Moviegoing Memories is a series of short interviews with filmmakers about going to the movies. Terence Davies’ Benediction is MUBI GO's Film of the Week in the United Kingdom and Ireland for May 20, 2022.
NOTEBOOK: How would you describe your movie in the least amount of words?
TERENCE DAVIES: A journey toward redemption.
NOTEBOOK: Where and what is your favorite movie theater? Why is it your favorite?
DAVIES: It was called the Hippodrome in Liverpool, long since pulled down. It was Hengler’s Music Hall before that and in fact when I went there, the boxes were still there and there were gods. When it was a music hall, when Siegfried Sassoon was in Litherland, he went there several times to see some shows.
NOTEBOOK: What is the most memorable movie screening of your life? Why is it memorable?
DAVIES: My very first film at seven, I was taken to see Singin' in the Rain. What an intro.
NOTEBOOK: If you could choose one classic film to watch on the big screen, what would it be and why?
DAVIES: It would be Letter from an Unknown Woman by Max Ophüls, because it’s the greatest film about unrequited love, based on Stefan Zweig’s novella.