Walt Whitman

Apr 14, 2008

1h 49m

★ 5.0

Overview

This American Experience tells Whitman's life story, from his working-class childhood in Long Island, to his years as a newspaper reporter in Brooklyn when he struggled to support his impoverished family, then to his reckless pursuit of the attention and affection he craved for his work, to his death in 1892.

Genres

Documentary

History

Production Companies

PBS American Experience

PBS

GBH

Hidden Hill Productions

Walt Whitman Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Narrator (voice)

J.K. Simmons

Walt Whitman (voice)

Chris Cooper

Self (archive footage)

Walt Whitman

In the summer of 1863, General Robert E. Lee leads the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia into Gettysburg, Pennsylvania with the goal of marching through to Washington, D.C. The Union Army of the Potomac, under the command of General George G. Meade, forms a defensive position to confront the rebel forces in what will prove to be the decisive battle of the American Civil War.

7.1

The Doors

Mar 1, 1991

The story of the famous and influential 1960s rock band and its lead singer and composer, Jim Morrison.

7.5

Glory

Dec 15, 1989

Robert Gould Shaw leads the US Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices of both his own Union army and the Confederates.

5.6

House of Seven Belles

Jan 1, 1979

The seven sisters of the outcast LeFleur family try to survive in a post-Civil War Deep South. The movie was unable to be completed, thus, it may be left to the viewer to imagine the ending to his screeching, sinful epic.

0.0

Miguel Ramón Utrera

Jan 1, 1991

Documentary about the poet Miguel Ramón Utrera.

7.0

Who's Afraid of Kathy Acker?

Jan 1, 2007

Documentary tracing the extreme life of outlaw writer, performance artist and punk icon, Kathy Acker. Through animation, archival footage, interviews and dramatic reenactments, director Barbara Caspar explores Acker's colorful history, from her well-heeled upbringing to her role as the scribe of society's fringe.

6.3

Gods and Generals

Feb 21, 2003

The film centers mostly around the personal and professional life of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, a brilliant if eccentric Confederate general, from the outbreak of the American Civil War until its halfway point.

6.1

The Bad Poet

May 20, 2021

1936. Giovanni Comini, the youngest Federal in Fascist Italy, is summoned to Rome for a delicate mission: to surveil aging national poet Gabriele D'Annunzio, whose increasingly restless behavior Mussolini fears could damage his alliance with Nazi Germany. However, after spending time with D'Annunzio, Comini finds himself torn between loyalty to the Party and his fascination with the poet, who will put his burgeoning career at risk.

0.0

BURNING OUT

Nov 13, 2022

A short film, based on a series of poems, about childhood, the break with parental, and war.

No Image Available

6.5

Fried Shoes Cooked Diamonds

Oct 1, 1979

After World War II a group of young writers, outsiders and friends who were disillusioned by the pursuit of the American dream met in New York City. Associated through mutual friendships, these cultural dissidents looked for new ways and means to express themselves. Soon their writings found an audience and the American media took notice, dubbing them the Beat Generation. Members of this group included writers Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg. a trinity that would ultimately influence the works of others during that era, including the "hippie" movement of the '60s. In this 55-minute video narrated by Allen Ginsberg, members of the Beat Generation (including the aforementioned Burroughs, Anne Waldman, Peter Orlovsky, Amiri Baraka, Diane Di Prima, and Timothy Leary) are reunited at Naropa University in Boulder, CO during the late 1970's to share their works and influence a new generation of young American bohemians.

5.9

The Birth of a Nation

Mar 8, 1915

Two families, abolitionist Northerners the Stonemans and Southern landowners the Camerons, intertwine. When Confederate colonel Ben Cameron is captured in battle, nurse Elsie Stoneman petitions for his pardon. In Reconstruction-era South Carolina, Cameron founds the Ku Klux Klan, battling Elsie's congressman father and his African-American protégé, Silas Lynch.

7.1

Finding Forrester

Dec 21, 2000

Gus Van Sant tells the story of a young African American man named Jamal who confronts his talents while living on the streets of the Bronx. He accidentally runs into an old writer named Forrester who discovers his passion for writing. With help from his new mentor Jamal receives a scholarship to a private school.

1.0

A Fanatic Heart: Geldof On Yeats

Apr 3, 2016

A biography of the poet W. B. Yeats and his contribution to the Irish independence movement as a Protestant nationalist.

7.3

Cyrano de Bergerac

Mar 28, 1990

Famed swordsman and poet Cyrano de Bergerac is in love with his cousin Roxane. He has never expressed his love for her as he his large nose undermines his self-confidence. Then he finds a way to express his love to her, indirectly.

9.0

Inger Christensen - The cicadas exist

Mar 9, 1998

In this portrait film, we meet Inger Christensen in her apartment in Østerbro, Copenhagen, where she tells of her life and work, and reads excerpts from her major works.

6.2

The Edge of Love

Jun 20, 2008

When the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and his flirtatious wife Caitlin sweep into war-torn London, the last thing they expect is to bump into Dylan's childhood sweetheart Vera. Despite her joy at seeing Dylan after so many years, Vera is swept off her feet by a dashing officer, William Killick, and finds herself torn between the open adoration of her new found beau and the wily charms of the exotic Welshman.

0.0

The Music of Life

Dec 1, 2009

Eldar Ryazanov reads his poetry. An introspective movie on his multifaceted work.

8.0

The Language of Trees

Jan 1, 1983

An exploration on Paz's poetry by Paz himself, his childhood, his ideas about love and the nature of art

1.0

Pir Sultan Abdal

Jan 1, 1973

The film tells the story of Pir Sultan Abdal, a famous folk poet in Turkey, who criticized some Ottoman governors, Hizir Pasha in particular and as a result was hung by him.

8.0

Manic Magic: a Poem in Four Parts

Feb 4, 2025

A poem about mania written by Omar Zefier. His second film.

Walt Whitman

Overview

Genres

Production Companies

Walt Whitman Trailers