Derek Jarman Movies
An accomplished painter, Derek Jarman entered films in the early '70s, designing sets for Ken Russell's The Devils (1971) and Savage Messiah (1972). After making numerous experimental shorts, mostly in Super-8, he began helming features in 1979 with Sebastiane, a controversial gay-themed account of Saint Sebastian, in which all the dialogue was spoken in Latin. Over the next 20 years Jarman frequently interwove historical evocation and unexpected anachronisms, particularly in his biopics Caravaggio (1986) and Wittgenstein (1993). His landmark non-narrative features of the '80s, The Angelic Conversation (1985) and The Last of England (1987), offer a painter's sense of texture, with Jarman transferring Super-8 footage onto video for his editing, and then transferring the video onto 35-mm film. Radical gay politics, a constant theme in his films, emerged most forcefully in the '90s with The Garden (1990), which re-enacts incidents from the life of Christ with two gay lovers in place of Jesus; Edward II (1992), his fiery adaptation of Christopher Marlowe's 16th-century tragedy; and his last film Blue (1993), in which the sole visual element is an unchanging field of blue, while the soundtrack describes Jarman's thoughts and emotions in the face of his imminent death from AIDS. ~ All Movie Guide- 1994
This British film represents the farewell of author/director Derek Jarman who died of AIDS in March 1994. It is considered to be the companion piece to Jarman's film Blue. Without a traditional plot, the film chronicles Jarman's life before AIDS with a series of free-flowing images gleaned from over 15 hours of Jarman's home movies taken between the years 1970-1985. London provides the central image, but other places seen include Italy, Spain, and rural England. The glittering parties filled with drag queens, drugs, and interesting people before the onset of AIDS are also chronicled. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Derek Jarman directed this witty, stylish biography of the life of the eccentric 20th-century philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (Karl Johnson). Wittgenstein is shown as a boy living a repressive youth, demonstrated by his family appearing in Roman togas. When Wittgenstein leaves to study under Bertrand Russell at Cambridge, he begins to investigate language and apply the strictures and constructs of language to philosophical study. The subject of Wittgenstein's homosexuality is depicted when, after World War I, he falls in love with a poor philosophy student, Johnny (Kevin Collins). Also portrayed is Wittgenstein's death at an early age from prostate cancer. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karl Johnson, Michael Gough, (more)
- 1993
A year before director Derek Jarman succumbed fully to AIDS, he made his last film. In Blue, the color blue is all there is to see as Jarman tries to bring the audience into his vision-impaired world. Jarman offers his insights on life, love, disease, the meaning of art, and the symbology of the color blue over a blue screen. Actors, including Tilda Swinton and John Quentin, also read from Jarman's journals and poetry. ~ John Voorhees, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Quentin, Nigel Terry, (more)
Two years before director Derek Jarman died of AIDS, he directed this extremely ambitious variation on Christopher Marlowe's 16th-century play. While Marlowe is the root of this film, Jarman has taken a great deal of leeway with the manner of presentation. The story revolves around King Edward's open homosexuality, which eventually led to his murder and succession. Instead of lush historical settings, the film uses bare walls and dirt floors and puts the cast into smart suits. This "staginess" works to the advantage of Jarman's design, and he takes every opportunity to anachronize. (For example, Annie Lennox shows up to provide a lovely rendition of Cole Porter's "Every Time We Say Goodbye".) A striking film, and a high point of Jarman's career. ~ John Voorhees, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Waddington, Andrew Tiernan, (more)
- 1990
Director Derek Jarman takes the viewer for a walk around his own garden in rural England for this non-narrative film. Many of the scenes depict the Passion of Christ, but the sufferings are instead visited upon a gay couple. Jarman then assaults the senses with a series of images, including a campy version of the song Think Pink from Funny Face. ~ John Voorhees, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Derek Jarman, Tilda Swinton, (more)
The first BBC television film to be given a British theatrical release, Derek Jarman's War Requiem is a cinematic interpretation of composer Benjamin Britten's famed oratorio. Narrated by Lord Laurence Olivier, whose last film this was, War Requiem combines Britten's music with the words of English poet (and World War 1 casualty Wilfred Owen) and Jarman's stark, symbolic images--filmed, appropriately enough, in an old mental hospital. Throughout, the sacrifice of young lives to the horrors of war is likened to the Supreme Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. As always, Jarman uses every opportunity to poke holes in Brtain's hidebound traditionalism. Though unrated, the violence quotient in War Requiem is enough to render the film unsuitable for young children. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nathaniel Parker, Tilda Swinton, (more)
British filmmaker Derek Jarman combines his standard erotic imagery with innovative documentary techniques in his Last of England. The film traces the decline and fall of Britain as seen from the vantage points of London and Belfast. Old home movies, newly shot hand-held 8 millimeter photography, "straight" newsreel-style footage and a barrage of familiar music and street sounds all combine to create a jaw-dropping mosaic of apocalyptic allusions. Obviously not geared to everyone's taste, Last of England is an eloquent cry of anguish from one of the most accomplished British filmmakers of the 1980s. Jarman also wrote the book on which this film is based. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tilda Swinton, Spencer Leigh, (more)
