PERFORMANCE (106’)
by Donald Cammell, Nicolas Roeg
starring James Fox, Mick Jagger, Anita Pallenberg, Michele Breton
UK, 1970
Restored in 4K in 2024 by Warner Bros.
Copy provided by Warner Bros.
by kind concession of Park Circus
Introduced by Cesare Bisantis
Performance was filmed in 1968 but not released by Warner Bros. for another two years, such were the shockwaves it sent through the studio. The idea of a disturbing confrontation between the brutal criminal world of East London and the counter-culture decadence of West London came from successful portrait artist and professional bohemian Donald Cammell. A tough, arrogant gangster (James Fox in an unexpected role that changed his life) goes on the run from his ruthless boss and takes refuge in the basement den of a “retired” rock star (Mick Jagger playing a not-so-distant cousin of himself) and his two free-spirited female companions (Anita Pallenberg and Michele Breton). Under the influence of hallucinogenic mushrooms, the identities of the two men merge, their sexuality becomes ambiguous, and reality is transformed into an adventure into the wildest corners of the imagination. As a first-time director, Cammell was obliged to work in tandem with top director of photography – and aspiring director himself – Nicolas Roeg, but they proved to be of like mind in their efforts to push the film into unchartered territories of fractured visuals and time-scrambling editing. The surreal extremes of pleasure and pain which the film indulged pleased neither movie executives nor censors, the film went through a long editing process, but then after a subdued initial release became a major cult movie. With its outstanding soundtrack (involving such luminaries as Randy Newman, Ry Cooder and Jagger himself) and highly quotable dialogue, Performance is now seen as the apex of the exploding freedom of ‘60s filmmaking. But it’s only in recent time that the film has been securely restored to its original release version, with the censored juxtapositions of sex and violence returned to their full length and some ridiculous re-voicing of authentic Cockney accents removed. See it and be amazed. (David Thompson)
