Peter Capaldi and Jack Lowden star as gay WWI poet Siegfried Sassoon in Benediction: Watch first trailer
The first trailer for Terence Davies' sweeping new biopic is here.
By Will Stroude
Words: Will Stroude; Images: YouTube, Vertigo Releasing
The life of gay First World War poet Siegfried Sassoon is being brought to big screen in Terence Davies’ sweeping new biopic, Benediction.
The period drama, which received its UK premiere at the BFI London Film Festival last year, stars Doctor Who’s Peter Capaldi and Mary Queen of Scots‘ Jack Lowden as the famed British writer, known for poems such as ‘The Hero’, which was first published in 1917.
The newly-released trailer for Benediction, which is set for release in UK and Irish cinemas this spring, charts Sassoon’s life during and after the First World War, relationships with men and struggles to come to terms with his sexuality.
An official synopsis reads: “A complex man who survived the horrors of fighting in the First World War, Siegfried Sassoon, a soldier decorated for his bravery on the battlefield, became a vocal critic of the government’s continuation of the war when he returned from service.
“Legendary still today for his poetry inspired by his experiences on the Western Front, he was adored by both members of the aristocracy as well as stars of London’s literary and theatre scene. He embarked on affairs with several high-profile men as he attempted to come to terms with his homosexuality, whilst at the same time, broken by the horrors of war, his life’s journey became a quest for salvation.”
Benediction will be released in UK and Irish cinemas this spring. Watch the first trailer below: