Quest for Truth

CULTURE Cinema/TV STORY Loren King Quest for Truth

Two new documentaries founding artistic director of Shakespeare & Company in Cynthia Nixon PHOTO Loren King with LGBT subtexts Lenox, Massachusetts, both of whom are also intrigued but created such a nice room sections of it. That’s the think are essential viewing not convinced. for her, rather than a back about Emily Dickinson: when Eagan-Donovan, who bedroom for an unmarried she reaches you, you really received a grant from the daughter. That spoke volumes feel like she’s speaking to you Flamboyant nobleman, Shakespeare Fellowship about the way he viewed his directly. Her vocabulary is poet and unabashed bisexual Foundation, optioned the book daughters, that no matter what large and her poems are dense Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl “Shakespeare By Another the life choice was, she’d have a and subjects very weighty but of Oxford and among the first Name: The Life of Edward really nice room with enor- they’re so spare that children to compose love poetry at the de Vere, Earl of Oxford, The mous, beautiful windows.” can get the gist of many of Elizabethan court, is believed Man Who Was Shakespeare” Nixon, who recites many of them.” by some scholars and histo- by Mark Anderson who Dickinson’s poems in the film, Similarly, Davies discovered rians to be the “real” William devoted more than a decade to said Davies ofered the role to Dickinson early on. “When I Shakespeare. researching the life of Edward her and “reportedly wrote it was 18 and a lowly bookkeeper, Local filmmaker Cheryl de Vere. with me in mind. I have identi- the local radio station did a Eagan-Donovan, founder and Her film focuses on the fied with Emily Dickinson 15-minute documentary on president of the aptly named 18-month period when De since I was a kid,” she says. her and it was Claire Bloom Controversy Films, has herself Vere escaped the confines of “She and I have a lot in com- reading her poetry. I ran out entered the controversy with life at Elizabeth’s Court and mon: we’re both so much about and bought [a book], never her second feature documen- traveled throughout Italy and connection; we’re kind of thinking I would go into the tary “Nothing is Truer Than Europe from his home base anti-presentational, both of us. arts much less make a film the Truth.” It profiles De Vere in Venice. In London, De Vere We have a love-hate relation- about her.” and gives voice to those who associated with a circle of ship with attention. We can Davies acknowledges that champion him—a movement poets, many of them gay, notes be emotionally volatile. She is “A Quiet Passion” manages that’s been around since the Eagan-Donovan, adding that so strong; I don’t think I’m as the daunting task of creat- 1920s—as the true author of although married, De Vere disciplined to live the kind of ing drama from a woman’s many of the plays and son- had mistresses and when he life she lived. interior life. “It doesn’t matter nets which he wrote under a returned from Italy, it was in “She’s not graceful. I’m not in the slightest if you never pseudonym and which were the company of a young male graceful and I don’t have much go anywhere if you have that subsequently attributed to singer. “I consider him a male interest in being graceful. It inner life. But there was also Shakespeare. version of Dorothy Parker,” just seems disingenuous to me. inner conflict,” he says, noting “It’s risky; only a few she says. “He had a wicked wit; I am interested in conveying that Dickinson wrestled with [experts] publicly support” the he was known to exaggerate what I think, not looking lovely her religious beliefs until, theory, says Eagan-Donovan. and spin tales. He was quite a while I do it.” finally, she concluded, rather One of the subjects in her film character.” Nixon says she was influ- painfully, that there was no who is on record as a De Vere Those in the De Vere camp enced as a child by Julie Harris afterlife. proponent is out actor Sir believe the plays could have as Dickinson in a television “That was very hard,” he Derek Jacobi, a member of the been written only by someone version of “The Belle of says, “because then there was Royal Shakespeare Company, with a high level of education, Amherst.” no comfort. I was brought up whom Eagan-Donovan met knowledge of the aristocracy “My mother was a big fan Catholic and I was devout but through his partner, Richard and the arts, and who likely of both Emily Dickinson and I [also] think there’s nothing. Cliford. She also interviewed traveled extensively through Julie Harris,” she says. “We In fact, my manager said, ‘This Oscar- and Tony-winner Europe where many of the had a record of Julie Harris is your most autobiographical Mark Rylance (who is on the plays are set. All of this is reading some of the poems and film.’ And he’s right. A posthu- fence about De Vere); artis- true of De Vere but not the most famous letters so it really mous reputation—what good is tic director of the American man assumed to be Shake- got in my head very early. I that?” [x] Repertory Theater Diane speare, who was born in inadvertently memorized Paulus; and Tina Packer, the

62| BOSTON SPIRIT Edward De Vere Bill Genovese in the documentary “The Witness”

Stratford-Upon-Avon to a fam- be screening her film for one of ily of unremarkable status. his classes). Production began “Nothing is Truer Than the in 2010 and the following year Truth” screened at the Boston Egan-Donovan traveled to Public Library in November locations in Italy, including as part of ongoing exhibits Verona, Padua and Venice. and events to mark the 400th Last year, she shot in London anniversary of William including footage at Westmin- Shakespeare’s death. Eagan- ster Abbey. Donovan is now in the process of applying to film festivals ‘Witness’ on PBS and editing a broadcast cut Kitty Genovese for possible airing on the BBC. If there’s a sadder story than A screening of the film is set the infamous murder of Kitty for Jan. 10 and 11 at Deerfield Genovese in Queens, New with news that Kitty was dead and some did try to help). Bill Academy in Deerfield, Mass. York, in 1964, it might be that and then proceeded to harshly Genovese himself talks with a Eagan-Donovan, who also of Mary Ann Zielonko, Kitty’s question her. Zielonko reveals now-elderly woman who was teaches screenwriting and lover and the woman who that her own life fell apart after Kitty’s friend in the building film at Lesley University and identified Kitty’s body that Kitty was killed and how, at and who came to Kitty’s aid as Northeastern University and March night. Kitty’s funeral, the Genovese she lay bleeding to death in the will screen the film at both In the 2016 documentary family shunned her, even later hallway. sites this winter, sees her “The Witness,” which had a taking the dog that belonged to The compelling film is documentary as an education theatrical run and will air on the couple. It’s a heartbreak- directed by James Soloman tool. PBS, Kitty Genovese’s brother ing, little-known sidebar to a but this is Bill Genovese’s “It’s controversial but to Bill, who was 16 at the time story that’s captured headlines story: he is the witness of the focus it on schools and to of her death, tries to make for more than 50 years. title, a man whose own life include discussion is a great sense of his sister’s murder by The story provoked inter- was forever changed and who, way to talk about sexuality and revisiting the crime and talk- national outrage after the rather than being a passive bullying, since many kids are ing to people who knew her. New York Times claimed 38 bystander, remained a loving bullied because of anxiety over In his of-camera interview witnesses did nothing as Kitty brother and a vigilant investi- sex and gender roles,” she says. with Zielonko, she describes was being repeatedly stabbed gator determined to under- Eagan-Donovan was first how she and Kitty met in on the deserted street as she stand his sister and honor her introduced to De Vere in the Greenwich Village; their life returned home from her job memory. [x] late ‘90s by professor Don together in the Kew Gardens as a bartender. The “38 wit- “The Witness” airs Monday, January Ostrowski while taking a his- neighborhood of Queens; and nesses” story has since been 23, at 10 on WGBH Boston. tory course at Harvard (she’ll the night the police awoke her debunked (there were far less

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