Jubilee (1978)

Director:

Derek Jarman

Writer:

Derek Jarman (writer)

Release Date:

September 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

Sex, drugs and punk rock. Add violence and time travel and you have Jubilee.

Plot:

Queen Elizabeth I travels to late twentieth-century Britain to discover a tawdry and depressing landscape...

Plot Keywords:

Queen Elizabeth I | Murder | Post Punk | Reference To Idi Amin | Sunglasses

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Steven Severin	...	Himself (as Siouxsie and the Banshees)
Ari Up	...	Herself
Duggie Fields	...	Party-goer (uncredited)
Siouxsie Sioux	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Derek Jarman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Derek Jarman		writer

Produced by
Howard Malin	....	co-producer
James Whaley	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Brian Eno

Cinematography by
Peter Middleton

Film Editing by
Nick Barnard

Production Design by
Mordecai Schreiber

Costume Design by
Dave Henderson
Christopher Hobbs

Makeup Department
Keith of 'Smile'	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Guy Ford	....	assistant director

Art Department
Kenny Morriss	....	assistant production designer

Sound Department
Mike Billing	....	dubbing mixer
John Hayes	....	sound recordist
Trevor Rutherford	....	assistant sound recordist

Special Effects by
John Dee	....	special effects
Martin Gutteridge	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Denis Balkin	....	grip
Bob McShane	....	assistant camera
Mike Munro	....	electrician
Jean-Marc Prouveur	....	still photographer
John Rogers	....	gaffer
Johnny Rosza	....	still photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Richard Croft	....	costume maker
Ralph Dyer	....	costume maker
Luciana Martínez	....	wardrobe mistress

Editorial Department
Annette D'Alton	....	assistant editor
Tom Priestley	....	supervising editor

Transportation Department
John Albery	....	transportation

Other crew
Lee Drysdale	....	production assistant
Judi Futrille	....	continuity
Lindsay Kemp	....	cabaret performance
Luciana Martínez	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Megalovision
• Whaley-Malin Productions

Distributors

• Cinegate Ltd. (1979) (USA) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Mystic Fire Video (1990) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:R | Hong Kong:III | New Zealand:R18 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Bermondsey, London, England, UK

Company:

Megalovision

Trivia:

Shot entirely on location. The filmmakers made ample use of the many derelict buildings in London that were left standing after sustaining damage in the war.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: After the policemen shoot Angel and Sphinx dead, Sphinx's eyes blink before the camera cuts away.

Quotes:

[Bod picks up the phone]
Crabs:Most people would hang up the phone, she's hanging on for dear life.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Brows Held High: Jubilee (#1.21)" (2011)

Soundtrack:

Dover Beach

Excellent atmosphere of punk-music era

This film has been described as a "punk-music documentary," which is most certainly is not, as clearly explained in the "Making of" featurette contained on the DVD. It is an art house film written by Jarman to take the p*** out of the Queen, who was then very pompously celebrating her 25th jubilee. Since the punks were of the same inclination, he used a punk-scene setting as his way of making his point. There is actually not much live-music performance in the film at all. Toyah Willcox gets to play the lead, but she does not sing. She acts very well, but even though her character is odious. Jenny Runacre, in my mind, makes the best contribution to the film, because she is elegant, beautiful, and shows off her naked form attractively. Apart from Adam Ant, no major punk-music acts have any significant role in the film.