helgé
Menu   ≡ ╳
  • About Me
  • Brian
    • Brian
    • Brian’s Poems
  • History
    • Clubbing
    • Zines
    • re:PLAY
  • Designer
    • CCC Show
    • Fashion
    • Wallets
    • Shows
  • Fine Arts
    • My Ceramics
    • My Graphics
    • My Paintings
    • Paintings Gallery
  • Theatre
    • BODA
    • Plays
    • Performances
    • Photo Shoots
  • Words
    • About Me
    • Novel
    • Essays
    • Poetry
  • Multimedia
    • Audio
    • Video
    • Performance Videos
  • Reviews
  • Blog
    • MY SIX YEAR DEVESTATION
    • My Raves
    • My Rants
    • Blog Photos
    • Shooting from the Lip
  • Friends
    • Leo Janssen
    • Lee Scott-Hempson
  • Guestbook
  • Contact

Derek

Posted on 2nd August 2008 by helgé

Derek Jarman (1942-1994) created eleven extraordinary feature films including Sebastiane, The Tempest, Caravaggio, The Last of England, Wittgenstein, and Edward II and over three dozen shorts.

This multi-talented artist is also acclaimed for his painting (several major exhibits), stage and film design (for director Ken Russell), gay and human rights activism, literature (memoirs, social criticism, poetry), and, on a serene note, his exquisite gardens. (this expert was taken from Jims reviews – the films of Derek Jarman).

Jarman steamed through his life, determined to live out the repression imposed upon him by a sick catholic schooling system. It is the type of repression that society imposes with all the self righteous venom of frustrated paternalism backed up by misrepresented and outdated religious dogma. The Church has been, and will always be, its own worst enemy.

And yet, in a triumphant way, maybe it was the Church then, that stimulated the artist Jarman in his particular role as liberator of the homosexual psyche. He has not been the first, and neither will he be the last.

History is riddled with homosexual/bisexual artists: shakespeare, t.s. elliot, michaelangelo, passolini, picasso, dali, lorca, caravaggio,…the list is endless….but one is never told this when studying them at school, at university.

In spite of the fact that I live in a country (South Africa) which has gay rights enshrined into the constitution, homosexuality still remains, in 2008, one of the most impossible to break taboos.

Tilda SwintonThis documentary Derek by Isaac Julian, is perceptively (though at times somewhat bitterly) narrated by a down-to-earth Tilda Swinton (The Beach, The Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) an actress who has taken part in many of Jarmans films, and who was a lifelong friend, possibly even his muse. There is much in her narration that provokes thought. The film gives us a good background to Jarmans youth, his formative years, his parents, and his fascination with film. The documentary reveals much of what inspired Jarman filmatically, and how he was able to incorporate his influences, transforming them into his own unique vision.

From the late 60s, his studio became a hub, a meeting place for many of Londons vibrant artists (Hockney, Kemp, Westwood, McLaren) and he was able to connect with punk, just as much as with high art. Although well recognised as an artist in his own country and in his own time, the British cinema shunned him possibly because he made quality films at a fraction of their budget, and expanded British cinema without their sanction.

But this is also a testament to an artist who was driven by a need to create, not by a need to be accepted in the right circles. His films are an affirmation of the spirit of a time when his fellow collaborators – Swinton in particular – were enthused and inspired by a drive to create something unique, undicatated to, fermenting their own rules outside of mainstream ‘acceptability’ yet within a high artistic credibility.

There is a brief and enlightening snippet in the documentary where a Liberal MP states during the Thatcher reign:

The measure of a Nation is the amount of freedom it affords creative intelligence.

Jarman himself, comes across as self depreciating, almost taking himself for granted, yet never falsely modest, not afraid to admit what he doesnt know, not afraid to reveal how he works….not afraid. He created films (using super 8) at a time when the gay scene was at its most vibrant. His films are without gay apology, are beautifully homoerotic, violent at times. He was diagnosed with AIDS in 1986, a time when the illness had only just been named, becoming the first well known artist to publicly declare his status. He was a great champion of gay rights.

It is absolutely telling about Durbans gay scene that at the viewing of this film at Misgave centre, there were about 7 people in the audience.

