A violent gangster seeks refuge from the mob in the Bohemian home of a former rock star.
Writer:
Donald Cammell
Popularity
2,042
( 6,746)
Watch everything you need to see from this week’s epic trailers including Captain Marvel, "Maniac," and Mary Poppins Returns.
Related News
"The Sinner" star talks us through his arc in the show's just-finished Season 2.
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Performance (1970)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Nominated for
1
BAFTA Film Award.
See more awards »
Learn more
More Like This
Walkabout
(1971)
Certificate: GP
Adventure
|
Drama
Director:
Nicolas Roeg
Stars:
Jenny Agutter,
David Gulpilil,
Luc Roeg
The Man Who Fell to Earth
(1976)
Sci-Fi
|
Drama
Director:
Nicolas Roeg
Stars:
David Bowie,
Rip Torn,
Candy Clark
Bad Timing
(1980)
Drama
|
Mystery
|
Thriller
Director:
Nicolas Roeg
Stars:
Art Garfunkel,
Theresa Russell,
Harvey Keitel
Insignificance
(1985)
Drama
|
Comedy
Director:
Nicolas Roeg
Stars:
Gary Busey,
Tony Curtis,
Theresa Russell
Don't Look Now
(1973)
Drama
|
Horror
|
Thriller
Director:
Nicolas Roeg
Stars:
Julie Christie,
Donald Sutherland,
Hilary Mason
Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| James Fox | ... | Chas | |
| Mick Jagger | ... | Turner | |
| Anita Pallenberg | ... | Pherber | |
 |
Michèle Breton | ... | Lucy (as Michele Breton) |
|
|
Ann Sidney | ... | Dana |
| John Bindon | ... | Moody | |
| Stanley Meadows | ... | Rosebloom | |
| Allan Cuthbertson | ... | The Lawyer | |
|
|
Anthony Morton | ... | Dennis (as Antony Morton) |
|
|
Johnny Shannon | ... | Harry Flowers |
| Anthony Valentine | ... | Joey Maddocks | |
| Kenneth Colley | ... | Tony Farrell (as Ken Colley) | |
| John Sterland | ... | The Chauffeur | |
|
|
Laraine Wickens | ... | Lorraine |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Chas, a violent and psychotic East London gangster needs a place to lie low after a hit that should never have been carried out. He finds the perfect cover in the form of guest house run by the mysterious Mr. Turner, a one-time rock superstar, who is looking for the right spark to rekindle his faded talent. Written by Brad Jackson
Taglines:
This film is about madness. And sanity. Fantasy. And reality. Death. And life. Vice. And versa. See more »Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for sexual content, nudity, drug material and some violence | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
4 September 1970 (Finland) See more »Also Known As:
Performance See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
£750,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoAspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1
Edit
Tony Farrell: Well, where are you then?
Chas: Oh, you know, on the left.
Tony Farrell: Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Chas: It's a right piss-hole. Long hair. Beatniks. Druggist. Free love. Foreigners.
See more »
Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
Performed by Mick Jagger
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Turner's address in the film is 81 Powis Square. Exterior shots were actually filmed at number 25 Powis Square, whilst interior shooting was done at 15 Lowndes Square, Knightsbridge, the house of Leonard Plugge. The neighbours of the latter address were paid to go on holiday for the duration of the shoot, during which time the cast lived in the house. See more »Quotes
Chas: [on the phone] What a freak show.Tony Farrell: Well, where are you then?
Chas: Oh, you know, on the left.
Tony Farrell: Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Chas: It's a right piss-hole. Long hair. Beatniks. Druggist. Free love. Foreigners.
See more »
Soundtracks
Memo From TurnerWritten by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
Performed by Mick Jagger
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.Contribute to This Page
Enjoy a night in with these popular movies available to stream now with Prime Video.
Visually compelling and disturbing look at two diverse sides of 1960s London; the criminal underworld and hippie culture, respectively symbolised by Fox's Chas, the wayward gangster, and Jagger's Turner, a semi-retired bisexual rock musician.
It's Chas' world we are first introduced to during a highly charged furiously paced scene of gangland violence. It soon becomes clear to us that he is not only an outcast to society but also dangerously individual within his own mob circle. On the run from both the law and the mob he takes refuge in a Notting Hill home which he finds is occupied by Turner, his junkie girlfriend, Pherber, and her French lover, Lucy. Tunrer becomes infatuated with Chas' violent charisma and his "vital energy" he himself feels he has lost.
As the title suggests the film is all about performances. Chas is initiated into Turner's underground world of drug experimentation and gender bending. Turner's name in itself is symbolic of the way he tries to play with and turn Chas' psyche around. It is ultimately the "performance" of Turner which brings the two worlds together, as he poses as Chas' mobster boss, Harry Flowers, in a scene shot similarly to a modern day music video.
Some critics had felt the film lost its way once Chas entered Turner's world. Yet surely such disorientation is indicative of how the film successfully explores Chas' own uneasiness in confronting his own subconscious in an alien atmosphere. The film is full of visual flourishes as one might expect from Roeg, who had been cinemaphotographer on films such as 'Fahrenheit 451'. Fox is mesmerising playing out the evolving identities of Chas, whilst Jagger's persona is exhibited to its full potential. Roeg was again to explore the theme of alienation using a rock star (this time David Bowie) in a more literal sense in his landmark science fiction film 'The Man Who Fell To Earth'.