In Search of Walt Whitman (2020)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Search of Walt Whitman is a two-part documentary film which premiered in 2020.

 

The title explains the topic: this film is about the life and work of the famous American poet Walt Whitman (1819-1892). 

 

Here is some basic information about it:

 

** Writer and director: Andrew D. Kaplan

** Historical consultant: Alfred Robert Hogan

** The voice of Walt Whitman: Richard S. Rose

** Part 1 = 1 hour 27 minutes

** Part 2 = 1 hour 29 minutes

 

Four historical and literary experts are interviewed in this film. Here are the names of the participants. Listed in alphabetical order:

 

** Ed Folsom - Professor of English, University of Iowa

** Garrett Peck – Author, historian and tour guide, Washington, DC

** Kenneth M. Rice – Professor of American Literature, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

** Rosemary Winslow – Retired Associate Professor of English Literature, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC

 

This film covers the life and work of the famous American poet in great detail, from the beginning in 1819 to the end in 1892.

 

The first part covers the early years (1819-1860), while the second part covers the civil war and the years beyond (1861-1892)

 

How many poems did Walt Whitman write?

 

According to the Whitlam Archive, he published 160 poems in 48 periodicals (newspapers and magazines) from 1838 until his death in 1892.

 

A collection of his poems titled Leaves of Grass was published in several editions.

 

The first edition published in 1855 has 12 poems. Over time, the number of poems in the collection increased with each new edition.

 

The final edition published shortly before his death in 1892 has 389 poems.

 

What about his personal life? Was he married? Did he have any children? The answer to these questions is no: he was not married. He did not have any children.

 

Apparently, the famous poet was a gay man. His partner in life was Peter Doyle (1843-1907). Many people knew this. But he could not make a public announcement about this fact because of the times in which he lived. American society was not ready to accept a gay couple at that time.

 

Some indications about the fact that he loved men and not women are mentioned in his poems.

 

When these indications were discovered, some people wanted him to delete the passages which were regarded as offensive. He refused to do that.

 

Some people wanted to ban his collection Leaves of Grass because of this. But the attempt to ban the book backfired. It only made it more interesting! Sales increased after an attempt to ban the book and his poems became more famous than they were before!

 

What do reviewers say about this film?

 

On IMDb part one has a rating of 76 percent, while part two has a rating of 84 percent.

 

In my opinion, these ratings are very appropriate. I think this product deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent).

 

REFERENCES

 

Walt Whitman: A Life

By Justin Kaplan

(1980)

 

Walt Whitman’s America:

A Cultural History

By David S. Reynolds

(1995)

 

Walt Whitman: A Gay Life

By Gary Schmidgall

(1997 = hardcover)

(1998 = paperback)

 

*****

Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

and his partner in life 

Peter Doyle (1843-1907) 

 

*****

 

Leaves of Grass

by Walt Whitman

The final edition 1891-1892 

 

*****

 

 

In Search of Edgar Allan Poe (2024)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Search of Edgar Allan Poe: Meet the Man Behind the Myth is a two-part documentary film which premiered in 2024.

 

The title explains the topic: this film is about the life and work of the famous American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1949).

 

Here is some basic information about it:

 

** Writer and director: Andrew D. Kaplan

** Historical consultant: Alfred Robert Hogan

** Narrator: Stephen Shore

** The voice of Edgar Allan Poe: Paul Synowiec

** Part 1 = 1 hour 28 minutes

** Part 2 = 1 hour 38 minutes

 

Five historical and literary experts are interviewed in this film. Here are the names of the participants. Listed in alphabetical order:

 

** Jeff Jerome – Curator Emeritus, Poe House & Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

** J. Gerald Kennedy – Professor of English, Louisiana State University

** Maya Kronfeld – Assistant Professor of Literature, Duke University

** Roger McCormack – Director of Education, Edgar Allan Poe Cottage, Fordham, New York

** Chris Semtner – Curator, Poe Museum, Richmond, Virginia

 

This film covers the life and work of the famous American writer in great detail, from the beginning in 1809 to the end in 1849.

 

This film also focuses on his legacy. Many writers and scholars were inspired by Edgar Allan Poe.

 

The first part covers thirty-two years (1809-1841), while the second part covers the final seven years (1842-1849) as well as his legacy.

 

The general presentation is positive, but Edgar Allan Poe is not presented as a flawless hero. He is presented as a human being who has flaws.

 

He was, in some ways, his own worst enemy. When he faced a small problem, he often began to drink alcohol. But this was no solution. In fact, the problem only became bigger than it was before. 

 

Whenever this happened, he was fired from his job. He continued to drink alcohol until he hit rock bottom. 

 

When he was sober, he had a better personality and he was more productive.

 

The famous poet is often described as a sad person with a dark outlook on life. If this is true, he had many reasons to be sad. In his short life, he faced many problems and he suffered many losses:

 

** His father David Poe abandoned the family in 1810

** His mother Elizabeth Arnold Poe died in 1811

** When he became an orphan, he lived with a foster family, but he was never adopted by this family

** Jane Standard, the mother of a childhood friend, died in 1824

** His brother Henry died in 1831

** His foster mother Frances Allan died in 1829

** His foster father John Allan died in 1834

** In 1826, he was secretly engaged to a young woman named Sarah Elmira Royster. But her father was opposed to this alliance. She married another man in 1828. In 1849, when they were both single, they met again and they were engaged again. He died just ten days before the planned wedding

** He married his young cousin Virginia in 1836. She was taken ill by tuberculosis in 1842. Having suffered for five years, she died in 1847

** Having worked as an editor on several literary journals, he had for many years dreamed of starting his own journal. In 1846, he was finally able to fulfill his dream, but only for a short while. He was unable to finance the project and it had to be abandoned after a few months

 

What do reviewers say about this film?

 

On IMDb it has a rating of 77 percent. A review by J. Zimmerman offers 70 percent, while a review by Jason Knight offers a rating of 80 percent.

 

In my opinion, these ratings are very appropriate. I think this product deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent).

 

Four locations

 

Edgar Allan Poe Cottage

** Fordham, New York

** Opened as a museum in 1913

 

Edgar Allan Poe Museum

** Richmond, Virginia

** Established in 1922

 

Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum

** Baltimore, Maryland

** Established in 1949

 

Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site

** Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

** Opened as a museum in 1980

 

Two reviews

 

Jason Knight, “In Search of Edgar Allan Poe: Film Review,” UK Film Review, 24 August 2024

 

J. Zimmerman, “In Search of Edgar Allan Poe: Meet the Man Behind the Myth,” Video Librarian, 28 March 2025

 

Four biographies

 

Edgar Allan Poe:

His Life and Legacy

By Jeffrey Meyers

(1992 = hardcover)

(2000 = paperback)

 

Poe: A Life Cut Short

By Peter Ackroyd

(2009)

 

The Oxford Handbook of Edgar Allan Poe

Edited by J. Gerald Kennedy and Scott Peeples

(2018)

 

Edgar Allan Poe: A Life

By Richard Kopley

(2025)                                               

 

*****

 

The famous American writer

Edgar Allan Poe

(1809-1949) 

On his shoulder, you can see a cat

He was a cat lover

In the background, you can see his wife

Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe

(1822-1847) 

 

*****