BROKEN ENGLISH

One of the films in this year's Perth Festival collection at the Somerville Auditorium was a documentary about Marianne Faithfull. I've dipped in and out of a being a Faithfull fan. I was too young to appreciate her early work in the mid-1960s, but discovered her with the album Broken English in 1979 which is full of strong, bold songs that still resonate with power 45 years later.


After that, every so often I'd dip and out of her repertoire being fascinated by her album of the Romantic Poets, She Walks in Beauty (2021) and being in love with her reading of the letter at the heart of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's epistolary novel from 1782, Les Liaison Dangereuses.

I've managed to track down what I suspect is an illegal recording of her reading it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chhYlqRoJVs

The book it comes from is an absorbing work which I read, day after day, on the beach during a Perth Summer holiday years ago. It's inspired all sorts of responses including operas, ballets and films. My favourite film version is Stephen Frears' work staring Glenn Close, John Malkovich and Michelle Pfieiffer (1988). It's been set in 1930s China, in 18th Century Korea and even in contemporary New York amongst high school students. Melbourne Theatre Company did a production of it in 2004 starring Marcus Graham and Jospehine Byrne.

Anyway, back to the issue at hand - the documentary Broken English. Reviewers seem to be divided about it because they don't like the form of the film which has Tilda Swinton telling the story from within "The Ministry of Not Forgetting". I found it rich with images, songs, and stories from over 60 years - some new, some familiar. Faithfull died in January 2025 and the film contains her last recorded song performed with Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.

If you've ever enjoyed her music or been interested in her story, then I recommend the film.

PS As we were waiting for the documentary to start, a couple of young women were playing music to create an appropriate atmosphere. They were from the Drastic on Plastic program from 6RTR-FM, a program I helped created over 40 years ago. But that's a story for another day....


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