The Long Day Closes

Screening in Tribute to the late Terence Davies

The Long Day Closes is the most gloriously cinematic expression of the unique sensibility of Terence Davies, widely celebrated as Britain’s greatest living filmmaker. Suffused with both enchantment and melancholy, this autobiographical film takes on the perspective of a quiet, lonely boy growing up in Liverpool in the 1950s. But rather than employ a straightforward narrative, Davies jumps in and out of time, swoops into fantasies and fears, summons memories and dreams. A singular filmic tapestry, The Long Day Closes is an evocative, movie- and music-besotted portrait of the artist as a young man.

From our manager, Neil:

Terence was one of my favourite filmmakers and one of our country’s last great directors along with Mike Leigh and Ken Loach. He was my guest at The Riverside in July 2016 and after that we used to regularly send postcards to each other with little updates from our lives. It was always an immense pleasure to spend any time with him and once the wine flowed, his stories and gossip were legendary. He lived quite nearby in Mistley, Essex.

My personal favourite films of his were THE LONG DAY CLOSES, DISTANT VOICES STILL LIVES and OF TIME AND THE CITY.

His films always moved me, and often would bring a tear to my eye; always full of such passion, warmth and truth. The moment from The Long Day Closes when Debbie Reynolds song “Tammy” plays is a virtuosic cinematic symphony, composed of incredible high-angle shots of a cinema, church, and schoolroom, graphically matched to express the importance of those three locations from Terence’s childhood. It always gives me “tingles”.

I shall miss him dearly but also the fact that we won’t have any new Terence Davies films, that is such an immense loss to the British film industry and the World.

Rest in peace dear Terence x

Programme Type: Film

Director: Terence Davies

Cast: Leigh McCormack, Marjorie Yates, Anthony Watson

Certificate: 12A

Running Time: 85 minutes