Edward II
Derek Jarman, GB 1991; Screenplay: Derek Jarman, Stephen McBride, Ken Butler, based on the play by Christopher Marlowe; Cinematography: Ian Wilson; Editing: George Akers; Music: Simon Fisher Turner; Cast: Steven Waddington, Tilda Swinton, Kevin Collins, Andrew Tiernan, John Lynch, Dudley Sutton. DCP (from 35mm), color, 90 min. EnglishMaverick playwright Christopher Marlowe's 1592 original becomes a cutting commentary on contemporary British society in Jarman's characteristically lo‑fi adaptation, studded with outrageous anachronisms and reveling in artificiality. A postmodern provocation hailed as "sensitive, intelligent and mature" and "Jarman's most angry film," it foregrounds Edward's homosexuality in a challenge to the Conservative government's assaults on LGBT rights. Starring Steven Waddington as the ill‑fated King and Tilda Swinton as his consort, this electrifying medieval tragedy fully vindicates Jarman's assertion that the only way to film a "gay love affair" in the reactionary UK of 1990–91 was to "find a dusty old play and violate it." Jarman's choice of Marlowe is a logical step given his earlier fixation on Caravaggio, whose creative career was similarly scandal‑plagued and truncated by fatal violence. (N.Y.)
Introduced by Neil Young on April 1, 2026
Introduced by Neil Young on April 1, 2026