Blue (Derek Jarman, 1993) UK

Blue (Derek Jarman) UK

Blue is a 1993 British experimental film by Derek Jarman, his final work, released four months before his death from AIDS-related complications. The film is an unchanging blue screen with a soundtrack of Jarman and collaborators' narration, meditating on his life, HIV illness, queer activism, and reflections on love and loss. Jarman was partially blind at the time, able only to see shades of blue, which inspired the film's monochrome visual approach.

The soundtrack includes readings, poetry, and soundscapes created with composer Simon Fisher Turner and contributions from actors like Tilda Swinton. The film's budget was about £90,000, funded by Channel 4, the Arts Council of Great Britain, British Council, and others. It premiered on British television in a rare simultaneous broadcast with BBC Radio 3 in 1993. Since Jarman's death, Blue has become a celebrated art installation shown in galleries and museums including Tate and has inspired live performances and new musical scores.

Blue stands as an innovative, powerful testament to living with AIDS and confronting mortality amid British institutional homophobia in the late 1980s and early 1990s, notably in the context of Section 28 legislation. It uses sensory and lyrical means to evoke experience beyond traditional storytelling, making it a unique and significant film in queer and experimental cinema history in the UK [1][2][4][6][8].

Citations:
[1] Blue at 30: remembering Derek Jarman's final film https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/blue-derek-jarman-final-film
[2] Blue (1993 film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_(1993_film)
[3] Blue by Derek Jarman | Books https://www.davidzwirner.com/collect/blue-book
[4] Blue. 1993. Directed by Derek Jarman https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/8132
[5] Blue: Derek Jarman https://shop.royalacademy.org.uk/blue-derek-jarman
[6] My Heart's Memory Turns To You: Derek Jarman's Blue https://www.archivalmatt.com/content-writing/my-hearts-memory-turns-to-you-derek-jarmans-blue
[7] Blue, Derek Jarman, 1993 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwFBiz78PWM
[8] 'Blue', Derek Jarman, 1993 - Tate https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/jarman-blue-t14555
[9] Blue (1993) - Derek Jarman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glOi34FbCBk
[10] Blue Now https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/blue-now/