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Inspired by a childhood memory of an old vinyl recording in the family home, Ralph Fiennes revisited TS Eliot鈥檚 Four Quartets during the 2020 lockdown, wondering if it could be given a theatrical treatment rather than merely recited.

Theatre producers James Dacre of the Royal and Derngate theatres, and Danny Moar of the Theatre Royal Bath, got behind Fiennes鈥檚 idea. Hildegard Bechtler, Chris Shutt and Tim Lutkin created the set and costume design, sound and stage lighting, with Fiennes directing the production, which toured UK regional theatres and ran at the Pinter Theatre, London, in December 2021.

This film, directed by Ralph鈥檚 sister Sophie, known for her work with Michael Clark, Grace Jones and les ballets C de la B, was made immediately after the live performances. The set and lighting were transported overnight from the West End and re-rigged in English National Ballet鈥檚 production studio. The film was shot on 16mm in three days using one camera by director of photography Mike Eley, preserving the colour and atmosphere of Tim Lutkin鈥檚 original design for the theatre.

Eliot鈥檚 ambition was to write a poem that would produce the effect of music on the senses. In this performance, Ralph Fiennes鈥檚 delivery brings to life what Eliot called the auditory imagination.