The Quad City Symphony Orchestra is screening Derek Jarman's film War Requiem in preparation for the live production of the orchestra masterpiece on March 3 & 4. A cash bar will open at 5:30 p.m. with the 92-minute film beginning at 6:30 p.m. Variety called the 1989 film "a stunning visual and serious music treat."
War Requiem reunites Jarman with his Tilda Swinton (2008 Oscar® Winner for Michael Clayton) for a spectacular and moving interpretation of composer Benjamin Britten's groundbreaking 1961 orchestral masterpiece. Just as Britten combined the sacred Latin Requiem Mass with the searing unromantic war poetry of British infantry lieutenant Wilfred Owen, who was tragically killed in the final week of World War One, Jarman interprets Britten's six movements in eye-popping and heartbreaking dialogue-free tableaus illustrating war's infinite futility, sacrifice, and waste. War Requiem boldly combines archival footage of war's devastation with Jarman's keen and gifted eye for both the theatrical and the political as Owen, played by Nathaniel Parker, doggedly struggles to survive on the field of battle in defense of a cause rendered unjust by the human toll it takes in the trenches and on the home front. Featuring Sean Bean (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, National Treasure) as Owen's star-crossed German counterpart, and Sir Laurence Olivier in his final screen appearance, War Requiem is a "violent, horrifying, ultimately inspiring film" that remains Derek Jarman's definitive, "eloquent, complex, and profoundly negative statement on war" (Washington Post).
Don't miss the many other opportunities around the Quad Cities inspired by this historic production. For a full listing of events and exhibits participating in the Britten Peace Project, click here.
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Saturday, March 3
7:30 p.m.
Adler Theatre, Davenport
Sunday, March 4
2 p.m.
Centennial Hall, Augustana College, Rock Island
Saturday, March 31
7:30 p.m.
Adler Theatre, Davenport
Sunday, April 1
2 p.m.
Centennial Hall, Augustana College, Rock Island
Saturday, May 19
8 p.m.
Redstone Room, River Music Experience, Davenport
