The Angelic Conversation 1985: Movie and film review from Answers.com

The Angelic Conversation
DVD cover
Directed by	Derek Jarman
Produced by	James Mackay
Written by	William Shakespeare (Sonnets)
Narrated by	Judi Dench
Starring	Paul Reynolds Phillip Williamson
Music by	Coil
Cinematography	Derek Jarman and James Mackay
Editing by	Peter Cartwright Derek Jarman Cerith Wyn Evans
Release date(s)	February 28, 1987
Running time	78 min.
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

The Angelic Conversation is a 1985 arthouse drama film directed by Derek Jarman. Its tone is set by the juxtaposition of slow moving photographic images and Shakespeare's sonnets read by Judi Dench. The film consists primarily of images of homosexuality and opaque landscapes through which two men take a journey into their own desires.

Jarman himself described the film as:

"a dream world, a world of magic and ritual, yet there are images there of the burning cars and radar systems, which remind you there is a price to be paid in order to gain this dream in the face of a world of violence."

^[1]

The soundtrack to the film was composed and performed by Coil, and it was released as an album of the same title. In 2008 Peter Christopherson of Coil (with David Tibet and Ernesto Tomasini) performed a new live soundtrack to the movie during a special screening at the Turin Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.

1 Shakespeare's sonnets
2 Cast
3 References
4 External links

Shakespeare's sonnets

14 sonnets the film features are:

Sonnet LVII

Being your slave what should I do but tend

Upon the hours, and times of your desire?

Sonnet XC

Then hate me when thou willt; if ever, now;

Now while the world is bent my deeds to cross

Sonnet XLIII

When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see,

For all the day they view things unrespected

Sonnet LIII

What is your substance, whereof are you made,

That millions of strange shadows on you tend?

Sonnet CXLVIII

O me, what eyes hath love put in my head,

Which have no correspondence with true sight!

Sonnet CXXVI

O thou, my lovely boy, who in thy power

Dost hold Time's fickle glass, his sickle hour

Sonnet XXIX

When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,

I all alone beweep my outcast state

Sonnet XCIV

They that have power to hurt and will do none,

That do not do the thing they most do show

Sonnet XXX

When to the sessions of sweet silent thought

I summon up remembrance of things past

Sonnet LV

Not marble, nor the gilded monuments

Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme

Sonnet XXVII

Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed,

The dear repose for limbs with travel tired

Sonnet LXI

Is it thy will, thy image should keep open

My heavy eyelids to the weary night?

Sonnet LVI

Sweet love, renew thy force; be it not said

Thy edge should blunter be than appetite

Sonnet CIV

To me, fair friend, you can never be old,

For as you were when first your eye I ey'd

Cast

Dave Baby
Timothy Burke
Simon Costin
Christopher Hobbs
Philip McDonald
Toby Mott
Steve Randall
Robert Sharp
Tony Wood
Judi Dench (Narrator)
Paul Reynolds
Phillip Williamson

References

^ Jarman, Derek (1997). Kicking the pricks. ISBN 978-0-87-951844-8

External links

The Angelic Conversation at the Internet Movie Database
The Angelic Conversation at Allmovie
The Angelic Conversation (film) at the British Film Institute's Screenonline

v • d • e Derek Jarman

Feature Films	Sebastiane (1976) • Jubilee (1977) • The Tempest (1979) • The Angelic Conversation (1985) • Caravaggio (1986) • Aria (segment "Depuis le Jour") (1987) • The Last of England (1988) • War Requiem (1989) • The Garden (1990) • Edward II (1991) • Wittgenstein (1993) • Blue (1993)

Short film collages	In the Shadow of the Sun (1981) • Glitterbug (1994)

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The Angelic Conversation