To coincide with its 20th Anniversary visionary director Derek Jarman’s (Jubilee, Caravaggio) epic and moving War Requiem is finally released on DVD for the first time. Digitally remastered from a stunning new high definition transfer, the film is as powerful and poignant now as it was at the time of its release.
War Requiem will be released on 10 November 2008 courtesy of Second Sight.
A cast of screen icons including Sir Lawrence Olivier (Hamlet, Spartacus) and Tilda Swinton (The Chronicles Of Narnia, Michael Clayton) bring to life the the legendary original recording of Benjamin Britten’s choral masterpiece which blended the Latin Mass of the Dead with the poignant poetry of Wilfred Owen, Britain’s greatest chronicler of the Great War.
Dramatised scenes featuring spellbinding performances from the extraordinary cast, which also includes Nathaniel Parker, Sean Bean and Owen Teale, are interwoven with cinematic, poetic images and harrowing archive footage which serve to recreate the horrors of the 20th century wars - the loss of innocence, the unbearable suffering, the nightmares and the tragic waste of life.
Jarman managed to bring Olivier out of retirement for his role as the Old Soldier, in what would be his final performance on both stage and screen before his death in 1989.
The reflections and memories of the disabled veteran he plays take life in the harrowing poetry of Owen, whose brutally unflinching work led him to be regarded of one of history’s greatest war poets.
Twenty years after its original release, War Requiem has lost none of its power to shock and inspire, and stands as a poignant reminder of the horror and ultimate futility of war.
Special Features include: commmentary with producer Don Boyd and a new documentary featuring interviews with Tilda Swinton and other key cast members.