A film version of a performance by Fiona Shaw of T.S. Eliot's great poem. First published in 1922, " The Waste Land " remains a startlingly modern work, and this film offers a unique opportunity to reassess its relevance today. A first film by the acclaimed theatre director Deborah Warner, the production has been shot in a spare, simple but remarkably powerful manner, revealing both the comedy and the tragedy of the poem. Long takes complement and capture the richly varied tones and sometimes startling shifts in Fiona Shaw's performance.