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TOM & VIV – Debbie Wiseman
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Thomas Stearns ‘T. S.’ Eliot is considered to be one of the 20th century’s greatest poets, with notable works such as The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, The Hollow Men, Ash Wednesday, Four Quartets, and Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, the latter of which inspired the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. While living in London in 1914 Eliot met and married Vivienne Haigh-Wood, a governess from Cambridge, who became not only the love of his life, but also his muse, inspiring what is possibly Eliot’s most acclaimed work, The Waste Land, written in 1922. However, their relationship was also turbulent, in part because of Viv’s health problems, which eventually resulted in her having significant mental instability and often being confined to an asylum. Although they formally separated in 1933 Eliot refused to divorce her, and they remained married until her death in 1947. Their relationship became the subject of the 1984 play Tom & Viv by Michael Hastings, which was then adapted into this film by Hastings and screenwriter Adrian Hodges. The film starred Willem Dafoe as Eliot and Miranda Richardson as Haigh-Wood, and was directed by Brian Gilbert. Although not especially successful from a financial point of view it was acclaimed by critics, and both Richardson and Rosemary Harris (who played Haigh-Wood’s mother) were nominated for Oscars for their roles. Read more…
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