Focus on DEREK JARMAN: The Tempest (1979)

I've never seen a version of Shakespeare's 'The Tempest', on stage or screen, which I believe comes to reasonable grips with the play in a post-colonial context. While I understand that this is probably a big ask nowadays (something akin to the need to add pare back the antisemitism in any modern day 'Merchant''s treatment of Shylock), I was hoping that Jarman would be the man for the job. Unfortunately, it seems Jarman's thematic preoccupations didn't extend to the culture-diminishing impact of English expansionism. Indeed, if anything, his take on The Tempest sets about reinforcing all that is glorious in Renaissance righteousness.

While I'm reticent to be dismissive of the rapturous appearance of Elizabeth Welch's songstress-goddess amongst the swelling seamen camp of The Tempest's climactic masque, in the scheme of Jarman's film as a whole, it doesn't quite gel. Yes, it is historically and theatrically accurate (something the director was tilting at), but is not enough to pull the rest of the film out of its curious drabness.

Elsewhere, Jarman's cinematic interpretation adds little to the source material and fails to capture a lot. Reading over some of the director's preparatory notes, it is interesting to see what he was aiming for but also how (bar the glorious climax) he missed the mark. Or perhaps I'm just too harsh a critic when it comes to Shakespeare on film.

Jarman's take is as visually inventive (especially in its costuming) as it is dramatically inert. Toyah Wilcox's Miranda barely gets her naive horn on. Ferdinand can hardly crack a smile, let alone a charismatic spark. Jack Birkett's Caliban is as over the top as his previous turn as Borgia Ginz in Jubilee but the approach is less than effective (and his is, unfortunately, the flag bearer of the colonial hangover, and so bears the brunt of my scorn). His scenes with Stephano and Trinculo play for hearty drunken laughs but rarely deliver. Prospero, for his part, played by Heathcote Williams, does little to inspire either the play's magic or any manner of social interrogation. Even Ariel, who was such a striking component of Jubilee, fails to make an impression.

In the end, The Tempest's reputation comes to rest on its final scene. Thankfully, it is good enough to wipe the memory of the disinterested interpretation that immediately precedes it. Welch's 'Stormy Weather', set amid the florid production design and even more florid dancing sailors is a moment of all-encompassing cinematic ecstasy. I just wish Jarman had been able to conjure up this magic in the rest of his film.

Next up: The Angelic Conversation.

This post contributes to Director Focus: Derek Jarman.