directed by Ken Russell
UK 1986
Ken Russell’s films are always interesting to look at, although those
who haven’t acquired a taste for his symbolism-laden work and his
perplexing visual jokes tend to write them off as nothing more than
that. Russell is a smart filmmaker – sometimes too smart – and his
movies are uncompromising in their refusal to provide a straightforward
narrative. Is there any way to make Russell’s films easier to follow?
Apparently there is. If the subject matter is fantastic enough, it might
just be that Russell’s need for outrageous images can be satisfied
without needing to introduce as many incomprehensible visual
non-sequiturs.
In Gothic, Russell has characters that are among the most colourful in
history: the writers Lord Byron (Gabriel Byrne), Percy Shelley (Julian
Sands), Mary Godwin (Natasha Richardson), who was soon to be Mary
Shelley, Dr. John Polidori (Timothy Spall) and Mary’s stepsister Claire
Clairemont (Myriam Cyr). These were real folks, and by all accounts,
they were pretty wild. Their behaviour, and their written works, were
ample evidence of this.
The premise here is fascinating – it’s 1816 and the five have gathered
at an isolated island estate in Switzerland to share scary stories and
stir up scary dreams. They gather around a skull – with the assistance
of drugs – to conjure up their greatest fears. They have fertile
imaginations, later demonstrated by Polidori’s creation of The Vampyre,
which inspired the character Count Dracula, and Mary’s creation of
Frankenstein. Legend says that both were inspired by this night of
sitting around a skull and letting their imaginations run wild.
Excerpt from Brian Webster's review at the Apollo Film Guide located HERE
Poster
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Theatrical Release:
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DVD Comparison:
Artisan Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC vs. MGM - Region 2 - PAL
Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for all the Screen Caps!
(Artisan Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. MGM - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)
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| Distribution |
Artisan Entertainment Region 1 - NTSC |
MGM Region 2 - PAL |
| Runtime | 1:27:39 | 1:23:36 (4% PAL speedup) |
| Video |
1.33:1 Open Matte format |
1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate:
Artisan Entertainment
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Bitrate:
MGM
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| Audio | Dolby 2.0 Stereo Surround |
English (stereo); German (stereo); French (mono); Italian (mono); Spanish (mono) |
| Subtitles | English closed captioning | French; Italian; Spanish; Dutch; Greek; English (HoH) |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: Artisan Entertainment Aspect Ratio: Edition Details:
None Chapters 16 |
Release Information: Studio: MGM Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
DVD Release Date: June 20,
2005 Chapters 16 |
| Comments |
There have been two releases of this title by Artisan on DVD.
The first was reportedly inferior (probably mastered from the
Vestron tape/laserdisc master). The second issuing has improved
picture quality (the darkness and grain are part of the original
shooting conditions) and the surround sound is preserved. The
transfer is unmatted with dead space on the top and bottom of
the frame. The OAR is likely 1.85:1 as the image can be zoomed
into 16:9 resulting in tighter focused compositions (though its
also likely that Russell and his DP Southon kept home video
framing in mind as well). The cover of the first release has the title GOTHIC at the top of the artwork while the second version has it at the bottom with the cast listed above. NOTE: There are also unauthorized DVD releases of GOTHIC from a budget company calling itself "First Run Features" which is NOT to be confused with New York-based independent film/DVD distributors First Run Features and within a couple of those multi-film budget boxed-sets which are likely sourced from a Vestron release. MGM's R2 anamorphic release of GOTHIC is nothing short of gorgeous. As the caps show, the colors are far more vibrant and the image sharper (though there is something to be said for the antiquated look of the R1 transfer giving a warmth to the candelit scenes but the MGM release gives serves the film's cool blues. The 1.85:1 presentation is matted obscuring only occasional detail on the top and bottom of the frame but many other compositions (especially once night sets in) shroud the top of the frame in darkness. Viewing GOTHIC in this way is a completely new experience for those only familiar with the Vestron tape/laserdisc and the Artisan DVDs. I found myself watching the entire film again when I first put it in to spot-check it. |
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(Artisan Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. MGM - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(Artisan Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. MGM - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(Artisan Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. MGM - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(Artisan Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. MGM - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(Artisan Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. MGM - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(Artisan Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. MGM - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(Artisan Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. MGM - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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Report Card:
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Image: |
MGM (R2) |
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Sound: |
MGM (R2) |
| Extras: | - |
| Menu: | Artisan (R1) |
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| Distribution |
Artisan Entertainment Region 1 - NTSC |
MGM Region 2 - PAL |
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Gary Tooze
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