An international collection of well-known directors contributed to this compilation film, each fashioning a short film inspired by an aria from a famous opera. The approaches vary broadly, from the playful abstraction of Jean-Luc Godard's segment, which illustrates Armide with exercising body-builders, to the more literal approach of Franc Roddam, who transports Tristan und Isolde's story to modern-day Las Vegas. A particular stand-out is Julian Temple's take on Rigoletto, which recasts Verdi as the accompaniment to a contemporary Southern California sex farce. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Theresa Russell, Nicola Swain, (more)
- 1986
- R
Writer/director Derek Jarman injects his patented iconoclasm in this biography of Renaissance artist Michelangelo Merisa da Caravaggio. Nigel Terry plays the title role, whom (according to Jarman) essentially told his own life story in his paintings. Caravaggio travelled among thieves and prostitutes, many of whom were his models. He once killed a man, kept a deaf/mute child as a virtual slave, and squandered every penny he ever made. That we should care anything about so miserable and obscure a personality is a tribute to Jarman's filmmaking savvy--and the number of elements from his own well-publicized life that he injects into the film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nigel Terry, Sean Bean, (more)
- 1985
Through a symbolic visual language that may be misunderstood by some, director and writer Derek Jarman has created an experimental film that at first appears to be the internal fantasy of one man. In reality, the story is about the love between two gay men (portrayed by Paul Reynolds and Philip Williamson), seen against a backdrop of bleak industrial cityscapes or abstract landscapes. The sound of a ticking clock, and the voiceover of 14 Shakespearean sonnets add poignancy and a sense of the brevity of life to the relationship of the two men. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- 1980
This experimental film by Derek Jarman features the multilayered, hypnotic non-linear effects of Super-8 set to a sound track with the music of Throbbing Gristle and Chris Carter. ~ All Movie Guide
Filmed in 1979 and released publicly one year later, The Tempest is an abstract 16-millimeter feature film based loosely on the "magical" Shakespeare play. Director/writer Derek Jarman also throws in a few Shakespearean sonnets when the spirit moves him. Essentially, Jarman uses the material as the basis for a homosexual metaphor, most notably in the Prospero/Caliban relationship. He would further elaborate this concept in his next film, The Angelic Conversation. Jarman's The Tempest by its very nature speaks to a small, specialized audience. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Heathcote Williams, Karl Johnson, (more)
Steeped in the nihilistic philosophy and rebellious fashions of the British punk movement, this early feature by experimental filmmaker Derek Jarman presents an unusual look at late 1970s London. The bulk of Jubilee focuses on a loosely connected group of female outcasts, united by a hatred of convention that at times extends into dark violence. Providing contrast is the film's framing story, in which Queen Elizabeth I travels forward in time to view the future of England and finds unexpected sympathy with the female rebels. The film references both William Shakespeare and Siouxsie and the Banshees, and it alternates scenes of transgressive violence with heady discussions of English history. The film's casting alone makes it an intriguing artifact of its time, showcasing subcultural icons from musician Adam Ant to several cast members of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jenny Runacre, Jordan, (more)
Filmed entirely in vulgar Latin, this experimental film recounts the life of Sebastiane, a puritanical but beautiful Christian soldier in the Roman Imperial troops who is martyred when he refuses the homosexual advances of his pagan captain. When this film was released, it was the only English-made film to have required English subtitles, and it is an early film by the noted experimental and outspokenly homosexual director Derek Jarman, who died in 1994. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leonardo Treviglio, Barney James, (more)
- 1972
Based on the book of the same name by H.S. Ede, eccentric director Ken Russell created this biographical drama of a great early 20th century artist who died tragically young. Henri Gaudier (Scott Anthony) is only 18 years old, a self-taught Parisian sculptor of enormous talent but prone to rash, exuberant behavior. Henri meets and begins a platonic but emotionally intense relationship with Sophie Brzeksa (Dorothy Tutin), a cultured Polish woman 20 years his senior. The relationship between Henri and Sophie remains inspired and impassioned, if not sexual, and her air of intelligent refinement positively impacts his life and work. Eventually, the couple moves to London, where Henri takes his partner's last name, and his star rises in the art world as the chief proponent of Vorticism, an offshoot of Cubism and Futurism. In real life, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska was a signer of the Vorticist Manifesto and a founder of The London School along with his patron, Ezra Pound, but his genius was not recognized until after his death. Gaudier-Brzeska was killed at the age of only 24 in WWI, a French Army hero who had been twice promoted for bravery. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Tutin, Scott Antony, (more)
The Devils was the Ken Russell film version of the controversial play by John Whiting. The story, based on Aldous Huxley's The Devils of Loudun, concerns controversial 17th century French priest Urbain Grandier, whose radical political and religious notions and profligate sex life earn him many enemies. When a group of nuns appears to have been "bewitched" by Grandier, his rivals feed on the resulting mass hysteria, using this incident as an excuse to have the priest arrested. Refusing to confess to being in league with Satan and to renounce his "heretical" views, Grandier undergoes appalling tortures, and is finally burned at the stake. Vanessa Redgrave co-stars as the head nun. Due to censorship issues in virtually every country in which The Devils has been released, running times vary greatly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vanessa Redgrave, Oliver Reed, (more)
