Terence Davies

Directing

Terence Davies

Born 1945-11-10 · Liverpool, England, UK

Terence Davies (10 November 1945 — 7 October 2023) was an English writer-director and former novelist. As a filmmaker, Davies is noted for his recurring themes of emotional (and sometimes physical) endurance, the influence of memory on everyday life and the potentially crippling effects of dogmatic religiosity on the emotional life of individuals and societies. Stylistically, Davies' works are notable for their symmetrical compositions, "symphonic" structure and measured pace.

Acting credits

My Letter to the World: A Journey Through the Life of Emily Dickinson poster
7.5

Poet Emily Dickinson, pigeonholed as the strange recluse since her death, takes you on a journey through the seasons of her life amid 1800s New England.

My Letter to the World: A Journey Through the Life of Emily Dickinson

2017

Passing Time poster
6.3

From the music of Uruguayan composer Florencia Di Concilio, English filmmaker Terence Davies does a cinematic reading of his own poem about his late sister, delivered over a single serene shot of the countryside near his home in Essex. This short film is part of the 2x25 Project of Film Fest Gent and the World Soundtrack Awards. The project commissioned 25 composers to compose a short piece of music, after which 25 filmmakers made short films that are the ultimate symbioses of music and cinematography, fitting completely within the DNA of the festival. The result: 25 exceptional films where the music inspired the form, narrative and texture.

Passing Time

2023

Doris Day: Virgin Territory poster
7.0

Doris Day has often been dismissed as an actress and overlooked as a singer, despite career highs such as Calamity Jane and Pillow Talk. Covering her early years as a band singer, and her troubled private life, this documentary re-evaluates one of the screen's most enduring legends.

Doris Day: Virgin Territory

2007

No artwork available
NR

An elegy to time and life, condensing Terence Davies' profoundly humane poetics into little more than one minute, enveloping the viewer in an atmosphere of light and (Davies' own) words.

But Why?

2021

Investigating The Ladykillers poster
NR

Program focuses on the lasting appeal and cinematic brilliance of The Ladykillers. Included in it are clips from interviews with broadcaster and author Stuart Maconie, film editor Catherine Shoard, actor and writer Reece Shearsmith, and author Ronald Harwood, amongst others.

Investigating The Ladykillers

2020

The Gates of Heaven poster
NR

A documentary short in which Terence Davies talks about his life and his love for the arts in what turned out to be his final interview.

The Gates of Heaven

2025

Of Time and the City poster
7.1

British director Terence Davies reflects on his birthplace of Liverpool - his memories of growing up there and how it has changed in the years since - in the process meditating on the internal struggles and conflicts that have wracked him throughout his life and the history of England during the second half of the 20th century.

Of Time and the City

2008

Behind the camera

The House of Mirth poster
6.3

In early 20th century New York City, an impoverished socialite desperately seeks a suitable husband as she gradually finds herself betrayed by her friends and exiled from high society.

The House of Mirth

2000

The House of Mirth poster
6.3

In early 20th century New York City, an impoverished socialite desperately seeks a suitable husband as she gradually finds herself betrayed by her friends and exiled from high society.

The House of Mirth

2000

Benediction poster
6.2

Poet Siegfried Sassoon survived the horrors of fighting in the First World War and was decorated for his bravery, but became a vocal critic of the government's continuation of the war when he returned from service. Adored by members of the aristocracy as well as stars of London's literary and stage world, he embarked on affairs with several men as he attempted to come to terms with his homosexuality.

Benediction

2021

Benediction poster
6.2

Poet Siegfried Sassoon survived the horrors of fighting in the First World War and was decorated for his bravery, but became a vocal critic of the government's continuation of the war when he returned from service. Adored by members of the aristocracy as well as stars of London's literary and stage world, he embarked on affairs with several men as he attempted to come to terms with his homosexuality.

Benediction

2021

A Quiet Passion poster
6.0

The story of American poet Emily Dickinson from her early days as a young schoolgirl to her later years as a reclusive, unrecognized artist.

A Quiet Passion

2016

A Quiet Passion poster
6.0

The story of American poet Emily Dickinson from her early days as a young schoolgirl to her later years as a reclusive, unrecognized artist.

A Quiet Passion

2016

The Deep Blue Sea poster
5.9

The wife of a British Judge is caught in a self-destructive love affair with a Royal Air Force pilot.

The Deep Blue Sea

2011

The Deep Blue Sea poster
5.9

The wife of a British Judge is caught in a self-destructive love affair with a Royal Air Force pilot.

