BENEDICTION ON HBO
The publication of the 'Soldier's Proclamation' kicks off Davies' film about Sassoon. A substantial portion of the film is set in the promiscuous world of interwar socialites.
Sigfried Sassoon (1986-1967), a British poet, was a contradiction in many respects. Despite being a practicing gay, he converted to Catholicism. He commanded a unit in the First World War before the age of thirty. He was awarded a military bravery award.
Despite this, he rose to prominence with his pacifist manifesto "Soldier's Proclamation" (1917), in which he criticizes war. He was almost put on trial because of that text, only to be placed in PTSD treatment instead.
It's little surprise that British director Terence Davies was drawn to this existence. Davies, like Sassoon, is both gay and Catholic. He grew up in a Catholic Liverpool household and rose to prominence with a trilogy of half-hour black-and-white pictures (1976-1983) that questioned faith, transcendence, and erotic awakening.
Davies' film about Sassoon - "Benediction" - begins with the release of "The Soldier's Proclamation". A considerable portion of the picture is set in the promiscuous world of interwar dandies, as Sassoon rushes from one romance to the next with wealthy beauty.
With a heterosexual marriage, such dissolute life will come to an end. Davies eventually presents Sassoon as a grizzled recluse who despises modernity. The Great War was a long time ago. But, as the film implies, the poet never got over his past.
"Benediction" is a fascinating look at one life and one British generation. However, it seemed that the director rushed through everything without delving into anything. The film lacks what distinguishes the best Davies films: poetics.
Post by Bryan C.
