Current:Home > NewsTerence Davies, filmmaker of the lyrical ‘Distant Voices, Still Lives,’ dies at the age of 77-InfoLens
Terence Davies, filmmaker of the lyrical ‘Distant Voices, Still Lives,’ dies at the age of 77
View Date:2024-12-23 10:51:56
LONDON (AP) — British filmmaker Terence Davies, best known for a pair of powerful, lyrical movies inspired by his childhood in postwar Liverpool, has died at the age of 77.
Davies’ manager John Taylor said the director died “peacefully at home in his sleep” on Saturday after a short illness.
Raised in a large working-class Roman Catholic family in the English port city, Davies worked as a clerk in a shipping office and a bookkeeper in an accountancy firm before enrolling at a drama school in the city of Coventry and later the National Film School.
After making several short films, Davies made his feature debut as writer-director in 1988 with “Distant Voices, Still Lives,” a dreamlike — sometimes nightmarish — collage of a film that evoked a childhood of poverty and violence leavened by music and movie magic. The film won the Cannes International Critics Prize in 1988, and in 2002 was voted the ninth-best film of the past 25 years by British film critics.
Davies followed it in 1992 with another autobiographical film, “The Long Day Closes,” and later returned to Liverpool for a 2008 documentary, “Of Time and the City.”
Michael Koresky, author of a book on Davies; said the director’s two autobiographical features “are melancholy, occasionally harrowing, and are also indescribably beautiful, two of the greatest works in all of cinema.”
“Arguably, he doesn’t even have imitators; no one would dare,” Koresky wrote on the British Film Institute website.
The autobiographical films opened the door to bigger budgets and more mainstream films, still showcasing Davies’ distinctive lyricism and often set in the 19th or early 20th centuries.
His 1995 film “The Neon Bible” was based on a John Kennedy Toole novel and set in the U.S. Deep South. “The House of Mirth,” released in 2000, starred Gillian Anderson in an adaptation of Edith Wharton’s classic, and won the prize for best British Film at the 2001 British Academy Film Awards.
His 2011 film “The Deep Blue Sea,” based on a Terence Rattigan play. Starred Rachel Weisz as a woman torn between her dependable husband and feckless lover.
Model and actress Agyness Deyn starred in “Sunset Song,” a hymn to rural Scotland released in 2015, and Davies depicted the life of poet Emily Dickinson — played by Cynthia Nixon — in the 2016 film “A Quiet Passion.”
Davies’ final film, “Benediction,” was based on the life of World War I soldier and poet Siegfried Sassoon. It starred Jack Lowden, Peter Capaldi and the late Julian Sands.
veryGood! (6)
Related
- Gossip Girl Actress Chanel Banks Reported Missing After Vanishing in California
- Oliver Anthony's 'Rich Men North of Richmond' speaks to how Americans feel. Don't dismiss it.
- A presidential runoff is likely in Ecuador between an ally of ex-president and a banana tycoon’s son
- William Byron dominates Watkin Glen for 5th win of 2023; 15 NASCAR playoff berths clinched
- Channing Tatum Drops Shirtless Selfie After Zoë Kravitz Breakup
- Sarah Hyland and Wells Adams Celebrate First Wedding Anniversary With Swoon-Worthy Tributes
- As rents and evictions rise across the country, more cities and states debate rent control
- Life in a rural ambulance desert means sometimes help isn't on the way
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul press conference highlights: 'Problem Child' goads 'Iron Mike'
- Ron Cephas Jones, Emmy-winning star of This Is Us, dies at 66
Ranking
- Kid Rock tells fellow Trump supporters 'most of our left-leaning friends are good people'
- Stock market today: Asian stocks mixed as traders await Fed conference for interest rate update
- Hozier talks 'cursed' drawings, Ed Sheeran and 'proud' legacy of 'Take Me to Church'
- Brown tarantula mating season is here! You may see more of the arachnids in these states.
- Florida State can't afford to fire Mike Norvell -- and can't afford to keep him
- NPR's podcast and programming chief Anya Grundmann to leave after 30 years
- Here's how wildfire burn scars could intensify flooding as Tropical Storm Hilary hits California
- Nissan recalls more than 236,000 cars over potential steering issues
Recommendation
-
GM recalling big pickups and SUVs because the rear wheels can lock up, increasing risk of a crash
-
A presidential runoff is likely in Ecuador between an ally of ex-president and a banana tycoon’s son
-
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy visits Athens to attend meeting of Balkan leaders with top EU officials
-
This video from a humpback 'whale spa' shows skin care is serious — and social
-
DWTS’ Sasha Farber and Jenn Tran Prove They're Closer Than Ever Amid Romance Rumors
-
Indiana’s near-total abortion ban set to take effect as state Supreme Court denies rehearing
-
A right-wing sheriffs group that challenges federal law is gaining acceptance around the country
-
USA TODAY Book Club: Join Richard E. Grant to discuss memoir 'A Pocketful of Happiness'