War Requiem

Extraordinarily powerful, War Requiem is a passionate eulogy, an antiwar statement that is also clearly intended to have relevance for those whose lives have been forever touched and changed by the scourge of AIDS. While Benjamin Britten purists may argue -- and justifiably so -- that director Derek Jarman's work sometimes obscures or is at odds with the music, those who are open to what Jarman is doing will see that he is making a brilliant transfer from one medium (the oratorio) to another (film). It is true that his choice of images is sometimes jarring or puzzling (and even, on occasion, overtly sentimental); but these lapses are more than compensated for by sequences that impress, that dazzle, or that overpower. This is an intense, spellbinding work, and if it falls short of perfection, it is marked by keen, deeply-felt emotions and stamped with a unique, unmistakably personal vision. Those who are willing to meet it on its terms will likely find it a profoundly moving experience. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide