The Angelic Conversation (1985)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Derek Jarman

Writer:

William Shakespeare (sonnets)

Release Date:

28 February 1987 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

An unseen woman recites Shakespeare's sonnets - fourteen in all - as a man wordlessly seeks his heart's desire...

Plot Keywords:

Shakespeare | Gay Interest | Independent Film

Cast

Dave Baby
Timothy Burke
Simon Costin
Christopher Hobbs
Philip McDonald
Toby Mott
Steve Randall
Robert Sharp
Tony Wood
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Judi Dench	...	Narrator
Paul Reynolds
Phillip Williamson

Directed by
Derek Jarman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
William Shakespeare		sonnets

Produced by
James Mackay	....	producer

Original Music by
John Balance		(as Coil)
Peter Christopherson		(as Coil)
Stephen Thrower		(as Coil)

Cinematography by
Derek Jarman

Film Editing by
Peter Cartwright
Derek Jarman
Cerith Wyn Evans

Production Companies

• British Film Institute (BFI)
• Channel Four Films (in association with)

Distributors

• Dolmen (2004) (Italy) (DVD)

Runtime:

81 min | USA:78 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

British Film Institute (BFI)

Movie Connections:

Features The Pantheon (1978)

Soundtrack:

How to Destroy Angels

Jarman said that this might be his best.

This film is the archtypal Jarman movie. Jarman considered himself a painter more than a film maker and thought of the camera as just an improvement on the brushes of the past. In this film he carries those concepts through to their fullest conclusion.

The moody Voice-overs of Shakespeare sonnets by Dame Judy Dench add to the multi-layered portraits of two young men and their relationship. Jarman was going for a mood here and the narrative line is pretty sketchy but if you ever wondered what would happen if one of those Calvin Klein Obsession adverts were stretched to 80 minutes by a really talented film maker then this is the film for you.

Without a strong narrative line this film may move too slowly for many and you are hereby cautioned. There were several folks noticeably snoring during the screening that I attended but those that are Jarman fans would not miss it.

It also occurred to me that given the very light story line that this might be a great background film to have playing amid a gathering of friends where the entire focus of the group was not on the film.