View an excerpt from new film on Ralph Waldo Emerson

Michael Maglaras’s new essay in film is “Ralph Waldo Emerson: Give All to Love” which will have its world premiere at the Concord Free Public Library in Concord, MA on September 30, 2023. View an excerpt from the film at this link. This excerpt is the complete chapter “Between Literature and Life” where Emerson’s writings […]
Putting Emerson and Janáček Together

Music is used in film to help transition from scene to scene; to spark and then carry emotional intensity; to round out character and plot. I have used music too, in all my films, for those reasons…but music in my films is more than that…it is an integral part of the architecture of the film; […]
Filmmaker Michael Maglaras and writer James Marcus in conversation

On Thursday, June 22 the Concord Free Library will host filmmaker Michael Maglaras and writer James Marcus for an evening celebrating Ralph Waldo Emerson. In this one night only event, filmmaker Michael Maglaras, whose new essay in film, Ralph Waldo Emerson: Give All to Love (which will premiere at the Library on September 30) will hold […]
The Geometry of the City of God

In my upcoming film “Ralph Waldo Emerson: Give All to Love” I try to make the case for Emerson’s fearlessness. For Emerson was in fact fearless. He walked away, early in his life, from security, from comfort…in short, from the ministry of Christ. It seemed inevitable that Emerson would leave the ministry. Oh, the sermonizing […]
Shooting My New Film “Ralph Waldo Emerson: Give All to Love”

I’m making a film about Ralph Waldo Emerson. Yes, that’s the guy you’ve heard of, perhaps know something about. Perhaps you have a distant memory of having to read the essay “Self-Reliance” or, Heaven help you, “Compensation.” You tried, you really did… but then you gave up. “Where the hell is this guy going?” you […]
New documentary on Ralph Waldo Emerson

Announcing 217 Films’ New Documentary “Ralph Waldo Emerson: Give All to Love” ASHFORD, CONNECTICUT (June 9, 2022) – Connecticut-based independent filmmakers Michael Maglaras and Terri Templeton of 217 Films announce that their new film project will be a new full-length documentary on America’s greatest philosopher and thinker, Ralph Waldo Emerson. “Ralph Waldo Emerson: Give All to Love” will be their […]