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Gothic
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - British Film Institute Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (24th September 2023). |
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The Film
 "Gothic" (1986) One day in the summer of 1816, Percy (played by Julian Sands), his fiancée Mary (played by Natasha Richardson), and Mary’s stepsister Claire, (played by Myriam Cyr) arrive at the exquisite manor of poet Lord Byron (played by Gabriel Byrne). Also there is Dr. Polidori (played by Timothy Spall), and the five take part in a series of activities including a drug fueled séance, distorting their minds and increasing tension between each of them with nightmarish visions. While the story of “Gothic” may seem too bizarre to be anything but true, the subjects in the film were real people and they did gather together in the summer of 1816. For fans of horror, it was a crucially important time and place. Inspired by the events that took place, Mary Godwin, who eventually married Percy Shelley, published her story “Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus” in 1818 and Dr. Polidori would write and publish “The Vampyre” a year later. What exactly happened at the manor at Lake Geneva between the patrons are up for debate, though the insane visuals shown in the latter half of the film “Gothic” is made mostly of hallucinations, and not to be taken as fact. There are some factual changes, such as Percy and Mary’s four month old child who they brought to Lake Geneva, is not featured in the film. Stephen Volk wrote the screenplay and it was one of his first to be sold, though it would take two years until he received notice that it would be made into a feature film. When the producers informed him that filmmaker Ken Russell was hired to direct the story, he was less than enthusiastic about the news. Russell was known for being difficult and controlling, censorship troubles and choosing works that were not commercially viable. Though he had a number of critical hits, a number of his then recent works were not as well received. He had not made a film in his native England for a decade, and when he received a chance to direct a story based on Mary Shelley and Lord Byron, he was more than thrilled as he worked on a project years prior with the same setting which was only to be abandoned due to lack of funding. Volk may have been hesitant about letting his script fall into the hands of a so-called madman, but the results were much more flattering. “Gothic” seemingly starts like a classic Hammer Studios feature with the decorated vintage location and costume designs, the poetic banter, and the ominous feeling of oncoming dread. But instead of seeing a monster or a creature appear, there is more to be explored internally with the characters themselves. Trapped in a gloomy time in an isolated location where there would be sexual feeding as well as alcohol and drug consumption, the main figures and their thoughts, fears, and imaginations go wild to the point of excess, and the visuals are a treat. Percy and Mary had lost a child who was born premature and Mary has visions of a dead baby as well as a second child. In addition, there is a creepy vision in which Swiss artist Henry Fuseli's 1781 painting of “The Nightmare” comes to life with the small incubus sitting on top of her in one of the more iconic shots of the film, which was one of Russell’s creations and not from the original script. Percy may feel like he is immortal as suggested in his naked rooftop scene during a thunderstorm, but he is fearful of death. Polidori has homosexual feelings for Byron and his sexual repression consumes him. With grotesque and disturbing imagery, visually inventive camerawork by cinematographer Mike Southon as well as a haunting yet upbeat score by synthpop star Thomas Dolby, “Gothic” was like a clash of classic horror, music videos, and experimental art. Considering that Ken Russell is considered one of the originators of the music video format with his 1970s works like “Tommy” and “Lisztomania” as well as his works for Elton John and Cliff Richard in the 1980s, Until the very end, the film doesn’t reveal that the stories of “Frankenstein” and “The Vampyre” came from the night’s events until just before the end credits, which should come as a surprise and a fantastic reveal for one who didn’t connect the dots beforehand. (I didn’t.) But when the film was distributed in the United States by Vestron Pictures, an opening text was added to reveal the slight spoiler about the events. In the UK version distributed by Virgin Vision, there was no opening text. “Gothic” premiered at the BFI London Film Festival on November 30th, 1986, followed by a general release in the UK from February 27th, 1987. The US release came two months later on April 10th, 1987. While it did receive two awards for Best Actor (Byrne) and Best Special Effects at the Fantasporto International Film Festival in Portugal, the reception was quite mixed on its release. It didn’t recoup its budget of £2 million from theatrical gross, though the film became a cult favorite on the home video market where it found a larger audience. While the visuals are quite spectacular in the latter half, the characters, their actions, and their relationships were not fully materialized in the first half as well as they could have. There was more attention to atmosphere and even though the performers were quite memorable, the chemistry was missing as well as a flow to the happenings. With a runtime of a quite short 87 minutes, there seems to be a bit missing in terms of characterization, and it feels dull until the mindgames begin. It may have not been Russell’s best work up to that time, but it certainly reinvigorated his creativity. Vestron would work with Russell again for his next two features, “The Lair of the White Worm” in 1988 and “The Rainbow” in 1989, which were adaptations of Bram Stoker and D.H. Lawrence stories respectively. In the digital age, the film was issued on DVD with basically no extras, though on Blu-ray there have been some fine editions released in the United States and Austria. The BFI have now given the film the Blu-ray treatment for the first time in the United Kingdom. Note this is a region B Blu-ray
Video
The BFI presents the film in the theatrical 1.85:1 aspect ratio in 1080p AVC MPEG-4. The HD transfer comes from rightsholder MGM, and starts with the MGM and Lionsgate logos at the start. It's quite a nice transfer with a clean image throughout, with great color balance, deep blacks and bright whites, along with good detail and little if any damage marks to be found. Film grain is kept intact and there seems to be no trace of digital tinkering for a stable and film like appearance. An excellent job with the appearance and transfer. The film's runtime is 87:32, which is the original British version without the opening text prologue added to the American release.
