The Bells (Short)
Jeremiah Kipp has adapted Edgar Allen Poe before (in his terrific 2014 short, “Bernice”). During lockdown during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, he has done so again, this time with “The Bells.” This is not a typical adaptation, however, but rather, a series of dramatic readings of the text done over Zoom. It’s an experiment from creative artists wanting to create during a time where they are not able to in a traditional manner, and it is well worth spending 6 minutes to watch.
Kipp has chosen excerpts from Alexandre Desplat’s score for “The Tree of Life” to underscore this reading, and it’s a thrilling decision that emphasizes the emotions coming through the performances of the texts by the actors, whose names are on their respective video. We feel the excitement and joy of the opening lines, only for the tone to get darker and more filled with dread and despair as the poem moves along. It’s a fulfilling dramatic work, riveting to watch and experience, capable of cutting through the unorthodox settings to hit us right in the soul, as all great art is capable of. It may be one of my favorite film experiences of the year.
The Bells – Actors read – JK – Coronavirus March 2020 from Beautiful Lady Productions, Inc on Vimeo.
