (4 September 2013). "Rev star Tom Hollander cast as Dylan Thomas in new BBC drama". Wales Online. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  7. ↑ Lazarus, Susanna (4 September 2013). "Tom Hollander to play Dylan Thomas in new BBC drama". Radio Times. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  8. ↑ Jeffery, Morgan (4 September 2013). "'Rev' star Tom Hollander to play Dylan Thomas in new BBC Two drama". Digital Spy. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  9. ↑ MacGregor, Lee (25 April 2013). "Dylan Thomas expert puzzled by BBC drama on poet's New York death". South Wales Evening Post. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  10. ↑ Stuart Jeffries. "A Poet in New York; Imagine …; Wallander – TV review | Television & radio". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  11. ↑ "A Poet in New York, BBC Two: 'intoxicating'". Telegraph. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  12. ↑ Quirke, Antonia (2014-05-02). "Tom Hollander as Dylan Thomas in TV film 'A Poet in New York'". FT.com. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
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