Audio
English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo English LPCM 1.0 There are two audio choices available - the original mono in uncompressed form, and a stereo mix in Dolby Digital. Interestingly the stereo choice is not advertised on the packaging or the menus. It can only be accessed by the remote key during playback when set to the fourth audio track. While the film and soundtrack was being worked on, there was a lawsuit from Dolby Laboratories against composer Thomas Dolby for using the "Dolby" name. Dolby Labs did not want Thomas Dolby's name listed in the credits near their Dolby audio logo which they claim caused confusion in previous films that Thomas Dolby composed for and had the Dolby logo, as the musician and the audio corporation were unrelated. Eventually there was a settlement, though for "Gothic", Thomas Dolby's name was kept in the credits while the Dolby audio logo was absent. For home video releases on VHS there was a Dolby logo on the packaging, so it seems there were two audio mixes made - a mono mix which would not have not used Dolby Stereo, and a stereo mix. The mono mix was available on some DVD releases, but most have had the stereo mix only. For the mono mix, the dialogue is clear and mixed well against the music and the effects. There are no hiss, pops, or crackle to be heard and is a clear audio track throughout. As for the stereo mix, the music and effects are spread out more to the sides while most of the dialogue is kept centered. The panning effects of the music and effects are subtle yet effective, and is a very good alternative to the mono mix. Unfortunately, it is presented in lossy Dolby Digital here so there is a bit of thickness to the audio in comparison to the uncompressed mono. The stereo mix is also devoid of any errors such as hiss or pops to be heard. There are optional English HoH subtitles for the main feature in a white font.
Extras
Audio Commentary by director Ken Russell's wife Lisi Russell, moderated by film historian Matthew Melia (2018) This commentary has Russell's widow Lisi Russell alongside Matthew Melia discussing the feature, including the foreshadowing visuals, connections to Russell's other works, inspirations and homages, the behind the scenes, and more. There is a lot of great information provided on the film and on Russell himself. Note this was originally recorded for the US Lionsgate Blu-ray from 2018. in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "A Haunted Evening" 2023 interview with Stephen Volk (34:30) This new and exclusive interview has Volk discussing his career and the making of "Gothic". From getting into drawing and writing, the delay between the selling of the rights to the screenplay for >"Gothic" until production started, his not so positive reaction to knowing Ken Russell would direct it, the inspirations for the story, the collaborative nature of Russell, and much more. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1 / 1.85:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "The Fall of the Louse of Usher" 2002 video feature by Ken Russell (82:39) Rock star Roddy Usher (played by James Johnson) is accused of murdering his wife Madeline (played by Lisi Russell and confined to an insane asylum where he is tested under the eyes of the odd Dr. Calihari (played by Ken Russell). Throughout a series of nightmarish and comically bizarre sequences, the lines begin to blur between the minds of Usher and Calihari where nothing seems real. During the 2000s, Russell started experimenting with standard definition DV to shoot both features and shorts due to the fact that studios were not eager to finance his projects and that digital video was a medium that was cheap and easy to work with in comparison to the film format. With a small cast and crew and a miniscule budget, Russell's very loose adaptation of "The Fall of the House of Usher" is transported to the twenty-first century into a world with rock music and cellular phone technology, while also crafting a visually bizarre look with each character and setting. Filled with sexuality, rock & roll, and grotesque imagery, it's certainly an experience that is only hampered by the fact that it was shot and edited in the inferior SD DV format. With its limited color scale and flat appearance as well as audio sounding inconsistent, it could easily be mistaken for a student film rather than one from a celebrated auteur. It's an interesting curiosity piece, though it would have been fascinating to see if Russell had created it on traditional film or in HD instead, but alas that was never to be. in 1080i50 AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo