Blue (1993 film)

Blue

Blue field
Directed by Derek Jarman
Produced by James Mackay
Takashi Asai
Written by Derek Jarman
Narrated by Derek Jarman
Tilda Swinton
Nigel Terry
John Quentin
Music by Simon Fisher Turner
John Balance
Momus
Peter Christopherson
Karol Szymanowski
Erik Satie
Production
company
Distributed by Basilisk Communications Ltd
Release dates
 Venice Biennale, June 1993, Edinburgh International Film Festival, August 1993, 3 October 1993
(New York Film Festival)
Running time
 79 min.
Country United Kingdom
Language English

Blue is the twelfth and final feature film by director Derek Jarman, released four months before his death from AIDS-related complications. Such complications had already rendered him partially blind at the time of the film's release.

The film was his last testament as a film-maker, and consists of a single shot of saturated blue colour filling the screen, as background to a soundtrack where Jarman's and some of his favourite actors' narration describes his life and vision.

On its premiere, on 19 September 1993,[1] Channel 4 and BBC Radio 3 collaborated on a simultaneous broadcast so viewers could enjoy a stereo soundtrack. Radio 3 subsequently broadcast the soundtrack separately as a radio play and it was later released as a CD.

The film has been released on DVD in Germany and in Italy. On 23 July 2007 British distributor Artificial Eye released DVD tying Blue together with Glitterbug, a collage of Jarman's Super 8 footage.

Cinematographer Christopher Doyle has called Blue one of his favourite films, calling it "one of the most intimate films I've ever seen."[2]

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/492515?view=transmission
  2. ↑ Johnston, Sheila (19 Apr 2005) Film-makers on film: Christopher Doyle telegraph.co.uk