Patti Smith’s life is her art. Her very intimate, almost confessional documentary Dream of Life is shot much like a daydream. Like a continuous stream of consciousness, her personal poetry and anecdotes narrate the film. She says early in the film that she is going to stay in the corner and keep adding things until the film is made. The film is not merely a metaphor for her life, but a part of it, as is her poetry, her music, her painting, and her experience. She builds these things like a body of work, all connected by her own existence. Her lyrics are intercut with images of her everyday life, and it in a sense her thoughts and motivations are her art, rather than just sources of creation. In a rock and roll climate where image was God, Smith was in stark contrast to bands like Kiss, Queen and Led Zeppelin. She championed a more personal, raw voice and also reflected an attitude that was growing among certain groups. She maintains the rebellious spirit of rock and roll without turning it into a purely aesthetic or superficial exercise. Patti Smith’s work is extremely individual, psychological and intimate. She seems to believe in the inherent value in the individual and his or her expression. It is quite a romantic world that she creates, where people matter, and the future matters. She exercises also a sense of duty, shouting to the next generation that they should not simply lie down.
Work Cited
Patti Smith: Dream of Life dir. Stephen Sebring. Celluloid Dreams, 2008. Web. 15 Feb. 2016
