The Plot:
An immigrant man writes in his journal. Outside, it is cold and dark. He lives in a Britain bathed in endless twilight. It is a nation creeping with damp and enveloped in bone-chilling wind. A punk junkie wanders the streets, looking for trouble...and a fix. Military men prepare to leave for war. They are also seen returning from battle, shell shocked and hollow. Explosions rock London, the constant whine of a civil defense siren filling the air with warnings of more destruction. People wind up as small, frightened groups of refugees. Squatters are now prisoners. A man stripped of all his possessions, including his clothes, sits by a drum fire, desperate to warm his shivering naked form. A bride-to-be attempts to wed, but her nuptials are constantly interrupted by rude, crude and interfering family. She eventually cuts the dress from her body and does a celebratory dance of liberation and freedom.

The DVD:
Creative, confusing, and highly experimental, it is really difficult to describe what The Last of England is about. Made by avant-garde auteur Derek Jarman in the latter part of his creative production (he got his start with Ken Russell in the early 70s) this pastiche of images and edits is perplexing and problematic. A painter by training, Jarman fell into film after working as a production designer - first in the theater, and then for Britain's resident directorial Rex of Excess. Perhaps best known for his ornery ode to punk rock and royalty, 1977's Jubilee, Jarman became famous for films that emphasized sights and sounds over narrative and character. The Last of England, considered by many to be his most damaging commentary on the Thatcher regime, is indeed a movie of inspired visuals. Through a grainy, grimy lens Jarman captures the arrogance of imperialism, the crassness of conservatism and the prevalent homophobia that was sweeping the country - especially in light of the still-new threat of a frightening "gay cancer" (as it was called then) known as AIDS.

While he can be overly obtuse (this movie is one tough cinematic nut to crack) there are obvious methods to Jarman's filmic madness. One of the main themes running throughout this motion picture painting is the influence of war and war mongering. The Britain depicted in the film, all bombed out buildings and blocks of abandoned flats, is constantly seen spewing smoke and rattled from off and on screen explosions. An ever-present air raid signal whirs in the background as various unidentified characters scatter and react to the attacks. There is no let up in these sequences - Jarman keeps the sounds of war as a jarring, constant reminder of England during the horrendous Blitz of WWII. His efforts here may be in deference to the declining power of the once mighty empire, or it could be a direct comment on the nation's efforts to re-secure the Falkland Islands in 1982. There seems to be some overheard conversation about soldiers returning from the front, but the recordings could easily be ancient instead of recent.

Fire is also a common symbol, seemingly offered up as an illustration of Earth-bound Hell as well as the natural effect of anger and chaos. Jarman usually shows the flame flaring up from a carried torch, or a random bonfire, and the bright orange blazes are always stoked by a never-ending wind. The combination of fire and air might seem to be signaling a desire on the director's part to explore the quartet of cosmic elements - there is also water and earth in abundance in the film. But it's difficult to decipher what the filmmaker has against these natural facets. Instead, he seems fascinated by the apparent "alive-ness" of flame, how it licks and laps around limbs in beautiful destructive waves. We see endless shots of such confused conflagration. There is also the aspect of light, the primitive provision of illumination that fire creates.

The Last of England also contains some striking homosexual imagery, as well as substantial sequences of male nudity. An initial bit has a recurring male character strip down to have fake sex with a fully clothed army officer whose face is covered by a ski mask. As the pair pretend-copulate on an oversized Union Jack, the grappling moves from passionate to painful, with soldier finally overwhelming the lad and leaving him splayed and spent. There is something surprisingly erotic about the scene (it could be the combination of domination and design) but that doesn't mean the softcore moment has any real significance. The second scene is even more muddled in its message. A nude man sits shivering next to an oil drum fire, a large head of cauliflower in his hands. As he moans and groans in silent screams, he slowly devours the raw vegetable. Spitting out more than he consumes, this extended vignette has no real resonance beyond seeing one unfortunate actor's incredibly small penis. The visual metaphors are missing, and the supposed shock value of full frontal phallus is quickly dispensed with.

Indeed, as Tilda Swinton (clearly the most recognizable performer here) does her bridal gown Leatherface-like ballet in the setting UK sun, one has to wonder just what Jarman is trying to say. The film never lets us in, and this director is not about to give us any keys. Perhaps if one were British, capable of reading into all the asides and allusions that Jarman is on about, the movie would make more sense. Or maybe it's not supposed to. Maybe the filmmaker merely wanted to set his feelings about England to cinematic visuals - to Hell with it making any narrative sense. Yet as a work of visual creativity, The Last of England still falters. The use of an immigrant in the opening seems to suggest a racial tone to the movie's tenets, but then there's all the naked man meandering. As the soundtrack blares with dissonant bombast, we understand Jarman's wish to assault our senses. But one wants the cinematic battering to mean something, and The Last of England's jokes just aren't that funny - or fathomable. This film may be inspirational to some, but most will only find it irritating and vague.

The Video:
Presented in a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen image, The Last of England has many pictorial flaws. There is tons of grain, and lots of faded colors throughout. The print looks old and the transfer does nothing to strengthen the less-than-concrete contrasts. There is something very arty and pretentious about the filmmaking, as if the movie is purposefully dark, dense and devoid of optical ambience. Jarman may be a master at imagery, but this dreary depiction of his visions is not a DVD delight. Then again, this could be exactly the way the director wanted it.

The Audio:
Combining classical with experimental, punk with pomp, The Last of England has a varied and eccentric soundtrack. The Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 Surround doesn't really deliver in the immersion department, but there are a few directional elements at work inside the channels. The speakers get the majority of their workout from the numerous explosions and gunshots, and the voice-over narration, when present, is always clean and crisp.

The Extras:
Sadly none are offered - and in the case of this film, many are needed. A scholarly commentary would have been nice, as would an interview with those close to the director. Since little outside of a recent Criterion release of Jubilee is known about Jarman, providing us with a smattering of context may have made the movie more meaningful. As it stands, this is just the kind of basic bare bones ballyhoo we thought the digital domain was long since finished with.

Final Thoughts:
Since it is almost impossible to dismiss, The Last of England is being half-heartedly Recommended. Fans of true experimental film may find a lot to like about this tenuous, tricky tour de force. Obviously, fans of Jarman's work will want to pick this up, if only because it represents one of the few titles in his extensive oeuvre that has seen a legitimate release over the years. But those new to the entire ultramodern arena of filmmaking will probably want to steer clear of this controversial, corporeal social commentary. Jarman may have enjoyed pushing people's buttons while he was alive, but the passage of time has not been kind to his 'in your face' film fashions. The Last of England was probably a devastating denouncement of an arrogant, oppressive political climate during its day, but at present it plays as slightly pretentious and completely perplexing. Then it probably felt like full force anti-Thatcher propaganda. Now, it's just daunting...and dated.

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