The Living and the Dead (2006)

A descent into Hell is triggered when "Ex-Lord" Donald Brocklebank finds that he must leave Longleigh House for London to find a way to pay for the medical treatments for his wife Nancy. ... See full summary »

Director:

Simon Rumley

Writer:

Simon Rumley

Stars:

Leo Bill, Roger Lloyd Pack, Kate Fahy

10 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Leo Bill	...	James
Roger Lloyd Pack	...	Donald
Kate Fahy	...	Nancy
Sarah Ball	...	Nurse Mary
Neil Conrich	...	Policeman
Richard Cotton	...	Nurse Mike (as Richard Wills-Cotton)
Alan Perrin	...	Nurse Bob
Richard Syms	...	Vicar

Storyline

A descent into Hell is triggered when "Ex-Lord" Donald Brocklebank finds that he must leave Longleigh House for London to find a way to pay for the medical treatments for his wife Nancy. Alone, his over-protected, delusional, adult son, James, fancies himself in charge of the manor house with his terminally ill mother, and barricades the two of them into the house for a series of ever more panicked home treatments, mistakenly protecting her from the arrival of Nurse Mary and any outside help.

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Plot Keywords:

downward spiral | nurse | barricade | domineering mother | bedridden mother | 

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Taglines:

Terror by good intentions.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is dedicated to the memory of Sheila and David Rumley, parents of director Simon Rumley. Three months after his father had passed away from a heart attack, his mother was diagnosed with cancer. She died three months later.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Donald Brocklebank: [answering phone] Hello? Hello? Yes, yes I know. No, I didn't know that. No, that's not good at all. No, she doesn't know. Hmm. Hmm. Exactly. Okay, goodbye.
James: They going to make it?
Donald Brocklebank: No, they're not.
James: Can I look after mummy this time.
Donald Brocklebank: I'm not going away.
James: But you always say that, you always do.
James: [knocking] Some one's at the door!
[starts running]
Donald Brocklebank: Stop James, I said stop!
[...]

User Reviews

Good, mostly

Unlike the previous comment(er) on this film, I'd have to say that I quite enjoyed the film, also saw at the RFF, when quite a few people walked out. The thing is you see is that I am film fodder, and I find many things enjoyable that bemuse the people I know. This is a film that dwells on suffering, and, knowing first hand what it is like to suffer, and be around suffering, I can honestly say that the film engages the element of undue pain very well. Sometimes within films it is necessary to linger upon things for longer than some viewers would like, and this is one of those cases. I hope that the collaborators of this film will not be forced into procrastination by the previous comment(er), as I would very much like to see further works of the same mould, albeit without having to travel across the sea to view them. For most people you'll need to watch this film twice to really find the intensity that was so brilliant, there are gaps, but then again, TITANIC is the highest ever grossing film, who knows perfection?

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Entre vivos y muertos

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

GBP650,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Spectrum Media Entertainment, Vita Pictures, Giant Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min (European Film Market)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1