TRIALS OF EZRA POUND, THE (RADIO)
Summary
This drama, presented in two parts, depicts the life and trial of poet Ezra Pound, who was accused of treason for anti-American speeches he made during World War II. Through a series of flashbacks that occur to him during his trial, Pound recalls fragments of his life before and after his arrest in Italy. Part one recalls Pound's anti-Semitic and pro-Fascist radio broadcasts in Italy during the war; his relationships with his wife and his mistress Olga; his surrender to American soldiers; his acquaintance with an excused juror named Arthur Beatty; the nervous testimony of Dr. Muncie, who tries to prove Pound is psychologically unfit to stand trial for treason; and a journalist's vituperative questions to poet William Carlos Williams about his contemporary. In part two, Dr. Overholzer takes the stand, also hoping to prove Pound's mental incompetence. Due to the intervention of a fellow doctor, however, it becomes clear that many of the psychiatrists who examined Pound considered him metally sound. Pound's overzealous plea that he is sane, however, has the reverse effect, convincing jurors that the poet was not responsible for his actions.
Details
- NETWORK: CBC (Canada)
- DATE: March 26, 1990 Monday
- RUNNING TIME: 2:01:13
- COLOR/B&W: N/A
- CATALOG ID: R:10694
- GENRE: Radio - Docudrama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Docudrama; Fascism; International Collection - Canada; Poetry
- SERIES RUN: CBC (Canada) - Radio, 1990
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Damiano Pietropaolo … Producer, Director
- Heather Brown … Associate Producer
- Timothy Findlay … Writer
- Dennis Patrick … Music by
- Sheila Rogers … Announcer
- Douglas Rain … Cast, Ezra Pound
- Neil Munro … Cast, Dr. Muncie
- George Touliatos … Cast, Matlock
- Donald Davis … Cast, Overholzer
- Michael Ball … Cast, Cornell
- Colin Fox … Cast, Judge Laws
- Marion Gilsenan … Cast, Dorothy
- Eugene Clark … Cast, Beatty
- Nicky Guadagni … Cast, La Martinelli
- Timothy Findley … Cast, William Carlos Williams
- David Ferry … Cast, Deutsch
- Gary Reineke … Cast, Dr. Dalma
- Ezra Pound