Pandaemonium (2000)

58% of critics liked it
(26 reviews)
71% of users liked it
(629 ratings)

The troubled friendship and occasional rivalry between two of England's greatest poets, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth, is explored in an unorthodox light in this historical drama from renegade director Julian Temple. As Coleridge (Linus Roache), Wordsworth (John Hannah), and Lord… More The troubled friendship and occasional rivalry between two of England's greatest poets, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth, is explored in an unorthodox light in this historical drama from renegade director Julian Temple. As Coleridge (Linus Roache), Wordsworth (John Hannah), and Lord Byron (Guy Lankester) await the news of who will be Great Britain's new poet laureate in 1816, Coleridge finds himself thinking back to 1795, when he and Wordsworth were two struggling writers involved in radical politics. Embracing the ideal of an agrarian society, Coleridge moves to the country, accompanied by his wife Sarah (Samantha Morton) and their infant son. Wordsworth soon follows, joined by his often argumentative sister Dorothy (Emily Woof). However, the two writers discover the hard work of maintaining a farm is not as conducive to their literary endeavors as they might have imagined, despite taking most available opportunities to shock the local bourgeoisie. It's not until Coleridge discovers laudanum (a tincture of alcohol and opium) that he finds the inspiration to create his first masterpiece, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Wordsworth soon finds his friend's fame is far surpassing his own, which brings an uncomfortable jealousy into their relationship; Coleridge, meanwhile, has developed a dangerous fondness for opium, which threatens to drown the creative spirit that it once sparked within him. Pandaemonium received its North American premiere at the 2000 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 2 hr. 4 min.
Directed By: Julien Temple
Written By: Frank Cottrell Boyce
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Jun 29, 2001 Wide
On DVD: Feb 12, 2002
Studio: USA Films

Critic Reviews

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
Goes a long way toward capturing the compelling delirium of opium among a crowd of freethinking British iconoclasts.
Lawrence Van Gelder, New York Times
Literate and handsome.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
Historically and dramatically dubious.
Michael Atkinson, Mr. Showbiz
A harebrained, awkward, and dramatically muddled historical pageant.
Jessica Winter, Village Voice
The exposition is thick, the characterization choppy, the wigs terrible.
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter
The appeal will ... be restricted to art house audiences who don't mind people messing with their literary history.
Tom Grealis, RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)
It's probably somewhat ironic that 'Pandaemonium' would have been far more appealing if its central characters were hoi-polloi poetic wannabes.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A watchable but silly biopic melodrama about the relationship between fellow romantic poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Linus Roache) and William Wordsworth (John Hannah)...
Ted Murphy, Baseline.Hollywood.com
if one is to judge "Pandaemonium" on its own merits as a work of fiction, for the most part it succeeds.
Sandi Chaitram, BBC
Successfully gets to the heart of the obsessions that drive great writers -- and will have you dusting down your old school copy of the 'Lyrical Ballads'!
Bruce Feld, Film Journal International
Well-intentioned and at the same time sadly indulgent as [Temple] modifies history to suit the MTV generation.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
As a paean to the power of imagination, Pandaemonium is an impressive work.
Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide
As a visual counterpart to some of the most sublime verse ever written, it's often thrilling.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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The S

A fanciful and atmospheric fantasy based loosely on the lives of Coleridge and Wordsworth - there's more than a hint of Schafer's Amadeus in this tale of tortured artists and jealousy. Great cast, beautifully shot and poetry of a kind both new and old as the script dovetails… More
A fanciful and atmospheric fantasy based loosely on the lives of Coleridge and Wordsworth - there's more than a hint of Schafer's Amadeus in this tale of tortured artists and jealousy. Great cast, beautifully shot and poetry of a kind both new and old as the script dovetails effortlessly with some of England's greatest romantic verse.