Michelle Martinez
Department of English
Arizona State University
There are countless biographies written on Ernest Hemingway. There are many more studies of Hemingway’s life published than are essays of critical analysis on his work. American Masters adds to the list of many biographies. In its usual form, American Masters stylizes its portrayal with stunning visuals. There are graphics of archival pictures, samples of his handwritten letters and reenactments with almost too much B footage of nature scenery to help dramatize the voiceovers of Hemingway’s personal narratives and memoir. The choice of a female reader is questionable as her soft tone only acts to enforce the myth that most of his characters are versions of him, instead of their own entities. Minimally included are interviews with his son, Patrick, and a few scholars who serve more to reinforce the biography than to comment on the work itself.
I recommend this documentary to scholars of the Modernist Period due to attention paid to his days in Paris and his relationships with writers such as Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, James Joyce, and Sherwood Anderson. There are accounts of him struggling to get recognized as a writer during this period as well as mentions of his influences. A textual example of Stein’s influence, specifically her use of repetition is highlighted. It is an interesting commentary on the Paris based American writer scene in the 1920’s. I suggest that American Masters consider doing an entire piece on this period in literature: Modernist American Writers in Paris. I also invite scholars of this period to publish some new critical looks at Hemingway’s work since the majority of it was published in the 1960’s and 70’s.
During one clip in Rivers to the Sea, taken from “Monologue to the Maestro” Esquire (1936), Hemingway is asked, “ What is the best early training for a writer?” to which he answers, “An unhappy childhood.” He then finishes his an answer with an analogy about fishing. While the piece does a nice job of showing the archive of interviews, letters, and memoir of his life, it falls short by rushing through or leaving out key periods therefore reinforcing the myth that Hemingway’s characters are pure autobiography.
Rivers to the Sea ignores Hemingway’s days in Toronto and his work as a journalist, focusing almost exclusively on Europe and Cuba, exocitizing him as a jet-setting lady-killer who happened to write groundbreaking fiction. More time is spent on his first two marriages and glosses over the rest (although it would take an entire hour long feature to go there) and limits his personal turmoil to his wartime experiences. While Hemingway’s father’s suicide is mentioned briefly, it is treated as a sort of coincidence that Hemingway also committed suicide in the same way at almost the same periods in their lives. Perhaps “Returning Home” would have been a better title for American Masters’ latest homage, Ernest Hemingway: Rivers to the Sea.
Further Reading:
Hemingway by Kenneth S. Lynn
Hemingway and his World by A.E. Hotchner
Hemingway: The Grace and the Pressure by Aubrey Dillon-Malone
A Comprehensive Companion to Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast by Gerry Brenner
www.ernesthemingway.com
www.lostgeneration.com
American Masters "Ernest Hemingway:Rivers to the Sea "airs Wednesday, September 14 at 8 p.m. on Channel 8.
"IN ITS USUAL FORM, AMERICAN MASTERS STYLIZES ITS PORTRAYAL WITH STUNNING VISUALS."
