IMDb > Brimstone & Treacle (1982)

Brimstone & Treacle (1982) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
6.3/10   722 votes
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Director:

Richard Loncraine

Writers:

Dennis Potter (play)
Dennis Potter (screenplay)

Contact:

View company contact information for Brimstone & Treacle on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

12 November 1982 (USA) more

Genre:

Drama | Thriller more

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. full summary | full synopsis

Plot Keywords:

more

Awards:

1 win more

User Comments:

Cult Movies 33 more (18 total)


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
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Additional Details

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

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

Company:

Namara Films more


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

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

Quotes:

Tom Bates: Miss Holdsworth, raise your skirt please. more

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Zomergasten: (#10.5)" (1997) more

Soundtrack:

A Kind of Loving more


FAQ

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2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful.
Cult Movies 33, 4 January 1999
7/10
Author: Carlos Xavier from Australia

33. BRIMSTONE AND TREACLE (thriller-drama, 1982) Martin (Sting) befriends middle-aged bookkeeper Tom (Denholm Elliott). Martin cons his way into his house by passing himself as friend to his daughter. Daughter Patricia has been left a mute and bedridden for 3 years after a mysterious car accident. Though Tom is suspicious of Martin's exact motives, his wife is beguiled by Martin's charm. But what they don't know is that Martin is sexually abusing their defenseless and disabled daughter.

Critique: Part fairy tale, part religious parable, this creepy, atmospheric film is highlighted by a wickedly perverse turn by Sting (lead singer of rock group 'The Police'). What makes his character such a bizarre figure is that his motives are unknown, his appetites unresolved.

I think Martin is just a thief, passing himself as anyone's friend just to have a place to stay. A sort of pickpocket. He's also a sexual deviant who doesn't mind how he gets it, either from an invalid or an old woman. The film portrays him as an avenging angel-type, brought into this deeply secular home as a purger of sins.

Interesting direction by Richard Loncraine (is this his film debut?) who works from a play adapted by Dennis Potter, whose own sexually dubious works are to be questioned.

'The Police', along with 'The Go-Gos' provided the 'hip' soundtrack.

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