I recently watched the movie Sylvia, the story of the turmoil life that was Sylvia Plath’s. Having recently read The Bell Jar for book club I found myself fascinated with the woman behind the words.
The movie is mainly about Plath’s life at the point that Ted Hughes (eventual husband) comes into her life. The start of their time together is much like a fairy tale of fun romance from meeting each other, to Ted tossing small rocks at her window at night. It appears to be the start of something beautiful. However, soon Sylvia finds herself struggling to write the poems she is known for and becomes more and more consumed with her husbands doings.
I really enjoyed seeing this side of the Sylvia Plath story. No, enjoyed doesn’t sound right…. I really appreciated being able to see this side of the story. Having read The Bell Jar and knowing the little bit that I knew about Sylvia and her life, this really pieced things together between the strange passion of the book, and the flame that burned inside Sylvia herself.
When I went on-line I was fascinated to see how many books are out centered around either Sylvia’s writing, or her life as well as her husband Ted’s.
Ariel’s Gift: Ted Hughes, Sylvia Plath and The Story Of The Birthday Letters
Birthday Letters: Poems by Ted Hughes
The unabridged Journal of Sylvia Plath
The Collected Poems by Sylvia Plath
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Letters Home: Correspondence by Sylvia Plath
Crossing The Water by Sylvia Plath
On February 11th, 1963, Sylvia Plath committed suicide. She was found dead in her kitchen having inhaled gas from her oven.
A year later Ted Hughes oversaw the publication of her last manuscript of poems. The collection, ‘Ariel’ became one of the most celebrated and widely read books of poetry of the 20th century,and made Sylvia an icon for generations of readers.
In 1998, Ted Hughes broke a thirty year silence about Sylvia with the publication of ‘Birthday Letters’, a series of poems telling the story of their relationship. He died of cancer a few weeks later.
Overall I would say this is a wonderful companion to The Bell Jar.
I rented the movie Sylvia through Netflix
Book Journey 
Thanks for this. My daughter studied Sylvia Plath this year and I’m going to share this with her.
Sure Shari, I think this will be a great addition to what she has studied.
When I was younger, I was a bit obsessed with Sylvia Plath and I’ve read almost all the biographies written about her (at least all those published before 2000) plus her letters and journals, etc. I unfortunately didn’t like the movie that much, but maybe that’s because (a) I’m not a fan of Gwyneth Paltrow and (b) I already knew so much about Sylvia’s life… Glad you enjoyed it, anyway!
That could be avisannschild, I have not read a lot about Sylvia Plath and The Bell Jar is really my only dabble into her writing. 😀
Sounds really good. I’ll have to see if I can find the movie and the book.
Hope you have a nice weekend,
Natalie :0)
The book should be at the library and I found the movie on Netflix Natalie 😀
I have this movie, but haven’t watched it for awhile. I think I’ll pull it out this weekend….
I hope you do Laurel – let me know if you do! 😀
I’d never heard of this movie … but sat there and watched the entire trailer. I don’t know if I thought of Gwyneth Paltrow as Syvia Plath but I guess she would fit the part.
I almost missed it Jenners. When I read the book I thought there must be a movie on the book but I could find nothing under the title The bell jar… then someone told me it was called Sylvia and bingo – I had it! 😀
I’ve been curious about this movie since I stumbled upon it recently on a library shelf. Thanks for the review! It does seem like it fills in a missing piece after having read The Bell Jar.
I felt it did Stephanie, mostly what the movie was, is what I read on line, although she writes The Bell Jar during the movie.
I didn’t realize there was a book based on Sylvia Plath! I need to rent it too!
Good Aths – I love it when I connect readers to books and movies about authors and books 😀
I havent read her yet – I know it sounds terrible but it is so. I think I should go read first.
I always recommend the book first Mystica but in this case, the movie is mostly about Sylvia and her relationship with her husband, and the book, The Bell Jar is quite separate. 😀
I’ve never even heard of this movie. I’m going to have to look for it next time I go to the video store.
I have no idea when it came out Lisa but I thought from the little I know about Sylvia Plath, it was very well done.
I didn’t really connect with this film when I saw it a few years ago, but did find Al Alvarez’s book, the Savage God, very interesting. He writes about the topic of suicide, his own failed attempt, and his relationship with Ted and Sylvia. It’s worth reading if you get the chance.
Wow Audrey thank you for that title, I would be interested in checking that out. 🙂
I read the Bell Jar many years ago and thought it to be a powerful read at that time. I was a bit young and didn’t really care to expand on her life at that time. But just a few years back I saw the movie and though I don’t normally like Gywneth Paltrow, I thought she did a great job. So I picked up Ariel, Birthday Letters and Her Husband, a memoir of Ted Hughes. It fascinated me,t heir life but it also angered me at the same time. So many people hated Ted Huges for so long after her suicide and in realty he protected her work until just before he died, like you posted. And he didn’t want his children to read about her suicide.
Michelle, I am not a big Gwyneth Paltrow fan either, but I did appreciate thsi role that she played in this movie. 🙂
I would like to read Birthday Letters.
I think it would be hard for me to dig deeply into Plath’s life.
I suspect Hannah that I have gone about as far as I will. If one of the books mentioned above shows up on a book sale I would probably pick it up, but don’t see myself actively pursuing her writings. (Not a poetry fan for one 😀 )
i’m curious about this and went googled about her too. wow, she was an awesome person!
Her life is sad and tragic Darlyn, I really had no idea anything about her until we read The Bell Jar for book club. I am glad I got to know a little piece of her life.
I never realized there was a movie about her life. I just may have to watch it!
I hope you do Staci, it gives a little bit of insight to her mental illness, as well as her rocky marriage. In the end, I feel he really did love her – but that is just my opinion.
Ooh thanks for pointing this out! I’ll definitely be sure to watch this after I read the book!
Glad I could bring it to your attention Jenny 😀
While I barely remember most of this movie, there is one part that struck me so strongly that I’ve never forgotten. There’s that scene near the end where Sylvia talks to that old man who lives downstairs, talking about how she caused her husband’s affair by imagining it into existance. She asks him if he understands (or something like that) and he essentially says no, that makes no sense whatsoever.
This struck me so powerfully because I’ve been in a place, way too many times in my life, where I’ve formed all these connections in my brain – tenuous, fragile connections that really make no sense in reality. When all you have is yourself to think with, things grow magnified and distorted beyond reality. Seeing that man, who was far healthier mentally, simply turn to her and cut through her delusions, and say no, what you’re thinking is crazy, just turned everything in the movie on its head. I was seeing right with Sylvia, and suddenly I was faced with the absurdity of her position. Oh man it was powerful.
That is great insight Amanda – and as you talk about this scene I remember it well, and hadn’t given it much thought other than it fell into how she seen her life. Your added comment here makes me realize how powerful that really is and how often our actions (sane or not) cause a reaction. 😀
I read The Bll Jar last year and really liked it. I”’ have to watch this movie.
Yes Stacy, the movie is pretty awesome.