SET FIRE TO THE STARS (2014)

John Malcolm Brinnin

One of the 2014 Edinburgh International Film Festival's biggest movies is Andy Goddard's Set Fire to the Stars. It gets it's international debut here in the Scottish capital. This has been the one movie I was most excited for this year and damn.

Dylan Thomas was a poet and writer, born in Swansea, Wales, whose works include Do not go gentle into the good night, And death shall have no dominion and Love in the Asylum (this was the one featured in the film).

He was a journalist at the age of 16 and whilst his articles appeared in prints, it was his publication of Light breaks where no sun shines, in 1934, that caught the attention of the literary world and began his career. He was an alcoholic and in 1950 he traveled to America, where his reckless behavior and drinking only worsened.

Goddard's film, Set Fire to the Stars, is based on Dylan's time in 1950's New York and follows his personal and professional relationship with his tour-agent, for America, John M. Brinnin who sets out to try and save the hell-raising, alcohol lover that was once his hero. It's rough ground for the director as, not only is it his first feature film, it's also a difficult task to be handling and a concept that has the potential to erupt into flames and just sprawl everywhere in mass chaos. Luckily, though, it doesn't. From the film's opening, right through to the end, you can tell that Goddard is a natural director, the way he makes everything work.

Shot in beautiful monochrome digital by cinematographer Chris Seager, the film has a classy look and feel to it and really does take you back to the olden days of the 50's! The theme and black-and-white touch to everything can, at first, be slightly off-putting but put it to some cracking music from Gruff Rhys and it all links together beautifully to make the whole scene feel natural and fit right in. Rhys' tunes feature heavily in this film and they are soothing and smashing all the way through. Everything is chilled and groooooovy.

Elijah Wood is Brinnin with Celyn Jones as Thomas and the duo fit perfectly in this old fashioned world, with their constant smoking and their sassy fashion; they could have easily belonged in that era. Their on-screen chemistry is just splendid and it makes their meticulous and challenging bromance believable and bolder as the pair of acquaintances, with very opposite ideals, tackle problem after problem after problem.

The acting from Wood is brilliant. He excels as the classy, aspiring poet wanting to save his hero from drowning in his alcohol addiction and depression. He really delivers and makes his equivocal character truly believable. We can feel and relate to his character's emotion. Also, Wood knows how to rock the 50's look!

As good as Elijah is, though, it is Jones that steals the show. He pours genuine emotion into his role and he is able to convey Dylan's buoyant personality in a magnificent manner and we really do feel towards his lost, misunderstood character.

The duo are at the heart of the film and share some memorable scenes, my favorite being when the two sit in a boat against some jaw-droppingly gorgeous scenery to some ace score from Rhys, although there is a rather excellent scene with Kevin Eldon's Stanley Hyman and Shirley Henderson's Shirley Hyman in which Brinnin tells a tale from his childhood and just the way it is done, it's silently moving and powerful.

Set Fire to the Stars is a film brimming with ingenuity that is utterly compelling and a very memorable piece of cinema that is classy, fun and, on the whole, mesmerizing. A masterpiece from Goddard.

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Emotionally charged and precisely executed, Set Fire to the Stars utilizes subtext and poetry to go deeper into a true story. The film follows the story of John Malcolm Brinnin (Elijah Wood) as he attempts to keep the acclaimed and infamous poet Dylan Thomas (Celyn Jones) under control during his tour of America. Being black and white, and with various poetry readings punctuated throughout, this film initially gives off a distinctly artsy vibe that might be off-putting to some audiences, but the performances from Wood and Jones sustain the rhythm throughout. The story can be seen as a more substantial Get Him to the Greek, just with less rambling pontification from a drunken Englishman. In reality, this is more about the friendship between Brinnin and Thomas than the logistics of the reading tour, or the poetry itself.

Although a main feature and no doubt a tool of storytelling, Thomas' poetry is performed more sparingly than one might expect. Rather, the interpersonal relationship between the two is used to display the demons within both of them. Wood and Jones' performances are captivating and at some points chilling, particularly during Wood's soliloquy-style ghost story of childhood and mortality. The supporting cast includes Steven Mackintosh, Shirley Henderson and Kevin Eldon, who give sound performances, but are outshone by the two main characters.

