Mick Jagger’s ‘Performance’ Gets New Criterion Release

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The musician-to-actor pipeline is nothing new, but few films are as notorious as Performance, the Mick Jagger vehicle that was so appalling to Warner Bros. that they shelved it for 18 months. Sex, drugs, and rock and roll are just the start — the gritty gangster flick has plenty of violence, too.

In the intervening half-century since its release it’s become a cult classic, and to certify its film buff bona fides, it got the Criterion treatment, including a new 4K Blu-ray released on Feb. 25.

The Criterion Collection release features interviews with the actors and documentaries about the making of and impact of Performance, as well as a new 4K digital restoration. The release also features a redesigned cover by Fred Davis. In addition to the Criterion release, the film can be rented or purchased on VOD platforms.

Performance was directed by Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg, the latter known for films like The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Witches, and Don’t Look Now. Performance was technically Jagger’s second on-screen role following Ned Kelly, which was released just weeks earlier. But Performance was produced in 1968 and shelved for nearly two years, making it the acting debut of the Rolling Stones frontman.

The film stars James Fox as a trigger-happy gangster who hides out in the Notting Hill home of Turner, a reclusive rock star played by Jagger. The seemingly straightforward synopsis belies the psychedelic trip that follows, including a subversive exploration of gender identity.

Unsurprisingly, casting Jagger as a rock star and not having him perform would seem like a waste, and one of the film’s signature moments comes when he sings the bluesy “Memo From Turner.” The track would later be used in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas.