GLENN BURGESS suggests that, despite his record in Spain, Orwell’s enduring commitment to socialist revolution underpins his late novels
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Film of the Week: Benediction
MARIA DUARTE recommends a touching biopic of poet Siegfried Sassoon, whose life was forever changed by the horrors of the first world war
Terence Davies explores the complex life of World War I poet Siegfried Sassoon, played by Jack Lowden (right)
CHRISTOPHER POLLARD explains how and why neoliberalism adopted the racist agenda common to the populist right of today
SYLVIA HIKINS recommends a sweeping survey of the world's biggest desert and the people who live there
GUILLERMO THOMAS is persuaded by a scathing critique of the Church of England and its embeddedness in imperialism
MARIA DUARTE and ANGUS REID review Materialists, Unmoored, Together, and Bambi: A Tale of Life in The Woods
TONY BURKE revels in the publication of previously unreleased tracks by the great US folksinger
GORDON PARSONS endures heavy rock punctuated by Shakespeare, and a delighted audience
Benediction (12A)
Directed by Terence Davies
REVERED filmmaker Terence Davies examines the turbulent life of first world war poet Siegfried Sassoon, who became renowned for his poetry outlining the horrors of the war and his affairs with other men, in this visually compelling yet profoundly affecting drama.
Jack Lowden gives a powerfully understated yet wonderfully nuanced performance as the young, troubled Sassoon, who returns home from service a decorated hero but acutely critical of the government for prolonging the war for its own ends.
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