Gothic

Director: Ken Russell Ken Russell

Overview

"Ken Russel's period drama Gothic comes to DVD with a standard full-frame transfer. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Stereo. There are neither subtitles nor closed-captions on this release. There are no supplemental materials of any consequence. This is a pedestrian release from Artisan."

Product Details

Release Date:	02/26/2002
UPC:	0012236124931
Original Release:	1986
Rating:	R
Source:	Lions Gate
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Full Frame]
Sound:	[stereo, Dolby Digital]
Language:	English
Time:	1:27:00

Special Features

Full-screen version; Scene index; Dolby 2.0 Stereo Surround; Digitally mastered

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Natasha Richardson	Mary Shelley
Gabriel Byrne	Byron
Julian Sands	Shelley
Myriam Cyr	Claire Clairmont
Timothy Spall	Dr. John Polidori
Andreas Wisniewski	Fletcher
Alec Mango	Murray
Dexter Fletcher	Rushton
Pascal King	Justice
Tom Hickey	Tour Guide
Linda Coggin	Turkish Mechanical Doll
Kristine Landon-Smith	Mechanical Woman
Chris Chappell	Man in Armour
Mark Pickard	Young William
Kiran Shah	Fuseli Monster
Christine Newby	Shelley Fan
Kim Tillesley	Shelley Fan
Thomas Dolby	Composer

Technical Credits

Stephen Volk

Lord Byron

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Al Clark	Executive Producer
Penny Corke	Producer
Robert Devereux	Executive Producer
Ken Russell	Director
Roy Street	Stunts
Stephen Volk	Screenwriter
Lord Byron	Screenwriter
Percy Bysshe Shelley	Screenwriter
Campbell Askew	Sound Effects
Gerard McCann	Sound Effects
Shaun Mills	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

Gothic is not a movie for everyone -- a qualification that can be applied to almost any Ken Russell film -- but those who respond to it will respond very strongly indeed. The good news is that even those for whom Gothic is not really their cup of tea should at the very least find it engrossing, if perhaps too gross for their tastes. Compared to some of his 1970s excesses (Lisztomania comes immediately to mind), Gothic is relatively restrained. There are still plenty of moments to cause discomfort, but they're more at home here in what is, after all, really a horror movie. That, as it turns out, is one of Gothic's problems: it strays too far from the accepted limitations of the genre to satisfy as a typical horror flick, yet its efforts at being something deeper are ultimately too superficial for it to succeed as anything else (a character study, a historical account, a philosophical dialogue, etc.). Still, on a strictly visual level, there's a great deal to admire in Gothic, from its stunning Mike Southon cinematography to its grotesque special effects to its razor-sharp editing. It's also blessed with actors who, while they can't always triumph over some of the excesses of the director, still manage to craft compelling, provocative portraits. Gothic is too uneven to satisfy most people, but many will find that its highs more than compensate for its lows.