Robert Bly: A Thousand Years of Joy

Now in his 90th year, poet Robert Bly is an often contradictory figure. Growing up in the heartland of rural Minnesota, Bly indulged his love for literature early, reading Persian poetry while riding a tractor on the family farm, where he was raised by a sometimes distant, alcoholic father. Filmmaker Haydn Reiss's documentary portrait looks at Bly's exuberant attempts to explore one's inner life while "undoing damaged language." Bly's poetry readings were marked by his elaborate hand gestures, and often accompanied by music. Bly rejected the formal academic traditions of 1950s American poetry, in favor of passionate, image-centered language, finding inspiration in Latin American poet Pablo Neruda, as well as the mythic poetry of Europe and Asia's past. During the 1960s, Bly's life took a political turn, when he held readings and rallies protesting the Vietnam War. Later, Bly found unlikely, unexpected, and controversial success with the publication of the 1990 bestselling book Iron John, which drew from Freud, Jung, myths, and oral traditions, urging men to reclaim their inner selves. Some women detected a threat, while various media outlets mocked Bly's meetings with men in woodsy retreats, where they often wore masks and beat drums. Bly has won many admirers, although it's suggested here that his anti-war activities prevented him from being named America's poet laureate. In spite of advancing age, detractors, and what one observer feels is his diminishing optimism, Bly continues to experiment with poetic forms. With appreciative comments from actors Martin Sheen and Mark Rylance and poet Gary Snyder, this is an engaging study of a lion in winter. Extras include readings by Bly and bonus interview footage. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)