War Requiem

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

A movie with no spoken dialogue, it is set against the music and lyrics of Benjamin Britten's "War Requiem" which includes poetry by World War I soldier Wilfred Owen reflecting the horrors o... Read allA movie with no spoken dialogue, it is set against the music and lyrics of Benjamin Britten's "War Requiem" which includes poetry by World War I soldier Wilfred Owen reflecting the horrors of war. There is no linear story or dialogue. It's imagery reflects Owen's story, that of o... Read allA movie with no spoken dialogue, it is set against the music and lyrics of Benjamin Britten's "War Requiem" which includes poetry by World War I soldier Wilfred Owen reflecting the horrors of war. There is no linear story or dialogue. It's imagery reflects Owen's story, that of other soldiers, and a nurse during World War I. It also includes actual footage of contempo... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

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YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
This was Laurence Olivier's final acting role before his death on July 11, 1989 at the age of 82.

Connections
Featured in Arena: Derek Jarman - A Portrait (1991)

Soundtracks
War Requiem, Op. 66
Composed and conducted by Benjamin Britten
Based on poems by Wilfred Owen
Soloists: Galina Vishnevskaya, Peter Pears and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau with The Bach Choir, The London Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Highgate School Choir
Music played by The Melos Ensemble of London and The London Symphony Orchestra
Organist: Simon Preston
Original recording courtesy of The Decca Record Company Limited, England, Catalogue No. 414 383-2

User reviews9

Review

Featured review

8/10

Brilliant and Evocative Blend of Music and the Cinematographic Art

Jarman to a T: Brilliant, atmospheric, imagistic, eccentric, and sometimes homo-erotic. An incredible blend of one of the great 20th century musical works on (or rather against) war and the cinematographic art.

I've seen this film twice now. Some of the comments given by other reviewers seem to miss the point of the film- it is dark and sometimes jarring. Jarman uses historic footage, color and colorization as a technique to refocus the viewer's eyes and thoughts. Jarman is not interested in narrative so much as building a series of images that take the poem and music to a new place of understanding.

Perhaps this film is not for everyone- but then I would love to tie every politician to his or her chair and force its viewing.