The once-great director Terence Davies fails to pull it together for this overlong, meandering story of gay World War I poet Siegfried Sassoon. The story lumbers on and on and on -- and then is further padded out with scenes from a church service and some unneeded songs. There are several poems as well, but, hey, it is a movie about a poet.
Late in the film, we transition to other actors playing old Siegfried. There was absolutely no feeling of character continuity between young and old Siegfried (Peter Capaldi), nor young and old Stephen (Anton Lesser).
The performances all were fine and the production values were high. The problems lay entirely with Davies.
The most interesting stretch is in the shell-shock (PTSD) hospital with fellow gay World War I poet Wilfred Owen. But even this was covered more cohesively in the 1997 movie 'Regeneration' (aka 'Behind the Lines'), also about Sassoon and Owen. (And then there's 'Hedd Wynn' if you want a really fine move about yet another gay World War I poet!)
The final poem was, to my unpoetical ears, by far the best. Ironically, it was one by Owen, not Sassoon. Maybe a movie about Owen might have been more the ticket. At least it could not have been so long as 'Benediction'!
Late in the film, we transition to other actors playing old Siegfried. There was absolutely no feeling of character continuity between young and old Siegfried (Peter Capaldi), nor young and old Stephen (Anton Lesser).
The performances all were fine and the production values were high. The problems lay entirely with Davies.
The most interesting stretch is in the shell-shock (PTSD) hospital with fellow gay World War I poet Wilfred Owen. But even this was covered more cohesively in the 1997 movie 'Regeneration' (aka 'Behind the Lines'), also about Sassoon and Owen. (And then there's 'Hedd Wynn' if you want a really fine move about yet another gay World War I poet!)
The final poem was, to my unpoetical ears, by far the best. Ironically, it was one by Owen, not Sassoon. Maybe a movie about Owen might have been more the ticket. At least it could not have been so long as 'Benediction'!