An unseen woman recites Shakespeare's sonnets - fourteen in all - as a man wordlessly seeks his heart's desire. The photography is stop-motion, the music is ethereal, the scenery is often elemental: boulders and smaller rocks, the sea, smoke or fog, and a garden. The man is on an odyssey following his love. But he must first, as the sonnet says, know what conscience is. So, before he can be united with his love, he must purify himself. He does so, bathing a tattooed figure (angel, perhaps) and humbling himself in front of this being. He also prepares himself with water and through his journey and his meditations. Finally, he is united with his fair friend. viewer's comments: - Jarman said that this might be his best. This film is the archtypal Jarman movie. Jarman considered himself a painter more than a film maker and thought of the camera as just an improvement on the brushes of the past. In this film he carries those concepts through to their fullest conclusion. The moody Voice-overs of Shakespeare sonnets by Dame Judy Dench add to the multi-layered portraits of two young men and their relationship. Jarman was going for a mood here and the narrative line is pretty sketchy but if you ever wondered what would happen if one of those Calvin Klein Obsession adverts were stretched to 80 minutes by a really talented film maker then this is the film for you. Without a strong narrative line this film may move too slowly for many and you are hereby cautioned. There were several folks noticeably snoring during the screening that I attended but those that are Jarman fans would not miss it. It also occurred to me that given the very light story line that this might be a great background film to have playing amid a gathering of friends where the entire focus of the group was not on the film. - Like a painting in motion This is possibly the most visually beautiful film I've ever seen. Like many of Jarman's works, it has no conventional narrative, but a montage of images, music and voice. The film was made by putting the original footage through a variety of different visual processes which end up giving it the look of an oil painting in motion -- I've never seen anything quite like it. The hypnotic (and frequently homoerotic) visual imagery coupled with ethereal, ambient music and a female voice reading Shakespeare's love sonnets is almost trance-inducing -- you seriously feel like you're in an altered state of consciousness by the end of it. Highly recommended for those who enjoy experimental/art films, but those who don't will probably find the lack of a conventional plot confusing. Directed by Derek Jarman Cast (in credits order) verified as complete Dave Baby Timothy Burke Simon Costin Christopher Hobbs Philip McDonald Toby Mott Steve Randall Robert Sharp Tony Wood rest of cast listed alphabetically Judi Dench .... Narrator Paul Reynolds Phillip Williamson Runtime: USA:78 min Country: UK Language: English Color: Black and White / Color
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