The molecule of benzil (diphenylethanedione, C14H10O2) has been approximated by a system of rigid segments to model the lowest-frequency part of its vibrational spectrum. The interactions of internal degrees of freedom have been described with the use of phenomenological force constants. The structure of the trigonal (P3(1)21) phase has then been modelled by means of a temperature-dependent atom-atom potential based on thermal motions of atoms. The potential gives the correct account of the softening of an E-symmetry, zone-center mode which underlies the phase transition to the low-temperature monoclinic phase (P2(1)). The low-frequency modes at the zone center, supposed until now to be difference overtones, have been shown to result from a coupling between internal and external degrees of freedom. A low-frequency soft mode at the point M of the zone border has been found, which explains the behavior of observed peaks in diffuse x-ray scattering experiments. The values and the temperature evolution of the effective elastic constants calculated within the model are in a very good agreement with the results of ultrasonic and Brillouin scattering data. The model has been shown insufficient in the description of dielectric and piezoelectric properties of benzil.