Thursday, June 14, 2018

'Edward II' DVD & Blu-ray: Pride Month Celebration of Derek Jarman Stylistic Retelling of Tale of Elizabethan King and His Gay Lover


The Film Movement Classics division of indie film god Film Movement celebrates Pride Month with the June 12, 2018 separate DVD and Blu-ray releases of the 1991 Derek Jarman production of the 1593 Christopher Marlowe drama "Edward II." A 25-words-or less synopsis of this still relevant tale is that prince meets boy, boys gets exiled, prince becomes king, boy returns, mayhem ensues.

The elaborate staging of this film that hits all the right notes regarding tone and style requires buying the Blu-ray version. This format greatly enhances the live-stage vibe.

The numerous accolades for this masterpiece do not do this film justice. These honors include a Best Feature Film award at the 1992 Berlin International Film Festival and an unanimous vote regarding Tilda Swinton getting the 1991 Venice Film Festival Best Actress award for her portrayal of scorned Queen Isabella.

The following YouTube clip of the Movement trailer for "Edward" highlights all the awesome imagery of this avant-garde gem.


"Edward" opens with exiled crazed "pauper" Piers Gaveston (Andrew Tiernan) engaged in debauchery when a short message with copious subtext summons him back to to Britain to help recently coronated Edward (Steven Waddington) rule his realm. The aforementioned chaos justifies the alternate title "My Boyfriend's Back and There's Gonna Be  Trouble."

Edward adding the insult of bestowing great power and corresponding wealth on his boo adds to the injury of arguably replacing one queen with another. The court officials who are not amused include intimate of the queen Mortimer (Nigel Terry). Sibling rivalry plays a role regarding the involvement of Edward's second-in-line brother.

Although Swinton does her usual excellent job of playing a reserved woman skilled at concealing her crazy when required, Tiernan steals the show. He is particularly adept regarding the period prose and seems born to play an excitable boy.

The well-staged action fully heats up at the end of the brief honeymoon period; this includes an initial effort to re-exile Gaveston, which ultimately triggers a period inaccurate battle between riot police and a group fighting for gay rights. Those familiar with the text knows that this ends with a highly symbolic act.

The video extra is an insightful 23-minute documentary "Derek's Edward" on the making of this compelling film with numerous still-relevant messages.

The delightfully titled essay "Queenie Queens on Top" by filmmaker Bruce LeBruce includes a prologue by Swinton. Swinton aptly focuses on the national events and the mindset of Jarman leading up to making the film. LeBruce focuses on the numerous in-your-face parallels between "Edward" itself and the energetic gay-rights movement of the modern day.

Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Edward" is strongly encouraged either to email me or to connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.






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