LOVE SOMEHOW : (CAITLIN MACNAMARA THOMAS DRAMA) MISTRESS MANIFESTO FILM REVIEW

The film LOVE SOMEHOW is an unconventional composition, a monologue of about half an hour.  It presents the widowed wife of Dylan Thomas, Caitlin Macnamara Thomas, as well performed by actress Sally George.  The film is full of beautiful images of Wales and the exterior of the rather ramshackle house the couple lived in.  (I'm not sure the interior shots were done in this house.) Caitlin tells that she was a dancer, following in the footsteps of Isadora Duncan*, and met Dylan in Paris in a bar. He searched her eyes and put his head on her lap. You could say love at first sight.  She is portrayed as boozing herself.  She mentions that he lies, and lies, and lies. What was her reason for staying with him?  Love.

Here is some information on Dylan Thomas and his wife from various other sources.

Caitlin Macnamara was born in 1913 and died in 1994.

The couple married in 1937 and stayed married until his death in 1953.  He broke her heart before he died, it seems repeatedly. They both had affairs. After he died, she gave up drinking and moved to Italy.  She also authored a book called Leftover Life to Kill.

It seems to me that being married to a genius has some difficulties, a famous genius even more. This was never a sober relationship and so her choice to give up drinking and face life without a substance in her system came after this marriage.

I notice that there have been many Dylan Thomas inspired films in recent years, including one called A poet in New York (circa 2012) which perhaps portrays our Mistress of the Month, Pearl Kazin  There is also another film called Set Fire to the Stars with a focus on Dylan Thomas in New York, the Big Apple.  Ditto. Should I get to see one or both of these films, I will try to include my review or what I learned in this blog.

Missy