without subtitles "Amelia and the Angel" 1958 short by Ken Russell (26:49) Amelia (played by Mercedes Quadros) is so excited that she is playing an angel in a school play that she decides to take the prop wings home with her, even though it was against the rules. Unfortunately, her brother (played by Nicholas O'Brien ruins them, and she must find a way to get a new pair before the play starts the next day. This was the second short directed by Russell and had help from the Catholic Film Office by producer Anthony G Evans who also worked on the story. It is a light hearted and touching story that is entirely shot without sound and instead post synchronized with music, effects and narration. Shot on film, the transfer seems to come from an analogue tape source rather than a transfer of the original film. The black and white image has crushed blacks and some blown out whites with poor greyscale, there are speckles, splice marks, and other damage marks to be found. It lacks depth due to the lower resolution, but on the positive side it is still in a fairly watchable state and the audio, which was entirely post-synchronized, has a few issues as well with a some pops and crackles throughout. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "The Soul of Shelley" 2018 interview with actor Julian Sands (17:53) This interview with the late Julian Sands is a discussion about his role in the film and his memories of it. He discusses being fascinated by Mary Shelley since he was young, admiring Russell's films for many years, getting cast, developing his character, behind the scenes stories such as the rooftop sequence and memories of the other actors and much more. This was originally featured on the US Lionsgate Blu-ray release. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles The Guardian Lecture: Ken Russell in Conversation with Derek Malcolm (1987, audio only) (87:32) This lengthy conversation with Russell moderated by Malcolm is a wonderful one, with Russell discussing coming back to the United Kingdom for "Gothic" after a period of working in America, issues with censorship and ratings, Warner Brothers being difficult with his work "The Devils", his early life and wanting to become a filmmaker, his many influences, works that were prepared and never made and much more. Note this is also available on the BFI Blu-ray of "Valentino". in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Original Trailer (2:42) The original UK Virgin Vision trailer is presented here, which tries to sell the film as a gothic horror with eerie visuals. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.85:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Booklet A 24 page booklet is included with the first pressing. First is the essay "Gothic? It Might Not Be Your Cup of Tea..." by film writer and lecturer Ellen Cheshire which looks at the making of the film and its reception. Next is "Serpents and Rainbows – Ken Russell in the 80s" by writer Jon Dear on Russell's life and works during the period. There are also full film credits, special features information, transfer information, acknowledgements and stills. The release is dedicated to Julian Sands, who died in January of 2023 at the age of 65 in a hiking accident and to Derek Malcolm who passed away on July 15th, 2023 at the age of 91 from heart and lung failure. The film was first issued on Blu-ray by Lionsgate in the US in 2018 under the Vestron Video series. In addition to the commentary, the Sands interview and the trailer, it also included isolated score selections and an audio interview with composer Thomas Dolby, an alternate interview with Volk, a gallery and a TV spot. An Austrian release by NSM Records followed in 2019 which had all the extras from the US release and added a German language commentary by film historians Dr. Rolf Giesen and Dr. Gerd Naumann. Other notable clips: A clip from the film, courtesy of the BFI. Film 86 Location Report, a vintage TV clip featuring on set interviews with the cast and crew and behind the scenes footage. Selections from the soundtrack by Thomas Dolby.
Overall
"Gothic" was a return to England and a return to creative form for director Ken Russell, with powerful disturbing visuals and bringing a near mythical event to life in a hallucinogen-like way. There are some weaknesses with the character relationships and in the first half, though it pleasingly turns into an insane nightmare that proves unforgettable. The BFI's Blu-ray release has an excellent transfer plus a great selection of extras included. Highly recommended.
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