Brimstone & Treacle (1982)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Richard Loncraine

Writers:

Dennis Potter (play)
Dennis Potter (screenplay)

Release Date:

12 November 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

An intriguing fantasy of angelic innocence and devilish passion.

Plot:

A strange young man has a sinister effect on the family of a middle-aged writer.

Plot Keywords:

Daughter | Guilt | Invalid | Sex | Remake

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Sting	...	Martin Taylor
Denholm Elliott	...	Tom Bates
Joan Plowright	...	Norma Bates
Suzanna Hamilton	...	Patricia Bates
Benjamin Whitrow	...	Businessman
Dudley Sutton	...	Stroller
Mary MacLeod	...	Valerie Holdsworth
Tim Preece	...	Clergyman
Elizabeth Bradley	...	Woman Passer By
Hugh Walters	...	Man
Christopher Fairbanks	...	Drunk

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | UK:X (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Namara Films

Trivia:

According to a recent biography of 'Sting', the role of Taylor had been turned down by both David Bowie and Malcolm McDowell.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Passion: Films, Faith & Fury (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Narration

"What she needs is love...lots of it!"

I saw this when it was fresh on video and it is weird. Like TRACK 29 by Nicolas Roeg is weird. Both films have screenplays by the irrepressibly strange (God bless him) Dennis Potter; This one has 2 heavyweights of the British theater, Denholm Elliot and Joan Plowright, and a thoroughly convincing STING as ...what? An evil sprite? The devil himself? watch it and try to come to your own conclusion; that is the pleasure of this odd little gem.

Richard Loncraine has style to burn and he fills the screen with expertly crafted compositions and he has a nice tendency to use slightly wide-angle lenses to make everyday objects take on a malevolent aspect; he knows how to shoot STING, in order to make him look sinister, that is for sure. Bravo.

Over the years I have shown this to many different people and it always captivates them and holds their attention from the first frame to the last. I would have to say this is my favorite of anything Dennis Potter has written to hit the cinema screens,so far. He is a difficult artist do do justice to, but BRIMSTONE & TREACLE delivers the goods,in spades. Its darkly funny and also thoroughly squirm-inducing in places. The acting is all first rate; Denholm Elliot is magnificent as the repressed and domineering husband; he projects a marvelous sense of twitchy hostility and discomfort; watching him agonize is one of the films strange pleasures. And Sting is fantastic. I think a lot of people here on the IMDb are being unfair to him because of his pop stardom, but I think he delivers an excellent performance, full of sly menace and sinister charm. I think he should be commended for playing such a morally dubious character,and doing such a good job. So, kudos to Mr Gordon Sumner! And what can I say about Joan Plowright except that every time I look into her eyes I fall in love! She is such a gifted actress that she simply becomes her character; sad, sweet, ultimately optimistic--in short, the archetypal Mother.