In EDWARD II, director Derek Jarman revisits Christopher Marlowe's play of bloodletting and royal intrigue, bringing the homosexual theme to the forefront. Steven Waddington stars as Prince Edward II, who upsets England's noblemen by sharing his throne with his commoner lover, Gaveston (Andrew Tiernan). Tilda Swinton costars as Edward's scorned wife, Queen Isabella, whose seething jealousy and hatred lead her into the arms of Mortimer (Nigel Terry), a power-hungry nobleman who seeks to topple Edward's reign. Jarman focuses on the passionate romance between Edward and Gaveston in this tragic tale of desire and persecution. Sparsely designed, Jarman's film combines period and modern costumes to evoke a timeless quality--Isabella is dressed like a 20th-century upper-crust socialite, while Edward and Gaveston wear simplistic period attire. A series of mazelike stone corridors and open rooms theatrically convey the castle where the royals fight for the throne. Jarman cuts between the Edwardian castle and more modern images of gay rights marches, creating a subversive commentary on the ever-present struggle for acceptance and equality.
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