Gothic (1986)

Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 1986
Running Times: 87 mins
Format: Eastmancolor 35mm
Ratio:
Sound: Dolby

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Virgin Vision
Executive Producers: Al Clark, Robert Devereux
Producers: Penny Corke, Robert Fox
Production Manager: Laura Julian
Pre-Production Manager: Paul Sparrow

SCRIPT
Script: Stephen Volk

DIRECTION
Director: Ken Russell
Assistant Director: Iain Patrick
2nd Assistant Director: Callum McDougall

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Mike Southon
Camera Grip: Malcolm Sheehan
Stills: Clive Coote
Lighting Equipment: ARRI Lighting Rental

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editor: Michael Bradsell

MUSIC
Music: Thomas Dolby
Music Engineer: Greg Fulginiti

SOUND
Sound: Bruce White

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Pat Hay
Hair: Meinir Jones Brock
Costume Designer: Victoria Russell

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Christopher Hobbs
Art Director: Michael Buchanan
Chargehand: Stewart Hadley

MISCELLANEOUS
Script Supervisor: Lissa Ruben

LOCATIONS
Locations: Gaddesden Place, Hertfordshire, England, UK

STUNTS
Stunt Coordinator: Roy Street

CASTING
Casting: Mary Selway

CAST
Gabriel Byrne (Byron)
Julian Sands (Shelley)
Natasha Richardson (Mary Shelley)
Myriam Cyr (Claire)
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 Chappel (man in armour)
Mark Pickard (young William)
Kiran Shah (Fuseli monster)
Christine Newby, Kim Tillesly (Shelley fans)
Ken Russell (tourist - uncredited)

Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, his wife Mary, his cousin Claire and their doctor friend Polidori convene at the Villa Diodato in Switzerland for a weekend of drugs, sex and literary invention. As the group battle their narcotics fuelled madness, Mary dreams up the basis for what will eventually become her novel Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus.

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Vestron Pictures
Video Distributor: Vestron Video
Laserdisc Distributor: Image Entertainment Inc
DVD Distributor: Pioneer (10361)

Finland
Rating: K-18

France
Rating: -12

UK
Rating: 18

USA
Rating: R

West Germany
Rating: 18

1987
Fantasporto, Portugal
International Fantasy Film Award Best Actor (Gabriel Byrne) - winner (also for Defence of the Realm (1985))
International Fantasy Film Award Best Special Effects - winner
International Fantasy Film Award Best Film (Ken Russell) - nominated

1986
December
Day Unknown: UK - shown at the London Film Festival

1987
February
Day Unknown: Portugal - shown at the Fantasporto Film Festival
4: France - theatrical release
27: UK - theatrical release

April
10: USA - theatrical release
30: West Germany - theatrical release

July
24: Finland - theatrical release

2000
March
14: USA - DVD release (Pioneer (10361))

2002
May
20: USA - television broadcast (on SHOWB)

Yövieraat - Finnish title
Gotyk - Polish title

SEE ALSO
Haunted Summer (1988)
Remando al viento (1987)

MAGAZINES

Première February 1987 p.14 (France)
review (by Stella Molitor)

bio-pic; drugs; hallucinations; insanity; writers; nightmares; attempted suicide; sex; frankenstein; homosexuality; leeches; skulls