Gothic (1986)

Director:

Ken Russell

Writers:

Lord Byron (story)
Percy Bysshe Shelley (story)
(more)

Release Date:

10 April 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Horror

Tagline:

Conjure up your deepest, darkest fear... now call that fear to life.

Plot:

Story of the night that Mary Shelley gave birth to the horror classic "Frankenstein." Disturbed drug...

Plot Keywords:

Nightmare | Drugs | Frankenstein | Sexual Fantasy | Lord Byron

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Gabriel Byrne	...	Byron
Julian Sands	...	Shelley
Natasha Richardson	...	Mary Shelley
Myriam Cyr	...	Claire Clairmont
Timothy Spall	...	Dr. Polidori
Alec Mango	...	Murray
Andreas Wisniewski	...	Fletcher
Dexter Fletcher	...	Rushton
Pascal King	...	Justine
Tom Hickey	...	Tour Guide
Linda Coggin	...	Turkish Mechanical Woman
Kristine Landon-Smith	...	Mechanical Woman
Chris Chappell	...	Man in Armour (as Chris Chappel)
Mark Pickard	...	Young William
Kiran Shah	...	Fuseli Monster
Christine Newby	...	Shelley Fan
Kim Tillesly	...	Shelley Fan (as Kim Tillesley)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ken Russell	...	Tourist (uncredited)

Directed by
Ken Russell

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Lord Byron		story
Percy Bysshe Shelley		story
Stephen Volk		screenplay

Produced by
Al Clark	....	executive producer
Penny Corke	....	producer
Robert Devereux	....	executive producer
Robert Fox	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Thomas Dolby

Cinematography by
Mike Southon

Film Editing by
Michael Bradsell

Casting by
Mary Selway

Production Design by
Christopher Hobbs

Art Direction by
Michael Buchanan

Costume Design by
Kay Gallwey
Victoria Russell

Makeup Department
Yvonne Coppard	....	makeup artist
Pat Hay	....	key makeup artist
Meinir Jones Brock	....	chief hair stylist (as Meinir Brock)
Tracy Smith	....	hair stylist (as Tracey Smith)

Production Management
Laura Julian	....	production manager
Paul Sparrow	....	production manager: pre-production (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Peter Freeman	....	third assistant director (as Pete Freeman)
Callum McDougall	....	key second assistant director
Iain Patrick	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Mick Bates	....	carpenter
Alan Brown	....	stagehand
Bob Cann	....	carpenter (as Robert Cann)
Alan Chesters	....	construction manager
Paul Dufficey	....	portraits
Trisha Edwards	....	property buyer (as Tricia Edwards)
Peter Ettedgui	....	runner: art department
Peter Grant	....	property master
Eddie McMahon	....	stand-by props
Kieron Mcnamara	....	stand-by props (as Kieron McNamara)
Micky Mills	....	dressing props (as Michael Mills)
Rodney Pincott	....	property master
John Roberts	....	painter
Tom Roberts	....	painter
Anne Tilby	....	art director: front title sequence
Stewart Hadley	....	chargehand (uncredited)

Sound Department
Campbell Askew	....	dubbing editor
John Chandler	....	boom operator
Mike Dowson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gerard McCann	....	assistant sound editor
Shaun Mills	....	sound maintenance
Andy Nelson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Peter Pennell	....	dialogue editor
Graham Sutton	....	sound effects editor
Bruce White	....	sound mixer
Lionel Strutt	....	adr mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Graham High	....	sculptural effects
Jeremy Hunt	....	sculptural effects assistant
Ian Morse	....	sculptural effects
Stephen Onions	....	sculptural effects assistant (as Steve Onions)
Ian Whittaker	....	sculptural effects assistant
Matthew Horton	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)

Stunts
Helen Caldwell	....	stunt woman
Tony Smart	....	stunts
Roy Street	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Mike Barker	....	camera trainee: Jobfit
Alf Bloor	....	rigger (as Alfie Bloor)
Michael Brown	....	best boy
Jeremy Connolly	....	electrician
Clive Coote	....	still photographer
Graham Day	....	clapper loader
Mike Fox	....	lighting technician: front title sequence
Stewart Hadley	....	generator operator (as Stuart Hadley)
Don McLellan	....	rigger
Tommy Moran	....	gaffer
Steve Parker	....	focus puller
Kelvin Richards	....	clapper loader
Malcolm Sheehan	....	camera grip
Stevie Smith	....	electrician

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Kay Gallwey	....	costume stylist
Michael Jeffery	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Karen Cross	....	second assistant editor
Mark Latimer	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
Clif Brigden	....	music producer
John Fiddy	....	additional orchestrator
Gaynor Sadler	....	music arranger: additional arrangements
Gaynor Sadler	....	musician
Tony Sadler	....	music arranger: additional arrangements
Tony Sadler	....	musician
Greg Fulginiti	....	music engineer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Frank Barretta	....	driver
Hamish Bell	....	driver
Peter Bergluno	....	driver
Joe Drinkeld	....	transportation
Gerry Floyd	....	driver (as Jerry Floyd)
Peter Godfrey	....	driver
Frank Hogan	....	driver
Tony Leport	....	driver
Joe Murphy	....	driver
Ron Narduzzo	....	driver
Tony Walker	....	driver

