Samuel Taylor Coleridge, an unstable but brilliant poet, becomes friends with the unknown William Wordsworth, and together they set out to recreate English poetry in the spirt of liberty and democracy. As time goes by, cracks begin to appear in the relationship. Sam becomes addicted to opium, while William's ego and ambition distance him further from his friend.
Acting
Linus Roache's sweaty, wild-eyed Coleridge is uncomfortably magnetic.
Direction
Julien Temple brings punk energy to powdered wigs.
Cinematography
Lake District never looked this gloriously bleak.
Director
Julien Temple
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Julien Temple was best known for directing Sex Pistols documentaries before this, his only period drama. The punk filmmaker tackling Romantic poetry makes perfect chaotic sense.
The real Coleridge's 'Kubla Khan' was allegedly written after an opium dream, and he never finished it because a 'person from Porlock' interrupted him — the film turns this into a devastating metaphor for creative betrayal.
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