A violent East London gangster undergoes a transformation of identity while hiding from his former colleagues in the home of a jaded Bohemian rock star and his two girlfriends.A violent East London gangster undergoes a transformation of identity while hiding from his former colleagues in the home of a jaded Bohemian rock star and his two girlfriends.A violent East London gangster undergoes a transformation of identity while hiding from his former colleagues in the home of a jaded Bohemian rock star and his two girlfriends.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 1 nomination total
Michèle Breton
- Lucy
- (as Michele Breton)
Anthony Morton
- Dennis
- (as Antony Morton)
Kenneth Colley
- Tony Farrell
- (as Ken Colley)
Edmond Bennett
- Detective Sergeant
- (uncredited)
Helen Booth
- Noel's mum
- (uncredited)
John Caesar
- Ticket Clerk
- (uncredited)
Jay Denyer
- Constable
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to Anita Pallenberg, one scene actually shows her shooting heroin, which she was just starting to get into at the time.
- Alternate versionsIn most versions the voices of Johnny Shannon, John Bindon and Laraine Wickens have been overdubbed. This was because the actors' own voices were thought to be "too cockney" for non-UK audiences to understand. The 2007 Region 2 DVD (DY11687) features the voices of all three actors throughout the feature, none of the previous overdubs are present in this version.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Performance: Memo from Turner (1970)
Featured review
Reading the various comments posted, I'm saddened to see that Nic Roeg is receiving the credit for this amazing film. Granted, Roeg did provide his always stunning camera work to the film, but it was Donald Cammell who wrote, directed the actors, and edited (along with Frank Mazzola) PERFORMANCE.
Roeg acted as DP on the film, blocking the camera movements as Cammell worked with the actors. In fact, according to Cammell, they worked so well together that people would comment "...the two director approach is the wave of the future." Cammell also revealed that his admiration for Roeg's work was somewhat tempered by the fact that Roeg was often solely credited for PERFORMANCE, something that just isn't true.
Don't get me wrong, I think Nic Roeg is a wonderful director and a brilliant DP. DON'T LOOK NOW, THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, and BAD TIMING are some of my favorite films, but PERFORMANCE is Cammell's vision more than Roeg's.
In fact, given the ironic and tragic life that Cammell led, perhaps it's only fitting that he would be overlooked for his work on PERFORMANCE, which displays his obsessions for Borges, gender/identity, and sexuality.
Any interest? Seek out DONALD CAMMELL: THE ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE for a fascinating look at this brilliant artist.
Roeg acted as DP on the film, blocking the camera movements as Cammell worked with the actors. In fact, according to Cammell, they worked so well together that people would comment "...the two director approach is the wave of the future." Cammell also revealed that his admiration for Roeg's work was somewhat tempered by the fact that Roeg was often solely credited for PERFORMANCE, something that just isn't true.
Don't get me wrong, I think Nic Roeg is a wonderful director and a brilliant DP. DON'T LOOK NOW, THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, and BAD TIMING are some of my favorite films, but PERFORMANCE is Cammell's vision more than Roeg's.
In fact, given the ironic and tragic life that Cammell led, perhaps it's only fitting that he would be overlooked for his work on PERFORMANCE, which displays his obsessions for Borges, gender/identity, and sexuality.
Any interest? Seek out DONALD CAMMELL: THE ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE for a fascinating look at this brilliant artist.
- AtillaTanner
- May 1, 2002
- Permalink
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- £750,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 45 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1
- 1.85 : 1
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