GOTHIC (1986) ¢ ¢
D: Ken Russell
Gabriel Byrne, Natasha Richardson Julian Sands,
Timothy Spall, Myriam Cyr, Alec Mango,
Andreas Wisniewski, Dexter Fletcher, Pascal King
On a famously dark and stormy night in 1816, Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, Percy's pal Mary and two others act out, dream, or hallucinate their most terrifying fantasies. It's 90 minutes of overwrought lunacy, reminiscent of Peter Brooks' "Marat/Sade", and like some other Ken Russell movies, it's both too much and not enough. The three key players - Lord Byron and the Shelleys - turn up in the introduction to James Whale's "Bride of Frankenstein" (1935) in a segment that's a lot more concise, a lot less hysterical, and just s artistic as anything Russell does here. Plus, with that one, you get a Frankenstein movie.
Julian Sands
(1958-2023)
