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Mahmoud Darwich
- As the Land is the Language
Simone Bitton
In the powerful
documentary "Mahmoud Darwich,"
Simone Bitton interviews the famed Palestinian
poet about his art, life, and relationship
with his homeland.
Bitton explores
the connection between the poet and the
land of which he writes but has not been
allowed to visit. His life and the development
of his art is retraced, from his experience
as a young man living in Jerusalem, to exile
in Beirut and Tunis, where he became an
active supporter of the Palestinian Liberation
Organization, and finally to Paris, where
he currently resides and cloisters himself
in his work.
It is sometimes
difficult for Westerners to imagine the
huge popularity poets enjoy in the Arab
world. From the Middle East to North Africa,
poetry is considered a living art that should
be performed on stage by the authors themselves.
When the great Arab poet Mahmoud Darwich
recites his poems in Cairo, Beirut or Algiers
(or even in Paris and London), packed crowds
come to mouth the verse with him.
This film
traces Darwich's path of exile from Palestine,
sets out to understand this popular fervor
and share the emotion distilled by Darwich’s
words and inimitable rhythm. It not only
allows the viewer to appreciate his work
in its totality, but also places it in a
political, historical and cultural context.
Readings
of Darwich's work by the poet himself are
set against scenes of the Palestinian countryside
and serve to highlight the way in which
the land is conjured up and recreated in
the verse of this highly creative and troubled
artist.
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