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Edward II

Play trailer Poster for Edward II 1991 1h 31m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
The gay king of England (Steven Waddington) meets his doom in this update of Christopher Marlowe's play.
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Edward II

Critics Reviews

View All (10) Critics Reviews
Alan Scherstuhl Village Voice Jarman's sparely elegant but urgently brazen recasting of Marlowe's tragedy seizes the theme of the historic (and artistic) vilification of homosexuality. May 1, 2018 Full Review Marjorie Baumgarten Austin Chronicle Rated: 4.5/5 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Michael Bronski Gay Community News (Boston) Edward II has the boldness and the intellectual and emotional vigor we have learned to expect from Derek Jarman... almost frenzied impassioned dedication to its vision that makes it more than memorable, it burns itself into our consciousness. Aug 30, 2022 Full Review David Bax Battleship Pretension Edward II is a fierce and passionate work of art, as timeless as it is of its time. Oct 31, 2018 Full Review Don Willmott Filmcritic.com impossible to forget Rated: 4/5 Jun 21, 2005 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Jun 14, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (61) audience reviews
PridePosterStudios Boring…but 1.5 stars for Annie Lennox Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 05/10/24 Full Review Romello R This movie made my little brother start spasing on the floor 😥 Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 07/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Visually appealing, but a bit hard to follow. Filled with Jarman's typical juxtapositions. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Had to watch this to accompany the play for a class. The play itself was kind of choppy and in the movie, it was even more noticeable. A lot of artistic choices were made (IE the BDSM while Mortimer made monologues, or how the play started with two gay lovers behind Gaveston as he talked) and i found these unneeded. The actors were pretty obviously not into each other, if you're going to do gay, do it right. Little pecks and kisses that looked like the men both wanted as little contact as possible took away from the play because Edward is supposed to be madly in love with Gaveston and it was just not shown on screen. The awkward dancing scene with the singer and Edward/Gaveston looking at her as if she was an actual character was odd and another unnecessary artistic choice. overall, I didn't like it. I can see that they made an effort to modernize an old play, but it was a miss for me. dont even get me started on Gaveston crouching on the throne clicking while naked Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member The look was spar and stylish. Tilda looked gorgeous and feminine. Edward and Gaveston looked so alike that until they spoke, I wasn't sure who was who. Deliberate? A reference to narcissism or self-absorption. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Utilizing a relatively straightforward plot to comment on the systemic reaches of homophobia while dropping references to various aspects of gay existence, Jarman elevates what could've been a rote, stuffy period piece through gorgeous visuals and daring staging. Sure, Edward II mostly operates as a progressive rallying cry for gay acceptance, but it's also very much a compelling, historical/contemporary aristocratic drama who's slightly campy tone and attention to detail (the clothing specifically; Swinton's collection of designer outfits is unreal) make it legitimately fun to watch. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Edward II

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis The gay king of England (Steven Waddington) meets his doom in this update of Christopher Marlowe's play.
Director
Derek Jarman
Producer
Steve Clark-Hall, Antony Root
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 12, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.7K
Runtime
1h 31m
Sound Mix
Dolby, Surround
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