Derek Jarman, AIDS activist, proponent of queer cinema
Derek Jarman was a British film director, cinematographer, and AIDS activist. Born in Middlesex, England on July 31, 1942, Jarman produced music videos, feature films, and short, experimental films. His work reflects his desire “to read between the lines of history” in order to locate “forebears who validated [his] existence” (Queer 49). In service of this vision, in his films, Jarman often turned to historical figures or classic literary texts in order to emphasize and validate queer identity.
In 1978, Jarman released Jubilee, a film that celebrated the punk scene in London. The film’s premise reflects Jarman’s darkly comic sensibilities: after Queen Elizabeth II is killed in a mugging, an occultist brings Elizabeth I back from the past to rule. Over the course of the film, Jarman lampoons normative features of 1970s England, such as heteronormativity and police brutality. This film also marked a rejection of “[t]he theatre of the angry young men” advanced by playwright John Osborne in favor of the Swinging London movement (Queer 49). Overall, a sense of playfulness, not rage, characterizes Jarman’s work. As reflected in the trailer below, even when dealing with violence- — such as that associated with the punk scene — Jarman manages to employ humor. Through trading in farcical scenarios, Jarman highlights the absurdity of reality, the use of “Rule, Britannia” in the film’s trailer serving to mock British nationalism. With Elizabeth II, the embodiment of the British state, dead, and lawless punks wreaking havoc on the streets, Jarman suggests that the sun has finally set on the British Empire, and that this new, darkened state allows for greater opportunity for transgression and political, social, and personal transformation.
Inspired by the Renaissance, an age he recognized as decidedly queer, Jarman set out to portray the life of queer sixteenth-century painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio onscreen. It took Jarman many years to secure funding for this film; however, in 1986, Caravaggio finally premiered. This film marked Jarman’s first collaboration with actor Tilda Swinton, an actor whom he would cast again later in Edward II, and who, like Jarman, challenges heteronormative assumptions, particularly with respect to gender. Caravaggio pushed boundaries in terms of its narrative structure and emphasis on Caravaggio’s bisexuality. While some critics, such as Walter Goodman of the New York Times, appreciated Jarman’s creativity, others, such as Paul Attanasio of the Washington Post, found the film confusing, even going so far as to describe the movie as “an act of Vandalism.” Despite the mixed reviews, one may still consider Caravaggio a success in that it directly realized Jarman’s goal of emphasizing queer historical figures. In focusing on the life of an earlier queer artist, Jarman displayed his commitment to avoid “underestimate[ing] the effect of art in favour of political action” (Queer 49). Here, through focusing on his art, Jarman also advances a political message, namely, that queer historical narratives deserve the public’s attention.
In 1990, Jarman directed Edward II, in which he offered viewers an explicitly queer take on Renaissance theatre. As Jarman observes in his artist statement, “Marlowe’s outing speech from Edward II could be an eye-opener,” as it provides a “list of Queers” from history (Queer 48). The below trailer features several of the defining characteristics of Jarman’s interpretation of Edward II, such as his use of anachronisms to link the struggle of Edward to freely love the handsome and hated Piers Gaveston with contemporary queer liberation movements. Additionally, Jarman featured 30 members of the radical LGBT rights group OutRage! in some of the crowd scenes in this film. This casting decision allowed Jarman to directly connect Marlowe’s work with the efforts of LGBT activists. Thus, Edward II allowed Jarman to directly blend his artistic and activist efforts.
Through his films, Jarman made queer love publicly visible. Following his 1986 HIV diagnosis, Jarman remained committed to celebrating queer identity in his films, and to continuing his efforts to further the fights against AIDS and homophobia. Rather than submit to public fear and downplay homoerotic desire in his work, Jarman boldly highlighted it, in effect, challenging his audiences to recognize the humanity of members of the queer community.
