Gothic Blu-ray - Gabriel Byrne

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Directed by Ken Russell
UK 1986

As a wild storm rages over Lord Byron’s literary house party, the poet suggests that his famous guests concoct a ghost story. But after deciding a séance would liven up the evening, they soon conjure up their deepest fears and are plunged into a surreal horror. Is it merely the power of their own intense lust and vivid imaginations that is tormenting them or have they, in fact, raised the dead?

Directed by cult favorite Ken Russell (The Devils) and starring Gabriel Byrne (Hereditary), Julian Sands (A Room With a View), Natasha Richardson (The Comfort of Strangers) and Timothy Spall (Mr Turner) Gothic delves into the erotic and terrifying night on the shores of Lake Geneva that ultimately gave birth to Mary Shelley’s classic horror story Frankenstein.

***

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

Posters

Theatrical Release: October 21st, 1994

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Review: BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for all the DVD Screen Caps!

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Bonus Captures:
Distribution	BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:27:31.829
Video	1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,365,003,438 bytes Feature: 26,323,833,600 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.86 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 320 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 320 kbps / DN -31dB The Guardian Lecture: Dolby Digital Audio English 320 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 320 kbps / DN -31dB Dolby Digital Audio English 320 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 320 kbps / DN -31dB
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: BFI 1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,365,003,438 bytes Feature: 26,323,833,600 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.86 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Feature commentary by film historian Matthew Melia and Lisi Russell (2018) • The Fall of the Louse of Usher (2002, 1:22:36): Ken Russell returns to gothic themes in this legendarily lurid late video work starring both the director and his wife, Lisi Russell • A Haunted Evening (2023, 34:29): Stephen Volk, the writer of Gothic revisits his earliest feature script • The Sound of Shelley with Julian Sands (2017, 17:53): the actor reflects upon the making of Gothic • Amelia and the Angel (1958, 26:49): in this charming early Russell short, a young girl, cast as an angel in the school play, is distraught when her brother damages her treasured wings. Pocket money in hand, Amelia traverses London on the hunt for a new pair in time for the play • The Guardian Lecture: Ken Russell in conversation with Derek Malcolm (1987, 1:27:32, audio only): the director reflects upon his career, at the time of Gothic • Original trailer (2:42) FIRST PRESSING ONLY Illustrated booklet featuring new essays by Ellen Cheshire, Jon Dear, and Matthew Melia and full film credits Blu-ray Release Date: September 18th, 2023 Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 12

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: BFI Blu-ray (September 2023): BFI have transferred Ken Russell's Gothic to Blu-ray. Eric compared two DVD editions of the film back in 2006, HERE. The new 1080P is a stellar upgrade over the SD renderings. Colors are more balanced, detail rises dramatically and there are fine grain textures present. We've been treated to a magnificent upgrade on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. Thumbs up for the highly pleasing HD presentation.

NOTE: We have added 58 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, BFI use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. Gothic has some sneaky audio effects - rain, thunder, more and a synthesize-y and electronic influenced score by Thomas Dolby ("She Blinded Me with Science" fame) via a two-track format. It was his third for a film and can be awkward at times. Some may also recognize the Sadler's "I Wish I Was a Maid Again" and Scarlatti's Sonata in D Major (L463.) It is all authentically flat, clean and without flaws via the uncompressed transfer. BFI offer optional English subtitles (see sample below) on their Region 'B' Blu-ray.

The BFI Blu-ray offers a 2018 commentary by film historian Matthew Melia and the wife of Ken Russell, Lisi Russell. They talk about John Carpenter's Halloween, Wes Craven's Scream and Cronenberg's The Fly which all went into the inspiration for Russell's Gothic with nods to Hammer Horror, Kubrick's The Shining and Barry Lyndon with hints of other Russell films. Matthew comments that boats and water in Russell's films represent death, they identify David Bowie (I think at 14:30) and they make excellent observations and insights into the film and Russell's work overall. I enjoyed it very much. Included in SD is Ken Russell's 2002 The Fall of the Louse of Usher where he returns to gothic themes in this legendarily lurid late video work starring both the director and his wife, Lisi Russell. Yes. A Haunted Evening is a new 1/2 hour piece with Stephen Volk, the writer of Gothic as he revisits his earliest feature script. The Sound of Shelley spends 18-minutes with Julian Sands from 2017 as the actor reflects upon the making of Gothic. Amelia and the Angel is an early Russell short about a young girl, cast as an angel in the school play, is distraught when her brother damages her treasured wings. Pocket money in hand, Amelia traverses London on the hunt for a new pair in time for the play. It is from 1958 and runs shy of 1/2 hour. You can access a Guardian Lecture with Ken Russell in conversation with Derek Malcolm from 1987 as the director reflects upon his career, at the time of Gothic. It runs to the film as another audio option. Lastly is an original trailer and for the package's first pressing (3,000 copies) is an illustrated booklet featuring new essays by Ellen Cheshire, Jon Dear, and Matthew Melia and full film credits.

Ken Russell's Gothic is a fictionalized retelling of the Shelleys' (Julian Sands as the romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley - Natasha Richardson as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley) visit to, the great English poet, Lord Byron in Villa Diodati in the village of Cologny near Lake Geneva in Switzerland. The focus is on a horror story-writing competition that ultimately led to Mary Shelley penning Frankenstein and Dr. John William Polidori (Timothy Spall) writing "The Vampyre." It's an evening filled with games of hide-and-seek, paranoia, sleepwalking, nightmarish imaginings, automatons, homosexuality, suicidal thoughts, seizures, shadowy apparitions... all in Ken Russell's anarchic, bold, cinematic vision. Gothic is a beautiful film regardless of whether you love or hate it. The BFI Blu-ray is a very welcome upgrade and the director's fans will covet this new release. Recommended to that devout crowd.