Product Details

• Actors: Gabriel Byrne, Julian Sands, Natasha Richardson, Myriam Cyr, Timothy Spall
• Directors: Ken Russell
• Writers: Stephen Volk
• Producers: Al Clark, Penny Corke, Robert Devereux, Robert Fox
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
• Studio: Lions Gate
• DVD Release Date: February 26, 2002
• Run Time: 87 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005V1WO
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #18,666 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

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  Movies & TV > Cult Movies > Cult Directors > Russell, Ken

• For more information about "Gothic" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Lurid, kitschy, over the top--what more does one expect from Ken Russell, director of The Devils, Tommy, and Altered States? Gothic purports to tell the story of a night that Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, and the future Mary Shelley spent at a country estate and decided to write ghost stories--a night that ultimately resulted in Mary writing the novel Frankenstein. These three and a couple of friends romp around the mansion, freaking out at shadows and the sounds of a storm, getting increasingly hysterical and hallucinatory as the night progresses. Thrown into the mix are a mechanical belly dancer, nudity, walking suits of armor, an orgy, séances, grotesque masks, leeches, a pig's head, stigmata, snakes, and God-awful dialogue like "We are the gods now--we have dared to call ourselves creators!" Gabriel Byrne (Byron), Julian Sands (Shelley), and Natasha Richardson (Mary) are all terrible; it's a miracle any of their careers survived. But good or bad isn't really the point with Ken Russell, who aspires to a kind of visual delirium. Gothic isn't the masterpiece of excess that The Lair of the White Worm is, but towards the last half-hour it does achieve a creepy state of disorientation entirely suited to its subject matter. Russell isn't afraid to be trashy in the pursuit of unfettered cinematic symbolism. It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it. --Bret Fetzer

Product Description

Recounts a stormy 1816 night in Switzerland when Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, Mary Godwin and their friends confront their fears and share terrifying fa

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars slapdash transfer, March 26, 2003

By	Random McNasty - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gothic (DVD)

I won't go into the pros or cons of the movie, which many other reviewers have covered earlier. If you like Ken Russell, can tolerate some ambiguity, and enjoy the darkness of Romantic poetry, you probably like this movie; if you don't, you won't.

What I will mention is that Artisan has provided us with a DVD that defines "lackluster." There are no, repeat no, extras on the DVD. Not even an original trailer or still of an A sheet. The format is pan-and-scan, and I do not believe any attempt was made to restore the print. In fact, I would venture so far as to say this is simply the earlier VHS-formatted movie transferred directly onto DVD. If, like me, you no longer own or use a VCR, or your VHS version is worn out, this DVD is worthwhile. If not, then wait until someone who cares about movies, perhaps Anchor Bay, gets permission to produce this movie on DVD, and does it right.

34 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ken Russell's Highly Underappreciated Masterpiece, April 23, 2004

By	Dancing Ganesha "Dancing Ganesha" (Bangalore, India) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Gothic (DVD)

I can honestly say that I've never really been a fan of Russell's films, for some reason, the incoherent strangeness of his works never appealed to me; however, in <i>Gothic</i>, this combination of surreal weirdness works perfectly.

The movie is basically about one night that poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Godwin (author of <u>Frankenstein</u>), along with Claire Clairmont, spend together with poet Lord Byron and his doctor John Polidori. In the course of the evening they decide to "raise the dead" and this idea haunts Mary, inspiring her to write her famous story about creation and the destruction of one's creation (it also inspired Polidori to write the excellent short novel "The Vampyre.") So, there is a cerebral element to this film which will probably not appeal to the average moviegoer.

I have the suspicion that this movie probably is well-loved by most intelligent Goths and well-read people with a love of Gothic literature to begin with, so if you're expecting the usual blood and gore of traditional horror films, please move on. This movie is haunting because it deals more with the psychological demons of the mind, and this is portrayed by the various images that haunt the characters of the films, as their fears "come to life."

I would highly recommend this film to anyone who loves Gothic literature, or just English literature to begin with, as well as anyone with elegant tastes who is tired of the cheap horror movies that abound these days.

In sum, I will add that Ken Russell's <i>Gothic</i> is highly unappreciated, and in my opinion, deserved accolades.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Master Piece, May 2, 2004

By	DrEDG "gynetix" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gothic (DVD)

Gothic is one of Ken Russell's best films. Of course his work isn't for everyone, and I know some people just hate his movies, and complain about their content and self indulgence. But for me, these are some of his strong points, being prepared to experiment with his subject matter, and produce his own unique vision. Gothic tells of a meeting, in Switzerland, between: Byron (Gabriel Byrne), Shelly, Mary Shelly (Natasha Richardson), and two lesser known figures: Clair Clairmont and Dr Polidori. The beginning and end of the film both look like period piece dramas. What comes in between is Ken Russell's unique vision. The characters, during a stormy knight, invent stories and create a monster of their own imaginations. These involve all of Ken Russell's favorite images for film (and hence the self indulgent criticism): Religion, vampirism, sumptuously films sets, a plot that verges on the fantastical, and nudity. Of interest though is the way the narrative deals with death, as there is an interesting sequence where Mary Shelly has visions of the demise of all the principles in the film. Of course it all ties in with the Birth of one of English literature's most memorable books: Frankenstein (by Mary Shelly). Gothic is a Master Piece from Ken Russell, one of his most interesting films that challenges the viewer immensely. Sadly, however, not all will get it.