Now for a little appreciation of Derek Jarman .....:)
I first heard of Jarman from a theatrical trailer for a Harmony Korine movie, it signified that his cinema was challenging, this was when i was getting ready to collect fine films, as i was soon to discover Derek Jarman would prove to be one of the best discoveries ever, just today as i type this i finally ordered the last feature length film i've not seen nor bought yet, as will be highlighted below, here is a overview of his film work i have and will have, but let it be known that he wasn't limited to just filmmaking.
Feature Films
Sebastiane - 1976, what a stunning opening montage, the rest is a bit too homo-erotic for me, but the brutality is nice and the static ending with the entrancing Brian Eno music is good too. All done in Latin. 3 stars out of 5
Jubilee - 1977, was my entry film, oodles of fun, upon repeated viewings, the angst expressed by the redhead, the pyromaniac is what makes me cringe. 4 stars out of 5
The Tempest - 1979, a warm and dazzling Shakespeare production as only Derek could do, the Stormy Weather number is one of the great musical moments in all of cinema. 4 stars out of 5
The Angelic Conversation - 1985, this is one of the more underground experimental outings, but my least favorite, good score and Judi Dench reciting Shakespeare's sonnets is well, it just lacks any kind of ferocity that i value most in D.J. 3 stars out of 5
Caravaggio - 1986, my favorite of his narrative friendly works, a great evocation of the famous painter, with one of my favorite mottos - "no hope, no fear", or something like that. 4.5 stars out of 5
The Last of England - 1988, this is what i like most in Jarman's work, moments of brutal ferociousness, very sparse in spoken word, but heavy on the visual and soundtrack, all pretty much perfect, some cringey moments, but still a 5 stars out of 5
War Requiem - 1989 - i love this almost as much as Last of England, has a cleaner look to it though, 3 significantly powerful moments in the ending, and 2 earlier scenes, one with the star twirling her hair, and a violent montage that uses i believe some of Verdi's Requiem. 5 stars out of 5
The Garden - 1990, what i ordered today!! It feels awesome to get something besides tv for a change, back to my film loving roots. *_*
Edward II - 1991, a film version of a Christopher Marlowe play, has some moments, including a cameo singing part by Annie Lennox, 2 stars out of 5, least favorite D.J. film
Wittgenstein - 1993, a very heart warming experience, kooky too, Derek was fast losing his eyesight while making this, it ends with some exceptional spoken word stuff 4 stars out of 5
Blue - 1993, perhaps his most experimental, visually it is just the color blue on the screen while the audio takes over, only of interest to those who already like Derek Jarman, 3 stars out of 5
Short films highlights
The Art of Mirrors - 1973, to see this in a darkened room on as big a screen as possible is awesome. 5/5
In the Shadow of the Sun - 1981, very hypnotic silent film with Throbbing Gristle score 5/5
Glitterbug - 1994, a compilation of early films with an Eno score, i need to view it again in order to rate, but a 5 out of 5 wouldn't be too far fetched. Ok, as i play this again, it lacks something special for sure, it's interesting as it shows some behind the scenes sort of footage, so my rating is 2/5
I love the experimental side best and when it expresses a raw and angry sensibility along with the other stuff which may be described as the unbridled cacophany of freedom.
I shouldn't leave out that he was the set designer for Ken Russell's The Devils, and Savage Messiah, i've seen the former, and it is one of the best. Derek also did painting, other artistic stuff, sculpture i think, and was one heck of a gardener too, and also an author. Other disciplines, surely, but i mention mostly what i'm most interested in, the films. Being in his films must have been something special, at creating an atmosphere, none could match Mr. Jarman .....:)
I haven't watched all of his films. I prefer his experimental side, and The Last of England is my favourite. I should watch War Requiem.
SW-User
@Cierzo I hope you enjoy it, it can get pretty sentimental too. Painterly visually, but all the soundtrack is of Britten's work of same title name, except that part that strikes me as Verdi. I shared it with an elderly friend once, she said it was hard to watch but worth it, as with Caravaggio, it despite it's iffy moments made an overall positive impact on my parents who are evangelical type of believers.... the quality of filmmaking graces past boundaries sometimes :)
SW-User
@Cierzo Also the part with this music is effective imo .....:) [media=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiDAWNH-ltE]
