|
Not being someone easily humbled by the blindingly dull aura of fame, I was struck by a strange
sensation on being in the same room as Alex Cox. After all, this is the guy who made such punk-rock, fuck-you
classics of modern cinema as Repo Man and Sid & Nancy, who turned his back on HW to work in
Britain (north of the Watford gap) & even dared commit cinematic suicide by making a film in
Spanish (Highway Patrolman). If this weren't enough, Cox is fondly recalled by many as the Godfather of
alternative cinema thanks to his stint as presenter of BBC2's Moviedrome.
Tonight his demeanor appears more public school teacher than subversive auteur yet the kind of
anti-establishment sentiment we have come to expect from the 48 year old is reassuringly evident
during the post-presentation Q & A where Cox offered a friendly,
if unapologetic, discourse on the film & its themes.
On first viewing, Revenger's (an adaptation of a 300 year-old tragedy) is somewhat disappointing. The problem with adaptations of theatre is
that they look just that - like a filmed play. Despite a valiant attempt to harmonize the mediums,
Revenger's retains a sense of small-scale televisual entrapment. Cox's pop culture parody's
are weak (magazines called "Un-Loaded") & his subversions old hat (1984-style propaganda posters
drown the landscape). There are moments of smart satire: Sophie Dahl's demise resulting in a
"People's Princess" style fit of public mourning & Derek Jacobi's dictatorous Duke is a dead ringer
for fashion supremo Karl Lagerfeld but such statements are too few & far between & lack the wit of
Cox's previous work. Even the concluding juxtaposition of the Queen & Nagasaki bomb seem outdated,
disappointing & sterile (after all the Sex Pistols did it 25 years ago).
Chris Ecclestone on the other hand delivers a tour de force of acting, blending Shakespearian muscle
with Taxi Driver intensity. As with all Cox's leading men (notably Gary Oldman, Ed Harris), his
astounding performance provides a lynchpin for the entire production, dragging along Cox's off the
wall eccentricities, a surreal script, workman-like cast & low budget to a resounding
finale.
Yet despite these merits & Cox's obvious talent you cannot escape the feeling of being shortchanged.
For such a politically & culturally sensitive artist & in light of the increasingly politicized
society we inhabit (what with Globalisation, 9-11 hysteria & the info-availability of the
internet) Revenger's Tragedy is something of a step backwards. There is a certain maturity
to the work wherein Cox we have come to expect something youthfully exuberant, ahead of its time,
dangerous & astute. What we get is stability,
classicism & a recycling of ideas. When our culture is crying out for alternative voices & role models
(artists being "...the canaries in the mineshaft" as US collage artist Winston Smith said) then
Cox's latest effort seems something of a retreat, more of a self-indulgent whimper than a roar.
However - and it's a big however - such a critique is resolutely rounded as Cox matter-of-factly
remarks that the film's concluding shot (the Queen's protrait & atomic bomb) was
not his original intention. Instead he had planned to use the infamous footage of the two planes
hitting the World Trade Centre (an idea resoundly snubbed by the film's financiers). With this in
mind, the film blossoms into a much bolder, agitative piece of art than the final cut delivers &
one is advised to revise any opinions.
The film may not be his best or most subversive work, yet Revenger's Tragedy is a triumph of
alternative cinema & a grower of sorts, I suspect. With the alternative (inevitable DVD director's
cut) ending in mind, Cox remains a brave & inspirational voice, maybe even a role model.
RATING: (c)Limer 2002
|
Revenger's Tragedy (B'ham Film Festival: November 2002)
