The Tempest (1979)

Director:

Derek Jarman

Writers:

Derek Jarman (writer)
William Shakespeare (play)

Release Date:

25 December 1980 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Prospero, a potent magician, lives on a desolate isle with his virginal daughter, Miranda. He's in exile...

Plot Keywords:

Spirit | Ship Wreck | Male Nudity | Sorcerer | Nudity

Cast

Peter Bull	...	Alonso, the King of Naples
David Meyer	...	Ferdinand, his son
Neil Cunningham	...	Sebastian, his brother
Heathcote Williams	...	Prospero, the Right Duke of Milan
Toyah Willcox	...	Miranda, his daughter
Richard Warwick	...	Antonio, his brother
Karl Johnson	...	Ariel, an airy spirit
Jack Birkett	...	Caliban, a savage and deformed slave
Christopher Biggins	...	Stephano, a drunken mariner
Peter Turner	...	Trinculo, his friend
Ken Campbell	...	Gonzalo, an honest councillor
Elisabeth Welch	...	A Goddess
Claire Davenport	...	Sycorax
Kate Temple	...	Young Miranda
Helen Wellington-Lloyd	...	A Spirit

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 (video rating) | UK:AA (original rating) | Australia:M | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bamburgh Beach, Bamburgh, Northumberland, England, UK

Company:

Boyd's Company

Trivia:

The last feature of Elisabeth Welch.

Quotes:

Miranda, his daughter: Oh, how beauteous mankind is. O brave new world that has such people in it!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Jubilee: A Time Less Golden (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Stormy Weather

Earth, Air, Fire, And Water

Into this primordial mix, add some seventeenth century magic, and you have Shakespeare's "The Tempest", a play whose themes are: freedom, temperance, repentance, and forgiveness. The main difference between Shakespeare's play and Derek Jarman's film is, of course, the nearly four hundred years of change in theatrics that separate the two artists.

Jarman's version tries to adhere to the play, in that the film uses quasi-Elizabethan linguistics, which renders the dialogue difficult to understand. The play's intent is still intact in the film, if a little obscured by the language, and is conveyed mostly through the acting and the cinematography, though "adapted" in style to a more contemporary audience. Hence, the film's inventive finale features a vocal rendition of "Stormy Weather", a modern metaphor for a message that spans the ages.

Even with the updated visuals, this film is going to be a bit much for most viewers. It is just too out of sync with what modern audiences expect. On the other hand, for those few who appreciate Shakespeare, the film can be insightful, with the proviso that it is not "pure" (or literal) Shakespeare.