By angels driven

"Derek Jarman was one of the most innovative British filmmakers of his generation. Working largely outside the British film establishment and within tight budgetary constraints, he produced a series of features and shorter films that are highly personal and yet responsive to major issues of our time. For Jarman, the most compelling of these was undoubtedly the celebration of gay culture and the battle for gay rights - in which he was prominent until his death." "This book brings together seven insightful new essays on Jarman's film work, one of the director's last interviews, and supporting filmography and extensive bibliography. The contributions examine the full range of his output from the early Super 8 films and Sebastiane (1976) to Wittgenstein and Blue (both 1993), and discuss his commitment to British artistic traditions and to the fusion of the arts, his role as gay activist and "criminal", his approach to issues of narration, his fascination with the age of Shakespeare, and the changing aesthetic preferences of his last films."--BOOK JACKET.