Edward II

"A classic tale of sex, revenge, and love"

1991 1h 30m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 68

HistoryRomanceDrama

Synopsis

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England, 14th century. King Edward II falls in love with Piers Gaveston, a young man of humble origins, whom he honors with favors and titles of nobility. The cold and jealous Queen Isabella conspires with the evil Mortimer to get rid of Gaveston, overthrow her husband and take power…

“A classic tale of sex, revenge, and love”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Steven Waddington
Edward II
Andrew Tiernan
Piers Gaveston
Tilda Swinton
Isabella
Nigel Terry
Roger Mortimer
John Lynch
Spencer
Dudley Sutton
Bishop of Winchester
Jerome Flynn
Kent
Jody Graber
Prince Edward

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Derek Jarman
Writers: Derek Jarman, Stephen McBride, Ken Butler
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 70% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

35 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, Japan.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Derek Jarman, shot by Ian Wilson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Simon Fisher-Turner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor George Akers shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Derek Jarman directs. Ian Wilson behind the camera. Simon Fisher-Turner scores. George Akers cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United Kingdom, Japan. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $1.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Earned back only 70% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
435 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
5International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, Japan.
6Directed by Derek Jarman, shot by Ian Wilson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Simon Fisher-Turner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor George Akers shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Steven Waddington and Andrew Tiernan and Tilda Swinton carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "A classic tale of sex, revenge, and love".
11IMDB entry: tt0101798 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Only 68 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ian Wilson
Original score: Simon Fisher-Turner
Editing: George Akers
Costume design: Sandy Powell
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Status: Released
Budget: $1,003,575
Box office: $706,131
Return: 70% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Edward II (1991)

Also by

Derek Jarman

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-09-06
★ 6/10
The rights of kings may well have been divine in the fourteenth century, but that was only so long as you could carry the support of the church, your wife and the powerful nobles upon whom this whole game of political jenga was based. When Edward II (Steven Waddington) decides to tempt just about all of these pillars of support by openly parading his lover Gaveston (Andrew Tiernan) to his court, it seems to manage something that had hitherto be rare in his kingdom. It galvanised just about everyone into a position where the proper order had to be restored and the boyfriend sent into exile. Initially, the king tries to assert his authority and even reduces an archbishop (Dudley Sutton) to degradation, but with his wife (Tilda Swinton) and her powerful lover Mortimer (Nigel Terry) increasingly aware that the crown can be their’s with little risk of protest from anyone, things become distinctly perilous for the king and any who support him. Derek Jarman has heavily abridged Christopher Marlowe’s speculative play, and by mixing the aesthetics of the twentieth century with more contemporary ones, and by the very creative use of a soundtrack, he creates a visually stylised account of the ultimate in treason that I admit, I struggled to appreciate. I do recall seeing this first time around and being frankly rather bored. Thirty-odd years later I can probably appreciate the artistry rather better and my brain is better wired for the intensity of the dialogue, but it’s still a remarkably sterile interpretation of a story of treachery, brutality and lust. Sure, there’s nudity and simulated sex, but the rapport between Waddington and Tiernan was often akin to that of silent film actors working within the confines of some theatrical wings. The hybrid of production styles only really served to leave it dangling between two stools and the storytelling itself is sacrificed to the artifice too frequently, leaving us with a very skeletal take of this turbulent time in English history. Annie Lennox singing Cole Porter whilst the two, pyjama-clad, men have a dance is an intimate highlight but I’m afraid the rest is just too superficial.

Production companies