The Garden Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

The Garden Blu-ray Movie Review

A powerful experience which delves into territories of madness and transcendence, The Garden is a statement about director Derek Jarman's anger over the AIDS crisis. Produced by James Mackay (Blue, The Kingdom of Shadows), it is an intellectual, thought-provoking, and visually imagination experience that fans of the filmmaker won't want to miss. A must-see gem.

A nearly-wordless production without a clear and concise storyline, The Garden is a beautiful visual extravaganza which has underlining themes of great importance. The film explores the idea of good and evil with interpretations of Christ (Roger Cook) and the devil (Pete Lee-Wilson). The film also frequently interjects the Madonna (Tilda Swinton) as a passenger taking flight on the filmmaker's odyssey. Along the journey, a variety of other characters are interwoven into the fabric of the DNA.

On the surface level, The Garden is a surrealist (and experimental) showcase for Jarman's talents as a director. As one delves deeper into the labyrinth of the filmmaking, it becomes apparent that the film is largely about exploring Derek Jarman's frustration with gay prosecution and the harsh realities faced by homosexual men. With many scenes showing men engaged in sexual encounters (including a scene of men giving baths to one another while kissing), the film seems primarily aimed at LGBTQ viewers (but could still be seen and enjoyed by anyone with an open mind).

As there is no concise narrative, Jarman bounces from one concept to another with a jubilant sense of enthusiasm. In addition to the focus on the AIDS crisis, there is a fantastic musical scene (with“Think Pink” as a sort of catchy retro-theme) and essay-like scenes about other societal issues (such as credit card debt: “All of your dreams will come true!”) The film is haunting and nightmarish but it has an undeniably powerful grip that can't be easily dismissed.

Nightmares and dreams. A blur of reality.

The film has a number of impressive production elements: there is the production design by Derek Brown (Young Soul Rebels) and Christopher Hobbs (Velvet Goldmine) to make the journey more compelling, hypnotic, and disturbing (all at once). Then there's the costumes designed by Annie Symons (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Saving Grace) to showcase the wide range of ideas explored. The score composed by Simon Fisher-Turner (Claire Dolan, I'll Sleep When I'm Dead) similarly heightens the filmmaking and its fantastical ambitions.

The Garden was filmed using a 8mm camera and as a result it has a decidedly different visual aesthetic than a standard 35mm production displays (or the digital photography of today). The cinematography by Christopher Hughes (The Last of England, Aria) is outstanding with a creative use of color in each scene. There is something remarkable about what is achieved with this production. Truly a outstanding cinematographic experience.

Derek Jarman (Blue, Edward II) is an ambitious filmmaker with a distinctive vision. The film certainly showcases the auteur at his best. Given that the film is largely wordless and has a script that bounces around with the fervor of an extended music-video, it's surprising that the final result is so effective. Things could have easily gone wrong with a less talented director at the helm. Yet Jarman is a huge talent that is capable of making the journey one that audiences will find worth taking. The film builds to a crescendo while leaving one flabbergasted by what transpires. This is not an easy film to stomach. At the same time, The Garden feels like a deeply personal statement from its filmmaker. It's quite hard to describe. That's one of the reasons its so fascinating.

The Garden Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from distributor Kino Lorber, The Garden has received a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation in the original 1.66:1 widescreen theatrical aspect ratio. The release presents a brand new 2K restoration. The original source was super 8mm film (blown up significantly to a 35mm print) so the results showcase the decidedly low-resolution of the video. Everything appears less clear or detailed than what is ideal but viewers have to remember the limitations inherent to the source.

The Garden looks almost as if it was transferred from an outdated video-cassette tape (although it looks refined for such a presentation). The print is extremely clean (free from distracting scratches and dirt) and color reproduction looks impressive for the material. Yet it certainly is a far cry from a modern 35mm or 75mm production and the soft look of the film (and it's subtleties) remain apparent. Overall, the release gives a worthwhile presentation. The Garden will never look like a slick, modern blockbuster (but then again: it wasn't meant to).

The Garden Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio presentation. This is an exceptional audio track which is downright stunning to experience and makes good use of the surrounds. The music in the film sounds remarkably clear. The lossless audio track is highly immersive and the filmmaking is dramatically enhanced by the original score. The film remains nearly wordless but when there are snippets of dialogue the sound reproduction remains crystal clear. The release also includes a 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio presentation. Optional English SDH subtitles (for the deaf and hard of hearing) are provided.

The Garden Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Garden features a number of excellent interviews which are uniformly engaging, informative, and worthwhile. Fans of the film won't want to miss the fantastic selection of extras as detailed below:

After the Garden (HD, 9:31) is an interview featuring Richard Heslop as he discusses he memories from working with director Derek Jarman during the later period of his career.

Anything Can Happen (HD, 11:18) is another interview featuring Richard Heslop as he continues discussion on the filmmaker and his experiences working with him on films over the years.

David Lewis remembers The Garden (HD, 16:04) is an interview about his experiences with the production and the filmmaker

James Mackay remembers The Garden (HD, 14:38) is an interesting and intelligent interview about memories from the film and its development.

The Other Great Masterpiece (HD, 6:11) is an engaging piece featuring John Maybury as he reflects on the career of director Derek Jarman and his gardening in real life.

The Garden Theatrical Trailer (HD, 1:32)

The Garden Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There is something remarkably powerful about the visionary filmmaking on display in Derek Jarman's The Garden. The experience is a visual one (with a narrative that is unconventional) but that's ultimately part of the charm. The film is Jarman exploring his inner rage against the poor handling of the AIDS epidemic through a series of vignettes that are examples of poetry in motion. The presentation of the film is true to the 8mm source and a selection of engaging supplements make it a release well worth owning.