Films Notes On Blindness

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Notes On Blindness poster

Film · 2016

Notes On Blindness

Directed by Pete Middleton and James Spinney · starring Simone Kirby, Eileen Davies and Dan Renton Skinner

  • 1 h 30 min
  • U
  • Documentary
  • UK
  • Released in the UK 30 June 2016
  • 8.0 AverageMovieNCo
  • 8.2 Users1 vote
  • 7.8 Critics4 reviews
Watch trailer Where to watch · from £2.49 Rate it

Synopsis

Pete Middleton and James Spinney directed this documentary tinged fiction, recreating the life of theologian John Hull. The film puts us in the summer of 1983, Hull few days before the birth of his first child completely he loses sight blind. The writer and theologian seek to find an end to his hectic life and start to write a diary on an audiocassette. After telling his experiences, feelings and thoughts, in 1990 he decided to publish the work. Oliver Sacks described the work of Hull as the most extraordinary, accurate, deep and beautiful experience about blindness he had read in his life. A true masterpiece. Spinney and Middleton recreate us some moments of the life of Hull, besides giving us access to original recordings, notes on how blindness affects dreams, memory and carves out a new life, an inner world.

Where to watch Notes On Blindness

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Available now in the UK:

Availability checked on 8 November 2026.

The essentials

Runtime
90 min1 hour and 30 minutes
Rating
UUniversal
How long is Notes On Blindness?
1 hour and 30 minutes (90 minutes).
When was Notes On Blindness released in the UK?
It was released in the UK on 30 June 2016.
Who directed Notes On Blindness?
Pete Middleton and James Spinney.
Who is in Notes On Blindness?
It stars Simone Kirby, Eileen Davies, Dan Renton Skinner and Lorelei Winterfrost.
Where can I watch Notes On Blindness?
In the UK it is available to rent on Apple TV and Prime Video.
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Cast

Full cast (13)
Director
Pete Middleton, James Spinney
Writers
Pete Middleton, James Spinney
Music
James Spinney
Producers
Mike Brett, Steve Jamison, Pete Middleton, James Spinney

Videos and trailers

All 2 videos
'Notes on Blindness' Teaser Trailer 2:461 April 2016

Photos and posters

All 8 photos

Reviews

All 4 reviews
8.2 1 vote

What the critics say average 7.8 from 4 outlets

  • 9.0 New York TimesStephen Holden The tone of the narration is so wrenchingly honest that the film never lapses into self-pity or relies on mystical platitudes. Read
  • 8.0 The GuardianPeter Bradshaw The tone is sober, unflashy, and Hull?s reflections on God are presented without any hectoring or special pleading. Affecting and profoundly intelligent. Read
  • 8.0 The TelegraphTim Robey It is one of the most eye-opening documentaries you'll see all year. Read

Awards

All the awards

Trivia

  • Two soundtracks

    When it was shown on British TV, the film was made available with two soundtracks. The first was a "heightened soundtrack" produced by one of Europe's leading sound designers, Joakim Sundström, who created a rich, immersive soundtrack calibrated specifically for blind audiences, using enhanced sound design and additional audio from the characters to guide the audience through the story. The second was a more regular audio described version read by Stephen Mangan.

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