Search - Derek Jarman's the Tempest on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Adult Situations Movie Release: 1979 DVD Release: 04/10/2000 Format: DVD - Pan and Scan Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 35 mins Studio: Kino Members Wishing: 9 Genres: Avant-garde / Experimental, Gay & Lesbian Films

Filmed in 1979 and released publicly one year later, The Tempest is an abstract 16-millimeter feature film based loosely on the "magical" Shakespeare play. Director/writer Derek Jarman also throws in a few Shakespearean sonnets when the spirit moves him. Essentially, Jarman uses the material as the basis for a homosexual metaphor, most notably in the Prospero/Caliban relationship. He would further elaborate this concept in his next film, The Angelic Conversation. Jarman's The Tempest by its very nature speaks to a small, specialized audience. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Heathcote Williams - Prospero
Karl Johnson - Ariel
Jack Birkett - Caliban
David Meyer - Ferdinand
Elisabeth Welch - Goddess

Derek Jarman's striking and inventive screen adaptation of Shakespeare's allegorical fantasy gets an adequate presentation on this DVD release. The Tempest has been transferred to disc in the full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1 and the audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital Stereo. The dialogue is in English with no multiple-language options. Bonus materials featured on this edition include the copy from the film's original press book and three short subjects directed by Jarman: A Journey to Avebury, Garden of Luxor, and Art of Mirrors. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide