Young con man Martin Taylor is out grifting on the streets of London when he happens across Tom Bates, a middle-class family man who, Martin quickly learns, has a disabled daughter at home who’s been left brain-damaged by a hit-and-run accident. Pretending to be an old love interest of the girl, Pattie, Martin soon tricks his way into the family’s countryside home, where he promptly charms mother Norma and convinces her to let him stay for a few days to be close to and care for Pattie - much to the wariness of Tom, who questions Martin’s intentions. As the young man ingratiates himself more and more into their family life, it soon becomes clear that he harbors a much more sinister purpose.
Originally written for British television by legendary dramatist Dennis Potter, the resulting 1976 BBC TV play was deemed so controversial that it was pulled prior to airing and not broadcast until 1987. The 1982 film version of BRIMSTONE & TREACLE, adapted for the big screen by Potter and with director Richard Loncraine (The Haunting of Julia, Richard III) at the helm, is a haunting and deeply disturbing slice of modern British gothic with an electrifying central performance by Sting in the role of Martin Taylor, alongside celebrated actors Denholm Elliott and Joan Plowright. Accompanied by a pulsing score from The Police, BRIMSTONE & TREACLE, at last, arrives on UHD with a brand new 4K restoration from the original negative supervised by Richard Loncraine and cinematographer Peter Hannan, together with a host of revelatory new bonus features.
directed by: Richard Loncraine
starring: Sting, Denholm Elliott, Joan Plowright, Suzanna Hamilton, Benjamin Whitrow, Dudley Sutton, Mary MacLeod
1982 / 87 min / 1.85:1 / English DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo
Additional info:
- 2-disc Set: 4K Ultra HD / Region Free Blu-ray
- 4K UHD presented in Dolby Vision High-Dynamic-Range
- Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative
- Newly recorded select-scene audio commentary with lead actor Sting and director Richard Loncraine (41 min)
- "Trouble Brewing" (26 min) - an interview with director Richard Loncraine
- "A House for the Devil" (16 min) - an interview with production designer Milly Burns
- "Big Visions and Small Screens: Dennis Potter on Film" (23 min) - film historians Jon Dear and John Williams on the big screen adaptations of Dennis Potter
- Original trailer
- Reversible sleeve artwork
- English SDH subtitles
