Edward II

Considered a fine example of gay and lesbian cinema, Derek Jarman's take on Christopher Marlowe's late 16th-century play The Troublesome Reign of Edward II offers an intriguing blend of the production's original language and modern colloquialisms and settings that transcend time to tell the story of the British King who openly rejected his wife and took on a male lover. Jarman deliberately blended past and present to make the statement that -- despite modern lip service to political correctness and more tolerant attitudes towards personal differences, society really hasn't evolved since Edward ruled and will not as long as those who are different are persecuted.