The Deep Blue Sea

2011

Home! Home! poster
10.0

A lyric documentary about home, time, memory and mortality, commissioned by the Centre Pompidou to accompany their retrospective of Terence Davies' work. Davies began to design this film based on his poems, but passed away before it could be realised. The film was produced posthumously according to Davies' instructions.

Home! Home!

2024

Distant Voices, Still Lives poster
6.9

Siblings Maisie and Tony, along with their mother, gather for their sister Eileen's wedding. It is a joyous occasion, but through flashbacks, it becomes clear that the family was not always happy. Their father was physically abusive to his wife and left the children emotionally traumatized. As a result, the children have grown into unhappy adults, looking for love they didn't receive when they were young.

Distant Voices, Still Lives

1988

Distant Voices, Still Lives poster
6.9

Siblings Maisie and Tony, along with their mother, gather for their sister Eileen's wedding. It is a joyous occasion, but through flashbacks, it becomes clear that the family was not always happy. Their father was physically abusive to his wife and left the children emotionally traumatized. As a result, the children have grown into unhappy adults, looking for love they didn't receive when they were young.

Distant Voices, Still Lives

1988

Passing Time poster
6.3

From the music of Uruguayan composer Florencia Di Concilio, English filmmaker Terence Davies does a cinematic reading of his own poem about his late sister, delivered over a single serene shot of the countryside near his home in Essex. This short film is part of the 2x25 Project of Film Fest Gent and the World Soundtrack Awards. The project commissioned 25 composers to compose a short piece of music, after which 25 filmmakers made short films that are the ultimate symbioses of music and cinematography, fitting completely within the DNA of the festival. The result: 25 exceptional films where the music inspired the form, narrative and texture.

Passing Time

2023

Passing Time poster
6.3

From the music of Uruguayan composer Florencia Di Concilio, English filmmaker Terence Davies does a cinematic reading of his own poem about his late sister, delivered over a single serene shot of the countryside near his home in Essex. This short film is part of the 2x25 Project of Film Fest Gent and the World Soundtrack Awards. The project commissioned 25 composers to compose a short piece of music, after which 25 filmmakers made short films that are the ultimate symbioses of music and cinematography, fitting completely within the DNA of the festival. The result: 25 exceptional films where the music inspired the form, narrative and texture.

Passing Time

2023

The Neon Bible poster
6.1

During a train ride, a teenager recalls his upbringing in 1940s small-town Georgia and the events that have led to this point.

The Neon Bible

1995

The Neon Bible poster
6.1

During a train ride, a teenager recalls his upbringing in 1940s small-town Georgia and the events that have led to this point.

The Neon Bible

1995

Sunset Song poster
6.2

The daughter of a Scottish farmer comes of age in the early 1900s.

Sunset Song

2015

Sunset Song poster
6.2

The daughter of a Scottish farmer comes of age in the early 1900s.

Sunset Song

2015

The Long Day Closes poster
7.2

Bud is a lonely and quiet boy whose moments of solace occur when he sits in rapture at the local cinema, watching towering and iconic figures on the movie screen. The movies give Bud the strength to get through another day as he deals with his oppressive school environment and his burgeoning homosexuality.

The Long Day Closes

1992

The Long Day Closes poster
7.2

Bud is a lonely and quiet boy whose moments of solace occur when he sits in rapture at the local cinema, watching towering and iconic figures on the movie screen. The movies give Bud the strength to get through another day as he deals with his oppressive school environment and his burgeoning homosexuality.

The Long Day Closes

1992

Boogie poster
NR

The story of a coerced sexual encounter, told through a series of close-ups. A newly-discovered student film made by Terence Davies ca 1980, during his time at the National Film and Television School.

Boogie

1980

The Terence Davies Trilogy poster
6.5

In stark black and white, Terence Davies excavates the life of his fictional alter ego, Robert Tucker, in a narrative that slips between childhood, middle age and death, shaping the raw materials of his own life into a rich tapestry of experiences and impressions.

The Terence Davies Trilogy

1983

The Terence Davies Trilogy poster
6.5

In stark black and white, Terence Davies excavates the life of his fictional alter ego, Robert Tucker, in a narrative that slips between childhood, middle age and death, shaping the raw materials of his own life into a rich tapestry of experiences and impressions.

The Terence Davies Trilogy

1983

No artwork available
NR

An elegy to time and life, condensing Terence Davies' profoundly humane poetics into little more than one minute, enveloping the viewer in an atmosphere of light and (Davies' own) words.

But Why?

2021

No artwork available
NR

An elegy to time and life, condensing Terence Davies' profoundly humane poetics into little more than one minute, enveloping the viewer in an atmosphere of light and (Davies' own) words.

But Why?

2021