The world of cinema mourns the loss of British screenwriter and director Terence Davies who passed away at the age of 77 after a brief illness. This acclaimed auteur first made his mark in the film industry during the 70s and 80s with his autobiographical trilogy: Children, Madonna And Child, and Death And Transformation.

Throughout his illustrious career, he added nine feature films to his oeuvre. In one of his most recent works, Benediction, a Netflix drama based on the life of English poet Siegfried Sassoon, Doctor Who’s Peter Capaldi and the late actor Julian Sands delivered memorable performances. John Taylor, Davies’ manager, confirmed that the esteemed director died peacefully in his sleep at home.

The statement announcing Davies’ passing included two poignant literary references that held personal meaning for him. The Latin phrase ‘Umbra Sumus’ from Horace’s writings and an excerpt from Christina Rossetti’s poem ‘When I Am Dead, My Dearest’ were both cited.

Davies was born in Liverpool and held positions as a clerk in a shipping office and a bookkeeper in an accountancy firm for a decade before pursuing his passion for drama. He enrolled at Coventry Drama School in 1973 which marked the genesis of his cinematic journey. In 1988, he was awarded the Cannes International Critics Prize for Distant Voices, Still Lives – a film that depicted his own recollections of working-class life during the 1940s and 1950s.

Over the course of his career, numerous renowned actors have starred in Davies’ works. Gillian Anderson enacted the role of socialite Lily Bart in Davies’ adaptation of Edith Wharton’s The House Of Mirth in 2000. Oscar-recipient Rachel Weisz portrayed Hester Collyer in a rendition of The Deep Blue Sea, a play from 1952 about forbidden love and the dread of solitude, in 2011. Also, Cynthia Nixon of Sex And The City fame portrayed 19th-century poet Emily Dickinson in A Quiet Passion, a film penned and helmed by Davies himself in 2016.

Davies’ passing is indeed a profound loss to the world of cinema. His contributions to the industry are significant, having created a legacy that will be celebrated and remembered for generations to come.