Blue (Film)
Derek Jarman, GB 1993; Screenplay: Derek Jarman; Music: Simon Fisher Turner; Colorist: Tom Russell; Voices: John Quentin, Nigel Terry, Derek Jarman, Tilda Swinton. 35mm, color, 79 min. EnglishJarman's magical meditation on mortality is also his most formally radical achievement: a feature‑length "movie" entirely without movement. Instead, the screen is filled with an unchanging color: International Klein Blue. Jarman's first glimpse of "IKB" took place at London's Tate Gallery in 1974; nearly two decades later, he was afflicted by temporary blindness resulting from an AIDS‑related illness, CMV (cytomegalovirus), in which he could only see Klein‑like blue. All‑azure visuals are counterpointed by an eclectic audio track combining music, sounds, and voices – including Jarman and longtime collaborator Tilda Swinton. The result, broadcast simultaneously on British TV and radio in September 1993 (five months before Jarman's death), is a complex philosophical/political testament which stands – by its very existence – as an inspiring landmark of defiant, unquenchable artistic spirit. (N.Y.)
On March 19, 2026, the soundtrack will be performed live by Simon Fisher Turner (piano) and Neil Young (interpretation).