Other crew
Cate Arbeid	....	production assistant
Anthony Bryans	....	runner: production office
Nick Daubeny	....	location manager
Roger Farr	....	animal work
Peter Govey	....	opticals
Peter Govey	....	titles
Tom Hugh-Jones	....	runner: production unit
Rosamunde Maxwell	....	unit nurse
Zakiya Powell	....	unit publicist
Lissa Ruben	....	script supervisor
Sarah Stinchcombe	....	assistant to producer
Jane Studd	....	assistant location manager
Will Tyler	....	assistant accountant (as William Tyler)
Ronaldo Vasconcellos	....	production accountant
Vicki Wallis	....	assistant to director

Production Companies

• Virgin Vision

Distributors

• Image Entertainment (laserdisc)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Pioneer Entertainment (DVD)
• Vestron Pictures (1987) (USA)
• Vestron Video (USA)

Special Effects

• Ace Effects

Other Companies

• ARRI Lighting Rental  lighting equipment
• Animal Actors  additional animals provided by
• Bell Lighting Ltd.  lighting equipment
• Cosprop  costumes
• D & D International Transport  transportation
• Delta Sound Services  sound re-recording
• Film Wheels Ltd.  transportation
• Hamish Bell Movie Transport  transportation
• Mayflower Recording  adr recording
• Pinewood Stills  stills processing
• Rentadog  animal supplier
• Set Meals  catering
• Zakiya and Associates  UK publicity

Also Known As:

"Gótico" - Brazil (cable TV title)
"Gótika, avagy a szellem éjszakája" - Hungary
"Gothic" - Turkey (Turkish title)
"Gothic" - Germany
"Gothic" - Greece
"Gothic" - Italy (DVD title)
"Gothic" - France
"Gothic - Poetas e Fantasmas" - Portugal (imdb display title)
"Gotyk" - Poland
"Yövieraat" - Finland

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/18 | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Gaddesden Place, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Virgin Vision

Trivia:

During one of the establishing shots of the villa at night, a slowly revolving band of light appears on screen. This comes from a "phantasmagoria", a device which displayed pictures by sending light through holes cut in a ring of metal. The book that Shelley and co. read which inspired her to write Frankenstein (and lead to the events in the movie) was also called Phantasmagoria.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Tour Guide:And there, ladies and gentlemen, on the other side of the lake we have the famous Villa Diodati where Lord Byron, greatest living English poet, resides in exile. Romantic, scholar, duelist, best-selling author of Childe Harold, he was forced to leave his native land after many scandals including incest and adultery with Lady Caroline Lamb. "Mad, bad and dangerous to know" she called him.
[the guide squeezes a lady's hand and points]
Tour Guide:Bedroom - top right.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The All New Alexei Sayle Show: Episode #1.2" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Gregorian Chant

Visually stunning hypnotic nightmare!

Despite it's uninspiring title, Ken Russell's "Gothic" is actually an intriguing, and uniquely inspiring piece of cinema. Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein" is one of the stories that has helped to shape horror cinema, and so the story behind it is guaranteed to interest horror fans. This film isn't exactly the story of how the story came to fruition; but rather a compilation of ideas surrounding "what could have happened" (but quite clearly didn't). The film takes influence from the enigmatic Lord Byron more than anything, and it's always him that springs to mind as we watch the small cast delve into their imaginations, culminating in an orgy of sex and violence. The story is simple, and focuses more on imagery and the ideas behind what is happening on screen. We follow Percy Shelly and his wife to be, Mary; along with her sister Claire, who travel to the self-exiled home of Lord Byron. While there, the four of them; along with Byron's biographer, decide to indulge in the art of making up ghost stories. However, the fun gets out of hand when the quintet begins to believe that they have actually created a monster.

The film has a very 'intellectual' flavour, but the fact is that there isn't a lot below the surface of this film. Gothic, to me at least, is a visual treat rather than food for thought - with Ken Russell's imagery providing more than any deep and complex substance. The imagery is stunning, and fits into the film very well. Russell's sets compliment the story excellently, and the atmosphere in which the film takes place is more important than the story itself. Lord Byron's house is almost a character within itself, and when combined with the actual characters; Russell has provided horror fans with a very surreal film indeed. The cast is excellent. Films with a small cast rely more on their actors, and this film certainly doesn't fall down in that respect. Gabriel Byrne leads the cast, and does an excellent job of holding the film together. Julian Sands, Natasha Richardson, Myriam Cyr and Timothy Spall, who all portray their characters excellently, join him. On the whole; I can easily see why people dislike this film; as it's somewhat messy, and doesn't adhere to common horror standards - but if you like your horror different, this is highly recommended.