The landscape of rural Connecticut (although filmed almost entirely in Wales) is complemented by being in black and white, and fills the elongated pauses with breathtaking visual moments. The score also perfectly accompanies the story with its ethereal tones. Director Andy Goddard integrates these elements well, striking a perfect balance between story and character.

Even with any prior knowledge of or interest in Dylan Thomas, this film is captivating and moving. The performances of his poems are striking and poignant, and bring new meaning to well-known words. If you're looking for a biography of the poet from his childhood to his tumultuous career, this is not the movie for you. But if you're looking for an insight into his madness and genius, you might find this to be an interesting watch.

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It's obviously a mere fortuitous coincidence but this weekend you have double the chance to get inspired by the lyrical words of legendary Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and hopefully get a hitch to read his work again or maybe discover it for the first time. If you most likely are going to see Interstellar you'll notice Sir Michael Caine repeatedly recite Thomas' famous poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night", practically summing up one of the film's main themes. Then ideally your poetic palate should be tickled hence you need to know that Set Fire To The Stars, a stylish flick that captures a pivotal moment in Dylan Thomas' life, is out in cinemas this weekend as well.

In 1950 the celebrated poet visited America for the first time, doing a tour of art centers and campuses to perform readings of his work. He was the guest of Harvard graduate and aspiring poet John M. Brinnin who was trying to emerge within the hard-to-breach elite of New York academia. However, his task wasn't as easy or fun as hosting your idol may sound like and despite having been warned about Thomas' "difficult" behavior, Brinnin was overly excited at the prospect of spending time with his hero. It didn't take long though for Thomas to reveal his true colors. The poet was a troubled man with neglected health issues, no money, a drinking problem and a disastrously complex relationship with his equally drunken wife who remained back home.

After Thomas starts showing the first signs of his over-the-top, drunken, ragey self at post-readings parties, Brinnin quickly realizes the man can't be dealt with roaming in and out of hotel rooms in New York City where temptations abound. And so, before accompanying him to speak at the big American ivy-league institutions, Brinnin takes the dragging drunken mess of a man to a boathouse in Connecticut where he hopes that some sort of retreat in the midst of nature might help the overwhelmed and overwhelming artist recover.

It will not be a vacation for Brinnin who has practically become Thomas' nurse and confidante, besides already being his benefactor and butler. But the time spent away from the city is bound to at least open up the wounds and bring these two men closer together and become true friends, although not without some tension-filled cathartic moments along the way. As you may have inferred, we're in "don't meet your heroes" cautionary tale territory here. And yet, I think the morale is that you probably want to meet them and find out they're just human like you and that all your insecurities and self-loathing can be overcome.

Set Fire To The Stars (a line from Thomas' poem "Love In The Asylum") is an actors' film and it's a two-men-show by the irresistibly talented Elijah Wood in the role of John M. Brinnin and Celyn Jones as Dylan Thomas. Their chemistry is perfect and albeit the material might've been more fitting for the stage, they're still a pleasure to watch. Wood keeps choosing such interesting and diverse projects showing great commitment to the craft rather than a paycheck whilst Jones, who also co-wrote the film's script with director Andy Goddard impresses quite a bit portraying such a tormented man in clear need of relief.

Almost a character in itself is the film's gorgeous black and white cinematography that doesn't feel at all like a mere stylistic choice for its own sake but a well guessed one to heighten the story's mood. Especially when the characters drive to Connecticut, the beauty of the fall landscape typical of that region leaps off the screen despite the lack of colors and it's jaw-dropping. Director Andy Goddard who's started on television with hits like Downton Abbey and Once Upon A Time, marks his feature film debut, showing visual promise and confidence in leading his cast.

The film won't be everyone's cup as the script feels like it would've been more functional as a theater play but as a semi-biopic has the merit of focusing on a specific event that defined a brilliant literary figure rather than trying to surrogate his entire life in two hours. It will most likely delight those who are familiar with Dylan Thomas but might feel too academic and not that accessible to the average viewer as it can become a bit repetitive in the middle section. Still it's a fascinating watch that can propel the uninitiated to discover one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century and a relative connoisseur like me to dust off his university tomes and get deeper into what academia didn't spend enough time on.

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