Edward II

This is a strange movie

     

My fondness for period films and historical drama led me to buy this film without researching its reviews first. Unfortunately, having seen it, I am quite disappointed. It took me two attempts to watch this movie through to the end. The film is based on Christopher Marlow's 1594 play of the same title, focusing on the relationship between Edward II and Piers Gaveston. The dialogue is sort of Shakespearean, but the costumes and props are modern. Although that is similar to what was done in the 1996 film version of Romeo and Juliet, this movie has none of R & J's charm. The director and producers were clearly taking an avant-garde direction on this movie. Unfortunately, the extreme angled set design with dirt covered floors and harsh spotlight lighting just made the scenes uncomfortable, as did the overt, in-your-face sexuality. All in all, I felt this took away from some more than decent acting by Steven Waddington and Tilda Swinton.

In short, if you enjoy a more cutting edge, artistic movie, you may enjoy this. For me, this will not be a favorite among my movie collection.