This is one of the best things Dennis Hopper ever did, rivaling all of his other great performances.
Incidentally, this is a poem my grandmother (on the O’Malley side) loved and also knew by heart. My cousin Mike has a framed copy of it on his desk. Once when Mike emailed all of the O’Malley aunts and uncles and cousins (our number reaches the level of a small Army unit) to invite us to a gathering at an inn in Vermont, he gave us instructions on when we should arrive. He told us that if we did NOT comply, we would be forced to recite Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If” for the group. Terrified of this prospect, we all arrived at the appointed time.
Dennis Hopper probably would have arrived late on purpose so he could recite the poem for us.
What a riveting riveting performance.
Brilliant! I found this mesmerising. I have to confess to never having grasped poetry. A former colleague feels the same way and if we had to put on a poetry event at work we had a running joke that we were both like James Corden’s character in Alan Bennett’s play The History Boys. When the teacher says during a lesson, “It’s time for poetry now” Corden’s character would hit his head on his desk and shout “Oh no!!”
Perhaps I would appreciate it more if it was all recited by Dennis Hopper.
Weird fact: the line about triumph and disaster is displayed in the players’ lounge at Wimbledon. The BBC shows it every year on its finals day coverage.
Abigail – wow, I love the Wimbledon detail!
I think I’ve always been open to poetry since my parents read it out loud to us from our earliest days. “The Golden Book of Poetry” was a staple in our house (and still is a staple for nieces and nephews). Both parents were big poetry readers – and my 75 year old mother is currently taking a poetry course!
So we were kind of raised in it. I was “ready” for it when it started being taught to me in high school.
Sheila – I’m impressed that your mother is taking a poetry course! I hope she’s enjoying it. You’re right, I think it helps if you’ve heard poetry read aloud from childhood as it really brings it alive. I realise that I’m missing out on a lot. Perhaps it’s not too late to catch up!
I love this poem and I love his rendition of it. I keep a journal and I’ve written it out in my journal more than once. I like poetry that’s clear and easily accessible and I prefer poetry that actually rhymes. Simple things make me happy. Like this season of Supernatural.
// Simple things make me happy. Like this season of Supernatural. //
I am so with you on this. Looking forward to tonight’s ep!
I love that you love this poem too.
Lovely reading. The man who did True Grit and Easy Rider in the same year could do anything!
Must say that, in my very Scottish father’s house, the reward for memorizing “If” was knowing that you didn’t break the chain. It was enough.
// The man who did True Grit and Easy Rider in the same year could do anything! //
Seriously.
did he skip the line….”if you can wait and not be tired by waiting”