Dylan Thomas, whose surname was borrowed by someone born Zimmerman, was a weaver of words. He wrote a radio play, not a film script. If you have the DVD, put on your blindfold or turn your back to the wall. The visual elements, although they merge well enough with a faithful adaptation of Thomas' words, add little and tend to distract.
If you insist on watching, there are some irrelevant treats. It's good to see Elizabeth Taylor playing a scrubber (of a floor). The casting director must have had a sense of humour to give David Jason, not the most authentic of Welshmen, the Onanistic part of Nogood Boyo.
Sometimes a verbal work is enriched when embedded in pictures. Not so with 'Under Milk Wood'. Thomas demands attention with the ears, not the eyes. This film is a worthy but misguided attempt to bring the work of a great writer to people who can't be bothered to read or listen.
Dylan Thomas knew best: this is 'a play for voices'.
If you insist on watching, there are some irrelevant treats. It's good to see Elizabeth Taylor playing a scrubber (of a floor). The casting director must have had a sense of humour to give David Jason, not the most authentic of Welshmen, the Onanistic part of Nogood Boyo.
Sometimes a verbal work is enriched when embedded in pictures. Not so with 'Under Milk Wood'. Thomas demands attention with the ears, not the eyes. This film is a worthy but misguided attempt to bring the work of a great writer to people who can't be bothered to read or listen.
Dylan Thomas knew best: this is 'a play for voices'.