Over 15 years ago, Terence Davies wanted to adapt one of my grad school mentor’s novels for film and had actually written a full screenplay for it. Mother of Sorrows by Richard McCann. Richard and Terence had been in conversation on and off for years about this project (Richard really wanted Paul Dano to play the main character which was essentially based on Richard himself). Sadly, Richard passed away in 2021 and I was never able to read the screenplay, but Richard said it was just incredible.
As a side-note: Richard provided the inspiration for the main character in the title story of my latest book, Better Davis and Other Stories, something I was able to share with him before he passed away.
R.I.P. Terence Davies
Re: R.I.P. Terence Davies
"The mantle of spinsterhood was definitely in her shoulders. She was twenty five and looked it."
-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Re: R.I.P. Terence Davies
There is a quietness to his films that doesn’t suit everyone’s taste but that I liked just fine. His attention to detail was impeccable, and there was a depth of feeling in his films. I am sad to hear of his passing.
Re: R.I.P. Terence Davies
He was so great with actresses who were at their best in his films.
Gillian Anderson (The House of Mirth), Gena Rowlands (The Neon Bible), Rachel Weisz (The Deep Blue Sea) and Cynthia Nixon (A Quiet Passion). I was very surprised the latter two were not nominated for the Oscar. Great performances.
Gillian Anderson (The House of Mirth), Gena Rowlands (The Neon Bible), Rachel Weisz (The Deep Blue Sea) and Cynthia Nixon (A Quiet Passion). I was very surprised the latter two were not nominated for the Oscar. Great performances.
Re: R.I.P. Terence Davies
I’ve only watched The Long Day Closes and The Deep Blue Sea and couldn’t connect with neither of them.
Re: R.I.P. Terence Davies
He was reportedly due to make another film this fall. I watched all of his movies last year, and he became one of my favorite filmmakers through that marathon.
Nine features, and it's a beautifully symmetric filmography: Began with two autobiographical films, followed by two adaptations, followed by a documentary, followed by two adaptations, ending with two biographical films. All of his features are very good at a minimum, and most are even better than that: Distant Voices, Still Lives, The Long Day Closes, The House of Mirth, The Deep Blue Sea and A Quiet Passion are all great, some of the best movies ever made. Most of his movies are relatively easy to see through streaming: Trilogy (a collection of three thematically linked shorts) and Long Day... are on Criterion Channel, and the others are on other streamers, all available somewhere for free, although they are also cheap rentals. I would highly recommend going through his films.
Nine features, and it's a beautifully symmetric filmography: Began with two autobiographical films, followed by two adaptations, followed by a documentary, followed by two adaptations, ending with two biographical films. All of his features are very good at a minimum, and most are even better than that: Distant Voices, Still Lives, The Long Day Closes, The House of Mirth, The Deep Blue Sea and A Quiet Passion are all great, some of the best movies ever made. Most of his movies are relatively easy to see through streaming: Trilogy (a collection of three thematically linked shorts) and Long Day... are on Criterion Channel, and the others are on other streamers, all available somewhere for free, although they are also cheap rentals. I would highly recommend going through his films.
R.I.P. Terence Davies
"How's the despair?"