Dylan Thomas: Return Journey

The popular perception of Dylan Thomas has no doubt been affected by The Edge of Love, John Maybury's cinematic chronicle of the poet's infamously tangled love life. Dylan Thomas: Return Journey arguably provides a fuller and more nuanced insight into Thomas's mind, and does so without ever sacrificing entertainment value or the truth of his work.

The worry with any fictionalised recreation of a lecture by Thomas is not that a man in a crumpled suit standing and talking about his life and art might be boring (such prejudices should be left at the door) but rather that the performer will fail to live up to the standard set by Wales' greatest poet. Bob Kingdom's magisterial performance as Thomas obliterates such concerns. Kingdom inhabits every inch of Thomas and is never less than utterly convincing, at once nostalgic, erudite, verbose, dazed, curmudgeonly, soulful and hilarious.

Memories of growing up in Wales are brought to life with a lyrical mastery of imagery, while witheringly satirical dissections of the American lecturing circuit and the doomed absurdity of artists who flirt with celebrity are as penetrating as they were in Thomas's time. Though never addressed directly, the poet's difficult and sometimes belligerent relationship with alcohol and women flits around the edges of the material, revealing itself in a sly nod or a passing remark. And while some of the literary references may escape those unfamiliar with them, the power of Kingdom's performance will touch everyone who sees it.