Rent Performance (1970)

3.5 of 5 from 148 ratings
1h 41min
Rent Performance Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
In underworld terms, Chas Devlin is a "performer", a gangster with a talent for violence and intimidation. Turner is a reclusive rock superstar. When Chas and Turner meet, their worlds collide - and the impact is both exotic and explosive. James Fox and Mick Jagger indelibly play Chas and Turner in this spellbinder of illusion and reality, decadence and decay. Fugitive Chas hides in Turner's cavernous house. Events then spiral into an eerie breakdown of barriers and roles in which Chas sees his sense of reality vanish. And Turner's experiment of self-discovery leads to a shocking, final performance of his own.
Actors:
, , , , , , , , , , , , , Laraine Wickens, , , , , ,
Directors:
,
Producers:
Sanford Lieberson
Voiced By:
Ian McShane
Writers:
Donald Cammell
Others:
Antony Gibbs
Studio:
Warner
Genres:
Classics, Drama
Collections:
10 Films to Watch if You Like: The Wicker Man, A Brief History of Singer Biopics, A World of Difference: A History of Gay Cinema, Brando: A Centenary Celebration, Roeg and Bertolucci: Remembering the Masters, The Golden Age of British Pop Musicals, The Instant Expert's Guide to Todd Haynes, Top 100 BFI Films, Top Films of 1968
BBFC:
Release Date:
05/03/2007
Run Time:
101 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono, French Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono
Subtitles:
Danish, Dutch, English, English Hard of Hearing, Finnish, French, Norwegian, Swedish
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 2.40:1
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • New Featurette "Influence and Controversy"
  • Vintage Featurette "Memo from Turner"
  • Theatrical Trailer
BBFC:
Release Date:
17/04/2017
Run Time:
105 minutes
Languages:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.85:1
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • New Featurette "Influence and Controversy"
  • Vintage Featurette "Memo from Turner"
  • Theatrical Trailer

More like Performance

Reviews (1) of Performance

A Sleeper. - Performance review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
27/02/2020

Performance has gained a reputation as a classic British gangster film but really it is a modernist work about identity. The performers, particularly James Fox (Chas) and Mick Jagger (Turner) change under each other's influence, and their sexuality blurs. Performance owes much more to Ingmar Bergman's Persona than it does to the Krays, violent though it is. Donald Cammell wrote the quotable script under the influence of Joe Orton, full of cheeky, threatening non-sequiturs. Nicolas Roeg was responsible for the head-movie visuals which I think are the main attraction, the film increasing representing an acid trip, including the scenes played backwards and the strong colour themes. Warner Brothers apparently thought they were getting The Rolling Stones' version of a Hard Day's Night and were shocked by the sexual content and how grimy it all looked and shelved it for two years. It has become a cult favourite, better known as years go by.

2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.

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