An unseen woman recites Shakespeare's sonnets - fourteen in all - as a man wordlessly seeks his heart's desire. The photography is stop-motion, the music is ethereal, the scenery is often ...
See full summary »
Are you ready for the return of "This Is Us"? We are! See which other movies and TV shows we're excited about.
Related News
-
The New Queer Cinema Burns on in Bam's Grand Jarman Retro
28 October 2014 | Village Voice -
Derek Jarman unseen nightclub film to get London premiere
18 February 2014 | The Guardian - Film News -
Celebrating Derek Jarman 20 years after his death
25 January 2014 | The Guardian - Film News
Check out our favorite moments from the 2018 Emmy Awards!
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: The Angelic Conversation (1985)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
More Like This
Sebastiane
(1976)
Drama
|
Romance
Directors:
Paul Humfress,
Derek Jarman
Stars:
Leonardo Treviglio,
Barney James,
Neil Kennedy
The Tempest
(1979)
Drama
Director:
Derek Jarman
Stars:
Peter Bull,
David Meyer,
Neil Cunningham
Caravaggio
(1986)
Biography
|
Drama
|
History
Director:
Derek Jarman
Stars:
Noam Almaz,
Dexter Fletcher,
Nigel Terry
Wittgenstein
(1993)
Biography
|
Comedy
|
Drama
Director:
Derek Jarman
Stars:
Karl Johnson,
Michael Gough,
Tilda Swinton
The Garden
(1990)
Drama
Director:
Derek Jarman
Stars:
Tilda Swinton,
Johnny Mills,
Philip MacDonald
Jubilee
(1978)
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Fantasy
Director:
Derek Jarman
Stars:
Jenny Runacre,
Nell Campbell,
Toyah Willcox
In the Shadow of the Sun
(1981)
Fantasy
Director:
Derek Jarman
Stars:
Karl Bowen,
Graham Dowie,
Christopher Hobbs
Blue
(1993)
Biography
|
Drama
Director:
Derek Jarman
Stars:
Derek Jarman,
Tilda Swinton,
John Quentin
The Last of England
(1987)
Drama
|
Fantasy
Director:
Derek Jarman
Stars:
Tilda Swinton,
Spencer Leigh,
'Spring' Mark Adley
War Requiem
(1989)
Drama
|
War
Director:
Derek Jarman
Stars:
Nathaniel Parker,
Tilda Swinton,
Laurence Olivier
Pink Narcissus
(1971)
Drama
|
Fantasy
Director:
James Bidgood
Stars:
Don Brooks,
Bobby Kendall,
Charles Ludlam
Will You Dance with Me?
(2014)
Documentary
|
Music
Director:
Derek Jarman
Stars:
Phillip Williamson
Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
 |
Paul Reynolds | ||
|
|
Phillip Williamson | ||
| Judi Dench | ... | Shakespeare's Sonnets read by (voice) | |
|
|
Dave Baby | ||
|
|
Timothy Burke | ||
|
|
Simon Costin | ||
|
|
Christopher Hobbs | ||
|
|
Philip McDonald | ||
|
|
Toby Mott | ||
|
|
Steve Randall | ||
|
|
Robert Sharp | ||
|
|
Tony Wood | ||
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
An unseen woman recites Shakespeare's sonnets - fourteen in all - as a man wordlessly seeks his heart's desire. The photography is stop-motion, the music is ethereal, the scenery is often elemental: boulders and smaller rocks, the sea, smoke or fog, and a garden. The man is on an odyssey following his love. But he must first, as the sonnet says, know what conscience is. So, before he can be united with his love, he must purify himself. He does so, bathing a tattooed figure (an angel, perhaps) and humbling himself in front of this being. He also prepares himself with water and through his journey and his meditations. Finally, he is united with his fair friend. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
Genres:
DramaParents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
28 February 1987 (Japan) See more »Also Known As:
Angelic Conversation See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
£35,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
StereoAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
from "Peter Grimes"
Music by Benjamin Britten
Libretto by Montagu Slater
Performed by the Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Conducted by Colin Davis
See more »
Did You Know?
Soundtracks
Sea Interludesfrom "Peter Grimes"
Music by Benjamin Britten
Libretto by Montagu Slater
Performed by the Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Conducted by Colin Davis
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
Explore popular movies available to rent or buy on Prime Video.
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.