User:Marleya/Edward II (film)

EDIT SUMMARY: Copied from Edward II (film), reception section.

The film received positive reviews from critics. It currently holds a 100% "Certified Fresh" score on the review-aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. Rolling Stone called it "a piercing cry from the heart" and The Washington Post praised Jarman for "keeping the story streamlined and potently clear while retaining Marlowe's poetic period language". The Observer called it one of "Derek Jarman's most accomplished films". The film has been considered a classic example of New Queer Cinema.

Jarman's use of anachronism caught the attention of many critics. The Guardian mentions that "historical and modern" timelines intersect in the costuming, the portrayal of Edward II's army, and the soundtrack. The latter is perhaps the most startling of the anachronisms in the film as it is mentioned in several articles yet never critiqued. The New York Times writes, “One of the oddest touches is the out-of-the-blue appearance of the singer Annie Lennox wistfully crooning Cole Porter's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye"”. Cole Porter was closeted for reasons that can be paralleled to Edward II's queer lifestyle, as “public knowledge of his sexuality, Porter feared, could compromise his success" . Similarly to Edward II, and "like many gay public figures, Porter married a woman for convenience”. The LA Times reflects that Porter "was aware that if you disclosed too much in Hollywood, you were likely to lose your job-- and your audience". However, Porter and Edward II differ as Porter remained closeted and Edward II (as summarized) was willing to risk his status to be with his lover, Gaveston. Jarman's choice of artist, Annie Lennox, to sing Porter's song is anachronism in and of itself; the film provides a structure in which two different points in time intersect, 1944 and 1991, represented by someone who fears queerness and then by someone who advocates for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community. In fact, Lennox sang the song for the "film Edward II after recording it for the Red Hot + Blue AIDS awareness tribute album to Cole Porter” . Regardless of reasons why Porter and Lennox were included in the film, it was recognized in a positive light. The Washington Post wrote that Jarman's "decision to have Annie Lennox serenade the departing Gaveston and his lover with a rendition of Cole Porter's "Every Time We Say Goodbye" is a brilliant stroke; it's Marlowe meets MTV".