This is one of my all-time favourite gay movies, and the director's journal/shooting script/AIDS diary that was published to accompany it is not only one of the best movie books I've ever read, it's one of the best books, period.
I'm taking this page by page as the photos appear in the book. Quoted comments by the director, Derek Jarman; rest by me.
Sailors "Mark [Davis] and Andy [Jeffrey] fuck without a blush. Mark said, 'What if I get a hard-on?' 'Hide it from the BBC.'" Second scene in the movie, pay attention to the dialogue, too, boys and girls. :) 33K
Andrew Tiernan, as Piers Gaveston an anti-heroic hero; "Andrew is not playing Gaveston in a way that will endear me to 'Gay Times'" 29K
DJ and DV8 "Lloyd and Nigel danced in a dustbath like fighting cocks" 31K
Steven Waddington as Edward II "Neither Edward nor Gaveston were the limp-wristed lisping fags so beloved of the tabloids. Edward swam in winter, hedged and ditched the fields of his house at Langley." Simply a beautiful man. 23K
Snakecharmer [Barry John Clarke] "Everyone fancied BJ. . . [he] insisted on wearing a jockstrap which made us very sad as every part of him was so well developed." 33K
The King "Edward's gold robe establishes him for a moment as 'the King' as in all those camp old costume versions of Elizabethan plays. The sequins fell off, darling, and sprinkled all over the set and flashed annoyingly in the camera." 27K
Edward, the Prince of Wales [Jody Graber] "Did you wear your mother's clothes?" 30K
Naked Rugby Scrum "I had a crazy idea of a naked rugby scrum in August and here it is six months later, looking very much like a 15th century drawing or a hot night in Heaven." 28K
Banishment of Gaveston B. Are you content to banish him the realm? E. I see I must and therefore am content. Instead of ink I'll write it with my tears. 30K
The Care of the Church "One of the 'priests' sent me a letter saying how much he had enjoyed the day. . ." 37K
Exile "Andrew took a deep breath and plunged into the icy water. Our last day. When it was all over there was a cheer and much sadness." 35K
Edward 'negotiates' with Isabella [Tilda Swinton] "Buggery was a good way of slandering someone in the Middle Ages - the Cathar heretics and the Knights Templar, murdered by Isabella's father, Philip. It is just possible that Piers was a victim of this slander but the Vita says 'the King loved him inordinantly'." 32K
"Heterosexuality isn't normal - it's just common" "Nigel [Terry, playing Mortimer] lost his temper as the girls got into the grind with their black leather stilettos. 'Mind what you're doing!' he snapped." 31K
Edward and Spenser [John Lynch] "Sudden thought - lamp should flicker off to end the scene." 23K
Almost the End "Ralph Higden recounts Edward's death. 'Cum vero ignito inter - Celanda confosus ignominiose peremptus est' (roughly translated 'with a poker up his arse')." 32K
OutRage "OutRage are here for the day, sound drums and trumpets!" 33K
Edward and Lightborn [Kevin Collins] E. What, was I born to fly and run away? 32K
The King rests his head on Spenser's lap "Filmed at a 'Russian angle'." 35K
Pansy Power 31K
The Murder "Steven had lost his voice so the screams for five miles around were lost to sync. Ian made the scene as red/hellish as possible and Kevin acted with the precision of a surgeon. We didn't film Steven's bum - what a pity." 28K
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