Tom & Viv (1994)

Tom u0026 Viv: Directed by Brian Gilbert. With Willem Dafoe, Miranda Richardson, Rosemary Harris, Tim Dutton. In 1915, T.S. (Tom) Eliot and Vivienne Haigh-Wood elope, but her longstanding gynecological and emotional problems disrupt their planned honeymoon. Her father is angry because Tom’s poetry doesn’t bring in enough to live on, but her mother is happy Viv has found a tender and discreet husband.

“Anyone who has been captivated by the poetry of this great poet, and wondered about the man and the context in which such memorable verse was written, will want to see this film. It shows T S Eliot as a tormented man who is forced to make decisions about how to deal with the mental instability/illness of his wife. The performances are uniformly faultless, and the awful tragedy of mental illness in a marriage is chillingly depicted with deep sensitivity. The film challenges the viewer to judge Eliot as a man – Dafoeu0026#39;s performance brilliantly portrays the anguish of Eliot the man living in what apparently was an impossible marriage, and Eliot the public figure . The film also throws light on Eliotu0026#39;s fascination with the Church and the role it played in providing a still place in a world of personal mental turmoil. Highly recommended.”