Gothic (film)
A fictionalized account of the night that birthed Frankenstein.
Gothic is a 1986 British psychological horror film directed by Ken Russell, dramatizing the famous 1816 gathering at Villa Diodati that inspired Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The film stars Gabriel Byrne as Lord Byron, Julian Sands as Percy Bysshe Shelley, Natasha Richardson as Mary Shelley, Myriam Cyr as Claire Clairmont, and Timothy Spall as Dr. John William Polidori, with a soundtrack by Thomas Dolby.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Ken Russell
- Story
- Lord Byron; Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Screenplay
- Stephen Volk
- Starring
- Gabriel Byrne
- Julian Sands
- Natasha Richardson
- Timothy Spall
- Producer
- Penny Corke
- Cinematography
- Mike Southon
- Editing
- Michael Bradsell
- Music
- Thomas Dolby
Facts from the source article.
Plot
Through her stepsister Claire Clairmont, Mary Godwin and Percy Shelley meet Lord Byron, who invites them to Villa Diodati in Switzerland during the summer of 1816. There they meet Byron's physician, Dr. John Polidori. On 16 June, during a storm, the five play hide-and-seek. Later, Shelley proclaims his fascination with science; Polidori discusses sleepwalking and nightmares. Byron shows a book of horror stories, inspiring a séance around a human skull during which Claire has an apparent seizure. Mary recalls unexplained childhood phenomena during Claire's "horrors." Polidori takes Claire upstairs. That night, Mary sees a shadowy apparition; Shelley investigates a barn and is startled by a grotesque creature. Mary confronts Byron about Claire's pregnancy; he suggests an abortion, and they physically fight. Byron performs oral sex on Claire, causing a miscarriage. Mary consoles a paranoid Shelley who smells decay. Mary hears dripping and sees Polidori with a bleeding neck wound; he claims a vampire bit him. Byron accuses him of self-harm. Shelley raves that the séance manifested their worst fears. Polidori, fearing damnation for his homosexuality, attempts suicide with cyanide but is stopped by Byron.
Production
The screenplay was written by Stephen Volk, who worked in advertising. He sent it to Al Clark of Virgin Films, who found it visually striking and offered it to Ken Russell after seeing Crimes of Passion. Volk had slight misgivings about Russell but found him easy to work with; Russell made minor changes to the script. Russell had been interested in the Byron-Shelley meeting for a decade, having previously tried to finance a similar project with actor Robert Powell. He saw Gothic as a black comedy with deliberate comic overtones and a satire. The film was announced in December 1985, after Russell's planned Moll Flanders adaptation fell through. It was a co-production between America's Atlantic Entertainment Group and Britain's Virgin Films, with a budget of around two million pounds.
Release
Gothic premiered at the 30th BFI London Film Festival on 30 November 1986. It was released in the United States by Vestron Pictures. The original 1986 Virgin Films poster features an excerpt from Henry Fuseli's painting The Nightmare, which also appears in the film. A second poster, based on the same painting, shows Natasha Richardson lying on a bed with a goblin-like creature on her chest. The poster artwork was deemed controversial at the time. The film received a limited US theatrical release on 10 April 1987, grossing $32,061 on its opening weekend and a total of $916,172. According to Dan Ireland, the film was a financial success on video, leading Vestron to sign Russell to a three-picture contract. Russell said the film gave his career a "second wind." On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 60% approval rating based on 15 reviews. Vincent Canby of The New York Times described it as ghoulishly funny and frenzied, while Desson Howe of The Washington Post noted its striking visuals and hyperbolic lunacy. Leonard Maltin gave the film 2/4 stars, calling it too weird for some and too highbrow for many horror fans.
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