Blue

Late filmmaker Derek Jarman's last film is a personal meditation on life, AIDS, death, and his blindness (symbolized by a blue screen, which is the only visual for the entire film). By turns reflective, tiresome, illuminating, and boring (in other words, a lot like most Jarman films), this is an optional purchase for larger art film collections. (R. Pitman) [Blu-ray Review—Aug. 27, 2019—Kino Lorber, 75 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $24.95—Making its debut on Blu-ray, 1993’s Blue features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack on Blu-ray. Extras include a 1994 'Glitterbug' compilation of director Derek Jarman’s home movies with a score by Brian Eno (45 min.), a 'Bliss' 1991 concert recording of the original project inspiration for the film (39 min.), retrospective segments with producer James Mackay (15 min.), 'Glitterbug' associate director David Lewis (14 min.), filmmaker John Maybury (9 min.), and musical collaborator Simon Fisher Turner (8 min.), and a 2019 unveiling of an English heritage plaque honoring Jarman in London (2 min.). Bottom line: literally a one-note film on a visual level, Blue still benefits in its Blu-ray release from the lossless audio.]