Arthur Rimbaud

Etienne Faure's biographical documentary examines the life and writings of French poet Arthur Rimbaud (1854-91). Rimbaud, for those unfamiliar with his work, was the 19th-century French literary equivalent of a rock legend: a blazing young talent who burst on the scene with a fireball of creative energy, only to burn out fast and die at a fairly early age. Rimbaud's meteoric output began with his first professionally published poem at 16, but by the age of 20 he stopped writing poetry altogether and would later declare of his work: “All of that was just pig swill.” His adulthood was spent traveling the globe, taking odd jobs across Europe and Asia, before becoming a coffee merchant and gun runner in Ethiopia until his untimely death from cancer. Faure spends a great deal of time detailing Rimbaud's scandalous affair with fellow poet Paul Verlaine, which ended rather badly (Verlaine, in a jealous rage, shot Rimbaud in the wrist and was later jailed, even though Rimbaud sought to have the criminal charges dropped). Rimbaud's writing is represented here through a diverse lineup of admirers reading his verse aloud. Some choices are inspired, such as Parisian Mayor Bertrand Delanoë and Oscar-winning playwright Christopher Hampton, while others seems a little strange (a schoolboy in Warsaw, a male stripper in Montreal). All told, however, this is an unusual tribute to an unusual talent. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)