Gothic (1987)

Not a terrible film, but not one of Russell's best. It is very easy why one would be fascinated or dumbfounded, because it is a very good example of being a fairly unique film but a weird one at the same time, so you're not sure what to make of it(again very like Lisztomania). To be honest there's not a whole lot to add that hasn't already been said. The story is very jumpy and chaotic that it is not very easy to follow, sometimes in the middle verging on incoherent. There are a few dull stretches in the middle too, and the ending feels forced and structurally at odds with the rest of the film. Gothic can feel all-over-the-place tonally too, the subject matter- a good idea by the way- is relatively serious but is performed in a camp, theatrical way so it is not easy to take things seriously, considering that this is Ken Russell we're talking about that may have been the intent. There are not many directors quite like Ken Russell, and he is certainly an interesting one but also can resort to excess, and while not as badly as Lisztomania and the Richard Strauss documentary Dance of the Seven Veils this happens in Gothic. His touches do fit well generally within the decadent atmosphere but they are not always tasteful or relevant, sometimes overwrought, and they do swamp what's going on. Most of the cast are very good, taking on a characteristically(of Russell that is) theatrical approach, though Julian Sands' performance is a mix of soppy and over-exaggerated and Myriam Cyr's inexperience does show. Of the performances, Natasha Richardson for me gave the best performance, she was the most subtle actor in the cast and she does it with skill and allure. Timothy Spall is a total sleaze and so much fun to watch and Gabriel Byrne is mysterious personified. Some of Russell's excesses aside, Gothic is a well-made film, as Gothic as the title suggests and has the right amount of grandiose and decadent, which suits the tense and imaginative atmosphere to a tee. The photography was fine as well. Thomas Dolby's music score pulsates with eeriness and energy and not in an over-bearing way. The script doesn't always find the right tone, but I personally can't deny that the campiness was fun to watch and hear, even more so when the actors were uttering it with the amount of relish they did. The prologue at the beginning was beautifully done, it looked beautiful and had a real sense of atmosphere. On the whole, not an easy film to rate but while interesting and with a fair bit to recommend it was personally one of Russell's weaker films. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Fierce and flamboyant film director Ken Russell takes the viewer for a weekend in the country with some literary notables in Gothic, a nightmarish orgy of blood and thunder based in fact. It is nothing new for Russell who unlike like any other director took factual historic accounts of lives of the famous (Mahler, Tchaicovsky, Isadora Duncan) and applied audacious compositions that some might say bordered on character assassination. Given Byron's temperament I'm sure he would have approved.Lord Byron (Gabriel Byrne) has the poet Shelly (Julian Sands) , wife Mary (Natacha Richardson), and half sister sometime lover Claire down to the Villa for a weekend of sadistic parlor games challenging the status quo and their sanity with ungoverned imagination and confession. Accomodated by a violent storm the five scurry wildly from room to room to roof hallucinating and acting out monstrously. The weekend is framed between two eras fitted into brief prologue and epilogue, centuries apart with inquisitive tourists checking out the grounds and listening to the same gossipy chatter of the guide. Within this framework we are barraged with relentless scenes of shock and awe as each character confronts and is confronted with mean spiritedness and cruel reality. Russell in typical form offers up some incredibly potent imagery with copious amounts of blood and sexual depravity as well as appearances by living gargoyles and leeches. He allows no respite between opening and finale as the dark humor he skillfully applies in other films is so dark as to be invisible here. Byrne provides the character of Byron with a a perverse twinkle in his eye while half sis Claire played by Myriam Cyr remains semi demonic throughout. Sands idealistic Shelley counterpoints Byron nicely and Natascha Richardson brings a balance and touch of sanity to the group as Mary Shelly, even as she endures a night of terror and memory. Fifth wheel Dr. Polidori played by Timothy Sprall conveys a magnificent repugnance. With Byron's well documented esoteric lifestyle and the fact that Mary Shelley claims to have been inspired on this night to write the book Frankenstein Russell's wild style is a good fit to fill in blanks. Watching it for some may be an ordeal but I'm sure Lord Byron would have been impressed with Ken's kindred spirit.

Gothic is a wonderful mess of a movie, combining period costumes and detail with hallucinogenic, drug induced sequences. Focusing on the famous night when Mary Shelley first conceived of Frankenstein, Ken Russell's film builds on this foundation to create an in many respects psychedelic examination of its main characters, Mary Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, and Claire Clarmont. Through the bizarre visions of that night, we come to understand the personalities and lives of these figures.These character studies are furthered by excellent performances. Gabriel Byrne is excellent as usual, while Natasha Richardson is good in her debut role of Mary Shelley. However, the true stand out of the piece is Miriam Cyr as the troubled Claire Claremont, stealing many scenes from her better known co-stars.In many respects, the film is incoherent, and will be difficult to follow if you do not pay attention. (Some familiarity with the historical figures discussed also helps.) However, Ken Russell specializes in cinema as experience and spectacle, and carries the whole project off to great effect.

Was this a story of Mary Shelly's inspiration for Frankenstein. It could be, but that is not what makes it interesting.It is not your usual horror film. It is more for those who dwell in the surreal world fueled by opiates.Shelly (Julian Sands), Mary Shelly (Natasha Richardson), and her half-sister Claire (Myriam Cyr) travel to Lord Byron's (Gabriel Byrne) estate where his biographer (Timothy Spall) is staying. They enter into a realm of drug-induced fantasy, where they conjure up their greatest fears.It was a mess, wandering all over the place, but it certainly kept my interest.