Performance (1970) With Mick Jagger

I just watched this movie on TCM for the first time and found it interesting, I liked Mick's performance in it. Any other opinions on the film?

 

One of my favourite films of all time.

The first half is the best British gangster film ever. Truly menacing performances from James Fox and Johnny Shannon, coupled with some hilarious, quotable dialogue.

The second half is trippy as hell, and lifts the film to another level.

Only the “Memo from Turner” section feels incongruous, and I say this as someone who has always loved the song.

Paul Buck’s ‘biography’ of the making of the film is worth a read, if you fancy delving further:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Performance-Biography-Classic-Sixties-Film/dp/1849387001

 

Bizarreo..sort of watched it. Folk actually paid money to see this? It took Warner Bros two years to release.

 

Great on several levels.
A wonderful UK gangster film helped by James Fox hanging out with real thugs.
Brilliant varied and part dissonant soundtrack.
Still Jagger's best acting role.
The bewitching Anita Pallenberg.

Warners at first did not like the fact that Mick did not appear until about a half hour into the movie not just the nudity, drugs or sex.

I have 2 VHS copies with very different artwork plus a recent DVD which is recommended for all of the extras.
Also brilliant was an hour long TV special about Donald Cammel which featured many interviews including with Jagger.

 

The U.K. Premium Collection BD is the best version currently available on home video. The old Region 1 DVD was missing the “Here’s to old England!” line during the “Memo from Turner” section, and the Region A Warner Archive BD had some badly dubbed dialogue designed for American audiences who might struggle with the cockney accents. The Region B BD restores the correct dialogue and the missing audio.

The documentary Donald Cammell: The Ultimate Performance appears as a bonus feature on Arrow’s Region B BD of White of the Eye.

 

Since its initial release Performance remains my favorite movie...

And Jagger was perfectly cast as the reclusive Turner...

Its a perfect time capsule of Swingin London in the 1960s...

The only other film that comes close is Blow Up & its not even that close

 

One of my all time favourite films. I picked up the Blu ray recently, but it's just a hi-res version of the same print the old DVD uses, right down to the daft windowboxing on the opening credits. Really needs a new restoration. I also own the soundtrack on vinyl, which is a great listen, even if you're not familiar with the film.

 

The current DVD is the new 2007 print...way ahead of old videotape/early DVD editions.

 

There were no earlier DVD editions. Until the 2007 Region 1 release, the film was unavailable anywhere in the world on DVD.

 

I watched it once when I was three (or four) sheets to the wind. Struck me as a bit strange, but I will revisit it one day, sober.

 

Directed by Nicholas Roeg. Maybe one of the most underrated directors in cinema. Those first 4 films are all gems:
Performance
Walkabout
Don't Look Now
Man Who Fell to Earth
Bad Timing (Not sure if this where the decline begins. I need to see it again to get a better opinion)

 

That should be Nicolas (no H) Roeg and Donald Cammell. Both are credited as co-directors.

 

One extremely weird movie. I felt the nudity was forced to try and show that the film was edgy and against the mainstream of the time.
Mick was good and Memo was a bit out of place, but still a great song.
It's not Jagger's best--The Man From Elysian Fields is Mick's best, by a wide margin.

 

A little more info from iMDB.

The Warner DVD is missing the line "Here's to Old England." in the 'Memo From Turner' scene. The Warner Archive Blu-ray features the missing line, but as a newly mixed correction to the mix, rather than as a fluid part of the sound mix as it was originally. The Blu-ray also reinstates the dubbing of London accents that previous releases rectified. Characters are dubbed in all their scenes prior to the phone call from Chas (Fox) to Harry (Shannon) in the bedroom. The bedroom scene and the remainder of the film features the original audio performances. Laraine Wickens thus escapes dubbing altogether as her scenes are all after the bedroom scene.

 

Yep. I didn’t have time to get into the details earlier, but thanks for posting this, for those that need it. I was working purely from memory of the releases I own.

The reinstated “Here’s to old England!” line is poorly done, but at least it’s present. There is definitely room for future improvement, but, for now, the RB Premium Collection BD is decent enough, and certainly the best version available.

 

So I just bought the UK Premium BD...says its region free

 

I can check it later, if you like?

I’m region-free, so I never normally check this stuff. I just buy whatever releases I want from around the world.

 

First thing I noticed on the TCM viewing. but then reverted to full screen. Would probably watch again now that I know what I am up against. Turning on the closed captioning helped.
Was this a premier showing on TCM? I was surprised to find it. On the left coast, a 9:30PM showing helped.

 

Just checked my copy for you. It plays fine with my player set to Region A, so I can confirm that it’s region-free. Enjoy.

 

No decline with Bad Timing. Eureka (1983) is superb too and I’ve still yet to watch my Criterion blu-ray of Insignificance (1985).

 

Yeah, Bad Timing is excellent, and Eureka is great, too.

I still haven’t bought Insignificance on BD. Not seen it in decades, but I remember enjoying it in the 1980s. I’ll pick it up eventually.

 

I’ve had it for years and it’s in the never ending backlog. I’ll watch it soon hopefully now we’re talking about it.

 

From the film:

• Chas : Why don't you - play us a tune, pal?
  
  Turner : I don't like music.
  
  Chas : Comical little geezer. You'll look funny when your fifty.
  

 

One of my favourite exchanges is a minor one in the grand scheme of things, and one you never see on those film quote websites:

Moody: Your old man was a barber, wasn’t he, Rosie?

Rosie: No, he wasn’t.

It’s the deadpan response from Rosie that cracks me up; so dry.

 

Forgot to mention Roeg was also a cinematographer and his work on Petula and 'The Masque of the Red Death' are also worth watching.
A little bit of trivia is that Roeg worked 2nd unit on Lawrence of Arabia