Brimstone & Treacle (1982)

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

Director:

Richard Loncraine

Writers:

Dennis Potter (play), Dennis Potter (screenplay)

Stars:

Sting, Denholm Elliott, Joan Plowright

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

Brimstone and Treacle is a modern gothic tale about the evil that men do and the price that must be paid to make things right. The film, a remake of a 1976 teleplay that included Denholm Elliot in its original cast as Mr. Bates, the film also included an incredibly cool soundtrack of songs by artists like The Go-Go's, The Police, Squeeze and an irreverently stylish 1930's little diddy called "Spread A Little Happiness", performed by Sting by himself.

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Plot Keywords:

daughter | guilt | sex | remake | invalid | 

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Taglines:

An intriguing fantasy of angelic innocence and devilish passion.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 November 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Brimstone

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Namara Films, Pennies From Heaven Ltd., Sherwood Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was made first as a tele-movie Play for Today: Brimstone and Treacle by the BBC1 six years earlier in 1976 as part of their 'Play for Today' series but the tele-play was banned and withdrawn from being broadcast because of a rape scene. The TV play was eventually first broadcast in 1987 which was about five years after this cinema movie version (which had been made later) had been released.

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Quotes

Tom Bates: Miss Holdsworth, raise your skirt please.

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Crazy Credits

End credits are listed on turning pages of a book.

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Connections

References A Kind of Loving (1962)

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Soundtracks

"Narration"
Performed by Sting

User Reviews

"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.