Jubilee (1977 film)
| Jubilee | |
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| Directed by | Derek Jarman |
| Produced by | Howard Malin James Whaley |
| Written by | Derek Jarman Christopher Hobbs |
| Starring | Jenny Runacre Jordan Nell Campbell Linda Spurrier Toyah Willcox Adam Ant |
| Music by | Chelsea Suzi Pinns Brian Eno Siouxsie and the Banshees Wayne County Toyah Willcox Adam Ant |
| Cinematography | Peter Middleton |
| Editing by | Nick Barnard Tom Priestley |
| Release date(s) | 1977 (UK) September 1979 (USA) |
| Running time | 103 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Jubilee is a 1977 cult film directed by Derek Jarman. It stars Jenny Runacre, Ian Charleson, and a host of punk rockers. The title refers to the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 1977.
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[edit] Plot
In Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth I (Runacre) is transported forward in time by the occultist John Dee (Richard O'Brien) through the spirit guide Ariel (a character from Shakespeare's The Tempest). Elizabeth arrives in the shattered Britain of the 1970s. Queen Elizabeth II is dead, killed in an arbitrary mugging, and Elizabeth I moves through the social and physical decay of the city observing the activities of a group of sporadic nihilists, including Amyl Nitrite (Jordan), Bod (Runacre in a dual role), Chaos (Hermine Demoriane), Crabs (Nell Campbell), and Mad (Toyah Willcox).
Numerous punk icons appear in the film including Jordan (a Malcolm McLaren protégé), Toyah Willcox, Nell Campbell, Adam Ant (born, Stuart Leslie Goddard), Demoriane and Wayne County. It features performances by Wayne County and Adam and the Ants. There are also cameo appearances by The Slits and Siouxsie and the Banshees. The film was scored by Brian Eno.
[edit] Influences
The film is heavily influenced by the 1970s punk aesthetic in its style and presentation. Shot in grainy colour, it is largely plotless and episodic. Location filming took advantage of London neighborhoods that were economically depressed and/or still contained large amounts of rubble from the London Blitz.
[edit] Cast
| Jenny Runacre | Queen Elizabeth I / Bod |
| Nell Campbell | Crabs (as Little Nell) |
| Toyah Willcox | Mad |
| Jordan | Amyl Nitrite |
| Hermine Demoriane | Chaos |
| Ian Charleson | Angel |
| Karl Johnson | Sphinx |
| Linda Spurrier | Viv |
| Neil Kennedy | Max |
| Jack Birkett | Borgia Ginz (as Orlando) |
| Jayne County | Lounge Lizard (as Wayne County) |
| Richard O'Brien | John Dee |
| David Brandon | Ariel (as David Haughton) |
| Helen Wellington-Lloyd | Lady in Waiting |
| Adam Ant | Kid |
| Claire Davenport | First Customs Lady |
| Donald Dunham | Policeman |
| Iris Fry | Bingo lady |
| Quinn Hawkins | Boy |
| Barney James | Policeman |
| Lindsay Kemp | Cabaret performer |
| Ulla Larson-Styles | Waitress |
| Howard Malin | Schmeitzer |
| Luciana Martínez | Escort to Borgia |
| William Merrow | Maurice |
| Gene October | Happy Days |
| Prudence Walters | Escort to Borgia |
| Joyce Windsor | Bingo Lady |
| Steven Severin | Himself (as Siouxsie and the Banshees) |
| Duggie Fields | Party-goer (uncredited) |
| Siouxsie Sioux | (uncredited) |
[edit] Reaction
The film had many critics in British punk circles. Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood manufactured a T-shirt on which was printed an "open letter" to Jarman denouncing the film and his misrepresentations of punk.[1] Jarman described the project as "a film about punk" during pre-production, but later explained that it had a much broader thematic scope.[citation needed] The film is now considered a cult classic, and was released by the Criterion Collection, a company that exclusively releases "contemporary classics" on DVDs.
[edit] References
- ^ Jubilee DVD extras, production diary
[edit] External links
- Jubilee at the Internet Movie Database
- Jubilee at AllRovi
- Julian Upton: Anarchy in the UK. Derek Jarman's 'Jubilee' revisited Bright Lights Film Journal, Issue 30, October 2000
- Criterion Collection essay by Tony Peake
- Criterion Collection essay by Tilda Swinton
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