~ Filmmaker: Josh Hittleman ~

Ode for Ironing (Oda para planchar) by Pablo Neruda

This is a film called Saccharine, directed by Raivan Hall with camera work by Josh Hittleman.

The poem is not from Neruda’s Odas Elementales, but the later Plenos Poderos from 1962. Here’s the Spanish and here’s an English translation by Jodey Bateman. The film uses the translation by Alastair Reid, which carries a less literal title: “In Praise of Ironing.”

As with any popular poet, there are a ton of Neruda videos on YouTube, but most of them are, um, not so good. So it’s a real pleasure to see a professionally made film with a Neruda poem in the soundtrack.