This drama-documentary, coinciding with Britten's centenary year, is unlikely to bring the composer to new audiences, but music lovers will find it illuminating and evocative, though in all honesty, it has BBC4 written all over it. It views the composer's life and work through the prism of his commitment to pacifism, from his liberal, progressive education to towering works such as the War Requiem, via flirtations with communism and a fateful visit to Belsen concentration camp in 1945. Director Tony Britten (no relation), a former composer, is clearly more intimate with the music than the finer points of film-making. It feels a little homemade at times, though the action switches effectively between dramatisation (newcomer Alex Lawther is very good as the fey, plummy young Britten), well-researched documentary (narrated by John Hurt), interviews with former associates and colleagues, and contemporary performances of his works.
Although it feels a little homemade at times, this film switches effectively between dramatisation, documentary and contemporary performances of the composer's works
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