Derek

Synopsis: Painter, author, gay militant, AIDS activist and, above all, filmmaker, Derek Jarman was one of Britain’s best-loved and most original artists. This film is a remembrance of one of independent film’s greatest treasures. It was lovingly crafted by artist filmmaker Isaac Julien, who assembled a moving collage of rare home movies, film clips and interviews, as well as a cinematic love letter from Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton written a decade after Jarman’s death. The film tells the story of Jarman’s life and chronicles everyday England from the 1960s to the early 1990s. It also includes clips of Jarman’s feature-length and Super-8 films. Swinton’s letter serves as the poetic overlay, telling the truth about the life Jarman led and the cultural abyss left by his absence.

DVD extras include: Filmed introduction by producer Colin MacCabe (2008, 5 mins); The Extended Derek Jarman interview (1991, 69 mins); New filmed interview with Isaac Julien (2008, 20 mins); Three Super-8mm short films by Derek Jarman - PIRATE TAPE (W.S. Burroughs Film) (1982,16 mins); TG - PSYCHIC REALITY IN HEAVEN (1981, 8 mins); SLOANE SQUARE - A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN (1974-6, 9 mins); THE ATTENDANT (Isaac Julien, 1993, 8 mins); THE CLEARING (Alexis Bistikas, 1994, 7 mins); OSTIA (Julian Cole, 1987, 26 mins): short film about Pasolini starring Jarman, with optional director’s commentary; Derek Jarman paintings gallery; llustrated booklet with essays by Isaac Julien and B. Ruby Rich; Ossian Ward on Jarman’s paintings; film notes and biographies
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Year of release: 2009
Year of production: 2008
Subjects: Art; Film studies
Keywords: Jarman, Derek