Cynthia Nixon Stars as Poet Emily Dickinson in Trailer for A Quiet Passion

Posted on August 21, 2016

Cynthia Nixon stars in the first trailer for A Quiet Passion a biopic of one of the U.S.'s most talented poets, Emily Dickinson (1830-1886). Although an edited version of her poetry was published four years after her death in 1890, it wasn't until the 1950s until the full breadth and depth of her talent was revealed when the unabridged, full versions of her poetry were released. Dickinson herself asked that her poems be burned after her death, but her sister had the good sense to ignore those wishes as she was a truly superb talent.

Ms. Dickinson's life story is not an easy one to put on film. For much of her life, she suffered from illness and she suffered great grief from all the deaths of friends and family. She eventually became a recluse, speaking to people through the door of her bedroom. She died at the very young age of 55 from heart failure, most likely brought on by high blood pressure and failing kidneys, for which there was no treatment at the time.

The film was directed by the brilliant Terence Davies and also stars Keith Carradine as Emily's father who founded Amherst College, and Jennifer Ehle as her sister who was close to Emily her entire life. From the trailer it appears that Davies has captured some of Ms. Dickinson's wit and the beauty of her words.

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