Here are two complete opposing excerpts from criticism of a Jarman film:

The Last of England:

The Last of England gets one star, but only because that is the lowest rating allowed by filmcritic.com policy. It really doesnt deserve any stars. I would say its one of the worst films ever made, but that would make it sound more interesting than it actually is. david bezanson

This film is an extraordinary work of art which illuminates much through its interconnected parts: its critical vision political, aesthetic and always personal; the raw beauty and power of the images, which intoxicate even as they sometimes horrify but ultimately strip away illusion; its sheer unstoppable momentum (more than once I began re-viewing a scene, and wound up watching the entire film again). While drawing on earlier works from all media, painting to poetry to music videos, it creates new possibilities of cinematic language. Jim

This latter quote comes from a virtual thesis of this Jarman film and is highly recommended for further reading.
He WAS out of control
Velvet
Posted in Reviews |
« He WAS out of control
Downsizing spiral … »

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

CAPTCHA
Refresh

*

Menu

  • ►Brian (15)
    • ►Brian’s Poems (2)
  • ►Designer (68)
    • ►CCC Show (5)
    • ►Fashion (36)
    • ►Shows (7)
    • ►Wallets (12)
  • ►Events (8)
    • ►Clubbing Events (8)
  • ►Fine Arts (79)
    • ►My Ceramics (4)
    • ►My Graphics (35)
    • ►My Paintings (39)
    • ►Paintings Gallery (1)
  • ►Helge Blog (135)
    • ►Blog Photos (5)
    • ►My Rants (40)
    • ►My Raves (57)
    • ►MY SIX YEAR DEVESTATION (23)
    • ►Shooting from the Lip (5)
    • ►Urban Zulu (4)
  • ►History (19)
    • ►Clubbing (8)
    • ►re:PLAY (8)
    • ►Zines (3)
  • ►Lee Scott-Hempson (3)
  • ►Leo Janssen (11)
  • ►Multimedia (44)
    • ►Audio (5)
    • ►Performance Videos (6)
    • ►Video (33)
  • ▼Reviews (50)
    • 12shooters
    • 300
    • A Dream of Life
    • A Migraine for the Ivory Tower - Decolonising Wits
    • A threnody to the Marikana victims
    • A threnody to the Marikana victims
    • Across the Universe
    • Avatar
    • Bicky, Pristina, Babylonia
    • Blue Moon Burlesque - Roseway Waldorf Night Market 31 July 2015
    • Breakthrough cinema! - Elelwani at DIFF
    • Burn after reading
    • Derek
    • DRUMSOUND WILLOWVALE HOTEL
    • Earth shattering: Cedric Nunn photographs
    • Hannibal Rising
    • He WAS out of control
    • Horton Who's a What?
    • I'm not there
    • into the wild
    • Isiqalo: Dr. Zakes album
    • Jesus and the giant
    • journey to the self: an intimate portrait of jaspar lepak
    • KILL YOUR DARLINGS
    • La Vie en Rose
    • Legendary Syd Kitchen - film by Aryan Kaganof
    • Lesbian scene in SMS Sugar Man
    • Music Today fund raising concert
    • Nate Maingard CD: The Wild Land
    • No Country For Old Men
    • Physics for Poets: Nick Darcy-Fox debut novel
    • POP - Splat
    • Sarah Jane Mary Hills - EP Child of Ancestors
    • SMS Sugar Man
    • SMS Sugar Man 2 (an analysis)
    • the bow project
    • The Dark Knight...
    • The Devil's Labyrinth
    • the diabolical bulk
    • The High Art of Simplicity at the KZNSA Gallery
    • The Kiss that Kisses the Kiss
    • the sedateness of durban verses the magic of improvisation
    • The Vuvuzela Murders by Aryan Kaganof
    • The Walker
    • The Wallets
    • Velvet
    • Wasted
    • Watchmen
    • WELCOME NELSON REVIEW
    • What the world needs now is... Jaspar Lepak
  • ►Theatre (21)
    • ►BODA (5)
    • ►Performances (11)
    • ►Photo Shoots (2)
    • ►Plays (2)
    • ►Theatre (1)
  • ►Uncategorized (7)
  • ►Words (60)
    • ►About Me (1)
    • ►Essays (15)
    • ►Novel (10)
    • ►Poetry (34)

Tag Cloud

About Me Audio Blog Photos BODA Brian Brian's Poems CCC Show Clubbing Clubbing Events Designer Essays Fashion Helge Blog Lee Scott-Hempson Leo Janssen My Ceramics My Graphics My Paintings My Rants My Raves MY SIX YEAR DEVESTATION Novel Paintings Gallery Performance Videos Performances Photo Shoots Plays Poetry re:PLAY Reviews Shooting from the Lip Shows Theatre Uncategorized Urban Zulu Video Wallets Zines

Heard at PLAY@330

Click to PLAY

Recent Comments

  • Ian Alderton on Drawing of Eldon Swallow 1986 size A4
  • helgé on Beyond Good and Evil
  • helgé on soon to be available in the UK!
  • Anonymous on Drawing of Eldon Swallow 1986 size A4
  • Anonymous on Drawing of Eldon Swallow 1986 size A4
115258
Visit Today : 48
This Month : 1082
This Year : 2494
Total Visit : 115258
Who's Online : 1

CyberChimps WordPress Themes

Copyright © helgé 2018 | All Rights Reserved