Love & Death on Long Island

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Can a stodgy intellectual who regards the 20th century as a waste of time find happiness with an American teen idol who doesn't really know him? That's the question posed in this gentle satiric comedy. Giles De'ath (John Hurt), who takes great pains to remind people that his surname is pronounced "Day-ath," is a well-regarded British author whose wife passed away a decade ago. Since then, Giles has retreated into a world of his own; he is thoroughly disinterested in contemporary culture and lives in the 20th century only to the degree that it is absolutely necessary. However, one night Giles accidentally locks himself out of his apartment just as a rainstorm has begun to open up the sky. Soaked to the skin, he takes refuge in a nearby movie theater, since he's heard that the works of E.M. Forster have lately become popular screen fodder. However, once inside the multiplex, Giles discovers to his disgust that he's accidentally bought a ticket for a low-brow teen flick called Hot Pants College II. Just as he's about to register his repugnance with the management, actor Ronnie Bostock (Jason Priestley) appears on screen, and immediately Giles is entranced. In Ronnie, Giles discovers an unexpected sort of beauty that he's never considered before, and he's eager to learn more about the young actor. However, Giles soon discerns that reading up on his new obsession means buying teen-oriented fanzines (whose covers proclaim him "Snoggable!"), where he learns that Ronnie's own cultural signposts include Axl Rose and Stephen King, whose names could just as well be Sanskrit to Giles. He also discovers that to view the rest of Ronnie's screen work, he must visit a video rental store, which means he must first purchase a VCR, and that he'll also require a (gulp!) television in order for the VCR to work. Eventually, Giles finds out that Ronnie lives in a small town on Long Island, and decides to fly there, hatching a scheme to meet Ronnie by first making the acquaintance of Audrey (Fionna Loewi), Ronnie's fashion model girlfriend. Based on the acclaimed short novel by Gilbert Adair, Love and Death on Long Island was adapted for the screen and directed by Richard Kwietniowski. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Features:
  • 16x9 Widescreen (1.85:1)
  • English & Spanish subtitles

AWARDS

• Telluride Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 1997

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       John Hurt - Giles De'Ath
       Jason Priestley - Ronnie Bostock
       Fiona Loewi - Audrey
       Elizabeth Quinn - Mrs. Reed

• Director:

  Richard Kwietniowski

• Producer:

  Steve Clark-Hall, Christopher Zimmer

• Screenwriter:

  Richard Kwietniowski

• Book Author:

  Gilbert Adair

• Cinematographer:

  Oliver Curtis

• Composer (Music Score):

  Richard Grassby-Lewis, The Insects

• Editor:

  Susan Shipton

• Production Designer:

  David McHenry

• Art Director:

  Emanuel Jannasch, Fleur Whitlock

• Associate Producer:

  Brian Donovan

• Costume Designer:

  Andrea Galer

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Jim Rillie, Neil Kingsbury

• First Assistant Director:

  Max Keene

• Casting:

  Jon Comerford, Kate Day

REVIEW:

• An observant, richly funny look at unlikely obsession (which takes its cue wittily from Visconti's Death in Venice), this engaging debut film by Richard Kwietniowski manages to be a slightly satiric dissection of class structure as well as a tale of unrequited love, a truly difficult balance that this film makes winning and real. John Hurt excels in a tricky lead role, mostly due not only to his mordant wit as an actor, but to his warm realization of the events the film depicts. The movie's look at contrasting sensibilities shines through, and never cheapens the central relationship of the two leads, giving it a gravity that a less nuanced film would have missed entirely. Jason Priestley is also a key to the film's success, delightfully sending up his television heartthrob background and, more importantly, creating an object of affection that is believable and endearing. Many critics have pointed out that the story bears some resemblance to the Oscar-winning Gods and Monsters that would follow a year later, and though there are similarities, this picture is truly original in its own right and deserves a larger audience than its scant release would have indicated. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi