Director: Derek Jarman
Screenplay: Derek Jarman, based on the musical piece War Requiem by Benjamin Britten
Starring: Laurence Olivier, Nathaniel Parker, Tilda Swinton, Sean Bean, Nigel Terry, Patricia Hayes, Owen Teale, Jodie Graber, Spencer Leigh
Running Time: 92 minutes
Genre: Experimental, war
Tended by a nurse (Swinton), an elderly soldier (Olivier) is lost in dreams and memories. This is an entirely dialogue-free film, the only speech we hear is Olivier reciting the poem "Strange Meeting" by Wilfred Owen in voice-over in the film's prologue. The film features dramatised segments with Nathaniel Parker as Wilfred Owen, visions of home and family in grainy Super 8, and vintage newsreel footage of mostly World War I, and other more recent conflicts including World War II, Vietnam and Afghanistan, and I would warn you that the film does feature some graphic and disturbing documentary footage of wartime violence. All we hear is a 1963 performance of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem, which inspired the film. While this is a difficult film, and full of distinctive esoteric images, particularly strong on religious and homoerotic imagery, this does have a strong theme about war, and works almost as a silent film. It is also surprisingly emotional, and you don't have to share Jarman's unique vision to appreciate it. This was Laurence Olivier's final acting role.
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