Midnight Movie - The Tempest

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Fri 20 May 2005 // 00:00

(Derek Jarman / 1979 / UK / 95mins / Cert15)
(Fri 20th / midnite / £4/3) ;)
One of Derek Jarman's finest moments - a post-punk reinvention of Shakespeare's final play filmed in an abandoned house in North London. When first approached to play the part of Miranda, Toyah Wilcox claimed to be uninterested as she didn't fancy memorising long and complicated speeches - Jarman's reply was that they would be cutting out the boring bits. Rather than this being a sacreligous move, Jarman successfully substitues words for images, so much so that what few words remain merely act as signposts to the significance of what we see onscreen. An atmospheric journey to Prospero's island that is one of the few truly cinematic Shakespeare adaptations - the Bard would be proud.