New Bristol film company Redcliffe Films unveils its debut offering this winter – and it’s chosen both an evocative subject matter and an atmospheric setting. Severn and Somme is a 50-minute documentary about the remarkable life of Ivor Gurney, the World War One poet and composer. Born in Gloucester in 1890, Gurney began composing at the age of 14, with his work largely inspired by the Gloucestershire countryside around him. He later fought in the trenches of WWI where, in 1917, he was the victim of a gas attack and was discharged from the army. Despite suffering from shell shock and bipolar disorder, Gurney continued to write poetry and compose music until his death, from tuberculosis, in 1937. The genius of the “country boy they called Schubert” has been rediscovered in recent years, and Redcliffe’s film, shot on locations in Bristol and Gloucestershire using Bristolian actors, tells the tale of his creative yet tragic life. The film premieres at Bristol Cathedral on Sat 21 Jan as part of an evening that also includes a live performance of Gurney’s works by the Bristol Classical Players.
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