| The Last of England | |
| Director: | Derek Jarman |
| Narrator: | Nigel Terry |
| Cinematography: | Derek Jarman, Christopher Hughes, Richard Heslop, Cerith Wyn Evans |
| Editing: | Derek Jarman, Peter Cartwright, Angus Cook |
| Runtime: | 87 min. |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | GBP£276,000 |
The Last of England is a 1987 British arthouse film directed by Derek Jarman and starring Tilda Swinton.
It is a poetic depiction of what Jarman felt was the loss of traditional English culture in the 1980s and his anger about Thatcher's England,[1] including the formation of Section 28 Local Government Act. It is named after The Last of England, a painting by Ford Madox Brown.[2]
One of the film's most famous scenes is of Tilda Swinton as a bride mourning her executed husband.[1] The scene was shot near the director's home on the beach of Dungeness, Kent.[2]
Jarman wrote a book, with the same title, to accompany the film.[3]
Derek Jarman received the 1988 Teddy Award in Berlin for the film. And Tilda Swinton received the jury prize for her performance.[4]
On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an average score of 68%, based on 3 reviews.[5]
'What proof do you need the world's curling up like an autumn leaf?' wrote Time Out magazine.[6]
David Bezanson wrote that the film is “graphic and disorienting, yet also totally trite".[7]
Two versions of the soundtrack album were released on the Mute Records label. The LP has one side ("Bombers") by Simon Turner, and the other ("Diplomat") by a variety of performers, including Mayo Thompson with Albert Oehlen and Tilda Swinton; Andy Gill with Dean Garcia, Barry Adamson and Martin McCarrick, Brian Gulland and Diamanda Galas. The CD version includes all of this material and a third section, "Dead to the World", primarily by Turner.