An utterly bizarre film to be sure, Jubilee is an anarchic take on history and science fiction that tells, simultaneously, of Queen Elizabeth I's reign and a dystopian England in 1977 where gangs of women roam the countryside.
Punk-SciFi would reach its apogee with Repo Man, but here's where it more or less starts: With Adam Ant and a host of nameless actors gallivanting about London in outrageous garb. It's an amateur production, I think, that lacks in acting and cinematography. Even the dystopian vision of the then-present, though squalid, lacks snap. Derek Jarman, the director, would go on to do greater, and more adventurous, work that this, most notably Blue.
So why an 7 out of 10? Because polish and anything more than a DIY sensibility would have ruined this film. What it lacks in technical ability (and it pretty much lacks entirely of technical ability), it makes up for in energy and spirit and ideas. In many ways, it reminds me of Night of the Living Dead--a rather amateur production that, despite technical faults, rises above its limitations and is entirely effective. It's not a great film, but it's an incredibly interesting one.
Jubilee is a cinematic experience unlike very few others. It's about as far from mainstream as one can get in non-avant garde English language film (no concessions are made to the middle of the road), so I cannot recommend this to everyone. If you want to see something different (are you a fan of Repo Man, for instance) and something rather unique, check the movie out.
PS You can also snobbishly remark that Sofia Coppola's upcoming Marie Antoinette is nothing but a rehash of most of the ideas put forth here, when it comes out later this year.
Punk-SciFi would reach its apogee with Repo Man, but here's where it more or less starts: With Adam Ant and a host of nameless actors gallivanting about London in outrageous garb. It's an amateur production, I think, that lacks in acting and cinematography. Even the dystopian vision of the then-present, though squalid, lacks snap. Derek Jarman, the director, would go on to do greater, and more adventurous, work that this, most notably Blue.
So why an 7 out of 10? Because polish and anything more than a DIY sensibility would have ruined this film. What it lacks in technical ability (and it pretty much lacks entirely of technical ability), it makes up for in energy and spirit and ideas. In many ways, it reminds me of Night of the Living Dead--a rather amateur production that, despite technical faults, rises above its limitations and is entirely effective. It's not a great film, but it's an incredibly interesting one.
Jubilee is a cinematic experience unlike very few others. It's about as far from mainstream as one can get in non-avant garde English language film (no concessions are made to the middle of the road), so I cannot recommend this to everyone. If you want to see something different (are you a fan of Repo Man, for instance) and something rather unique, check the movie out.
PS You can also snobbishly remark that Sofia Coppola's upcoming Marie Antoinette is nothing but a rehash of most of the ideas put forth here, when it comes out later this year.