Grotesque


1h 37m 1995

Brief Synopsis

Set in the 1940s, an English butler conspires with the mistress of the house to take his master's place, by framing him for murder.

Film Details

Also Known As
Gentlemen Don't Eat Poets, Grave Indiscretion
MPAA Rating
Genre
Adaptation
Comedy
Period
Release Date
1995
Distribution Company
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
Location
Norwich, England, United Kingdom; Norfalk, England, United Kingdom

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 37m

Synopsis

Set in the 1940s, an English butler conspires with the mistress of the house to take his master's place, by framing him for murder.

Crew

Christopher Ackland

Sound

Tariq Anwar

Editor

Colleen Atwood

Costume Designer

Jane Bailey

Other

Alex Baird

Security

Celia Barnett

Artistic Advisor

Matthew Barr

Production Assistant

Liz Barron

Production Accountant

David Beckett

Driver

Roy Beeston

Props

Mark Boyle

Stunt Coordinator

Roy Branch

Electrician

Stuart Brisdon

Special Effects Supervisor

Chris Burke

On-Set Dresser

Alexandra Byrne

Art Assistant

Bob Cann

Construction Coordinator

Keith Carey

Other

Kevin Carter

Stand-In

Graham Churchyard

Wardrobe Supervisor

Ian Coffey

Other

Marlon Cole

Props

Paola Colpani

Production Accountant

Nula Conway

Makeup Assistant

Andrew Cooper

Photography

Anthony Cooper

Camera Trainee

Peter Coryndon

Construction

Tony Crastus

Caterer

Paul Cronin

Gaffer

Richard Dalton

Props

Simon Dalton

Other

John-paul Davidson

Screenplay

Andrew Devonshire

Production Assistant

Mike Dilly

Electrician

Mike Donald

Sound

Anne Dudley

Music

Andrew Dunn

Director Of Photography

Ivor Ecclestone

Driver

Johnny Fergus

Production Assistant

Katy Flack

Makeup Assistant

Robin Forrest

Office Runner

Billy Francis

Assistant

Philip George

Camera Operator

Julie Gilliam

Assistant Set Decorator

Alan Greyley

Electrician

Peter Grove

Carpenter

Steven Hall

Other

Carol Harding

Production Assistant

Cordelia Hardy

Assistant Director

Daniel Hegarty

Other

Gifford Hooper

Camera Operator

Mark House

Carpenter

Paul House

Construction Manager

Nigel Howard

Facilities Supervisor

Allan Hughes

Grip

Colleen Hughes

Production Coordinator

Tom Hunt

Assistant Director

Mark Hutton

Electrician

Dorothee Inderfurth

Production Assistant

Jason Ions

Art Assistant

Charles Jackson

Production Assistant

Andrea Jaffe

Wardrobe Assistant

John Kay

Line Producer

Malcolm Keane

Other

Ray Keats

Driver

Bryan Lawson

Art Assistant

Sue Lefton

Choreographer

Julie Linnane

Accounting Assistant

David Lloyd

Driver

Adrian Lovering

Other

Ian Lowe

Special Effects Assistant

Candy Marlowe

Assistant Director

Sally Mason

Wardrobe Assistant

Patrick Mcgrath

Screenplay

Patrick Mcgrath

Source Material

Casper Mill

Unit Manager

Johnson Mitchell

Driver

Ken Monger

Best Boy

Daniel Naprous

Animal Supplier

Gerard Naprous

Animal Supplier

Paul Nunn

Stand-In

John O'shaughnessy

Production

Peter Owen

Hair

Daniel Parker

Prosthetic Makeup

Chris Plumridge

Caterer

Andrew Rawlinson

Location Manager

Sarah Jane Raymond

Stand-In

Bob Reader

Stand-In

Glen Rivera

Other

Carol Robinson

Hairdresser

Steve Robinson

Assistant Director

Jan Roelfs

Production Designer

Graham Ross

Sound Recordist

Caroline Ryan

Assistant

Michael Seirton

Production Designer

Steve Shepperd

Grip

Danuta Skarszewska

Script Supervisor

Maurice Smith

Executive Producer

Mike N Smith

Carpenter

Dermot Smythe

Camera

Nathan Stanley

Production Assistant

Paul William Stewart

Electrician

Bianca Stone

Driver

Karen Thompson

Production Assistant

Joe Tornatore

Producer

Alf Tramontin

Steadicam Operator

Mariam Vossough

Sound

Keith Vowles

Props

Tracey Wadmore-smith

Assistant Editor

Patsy Wigger

Art Assistant

Leaf Wigzell

Assistant Director

Stuart Willis

Production

Karen Woods

Caterer

Roger Woods

Driver

Julian Wright

Other

Film Details

Also Known As
Gentlemen Don't Eat Poets, Grave Indiscretion
MPAA Rating
Genre
Adaptation
Comedy
Period
Release Date
1995
Distribution Company
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
Location
Norwich, England, United Kingdom; Norfalk, England, United Kingdom

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 37m

Articles

Sir Alan Bates (1934-2003)


Sir Alan Bates, the versatile British actor, who held a distinguished career on both stage and screen, via a string of outstanding roles in both classical (Shakespeare, Chekhov, Ibsen) and contemporary (Pinter, Osborne, Stoppard) drama, died of pancreatic cancer on December 27th in London. He was 69.

Born Alan Arthur Bates on February 17th, 1934 in Derbyshire, England, Bates was the son of amateur musicians who wanted their son to become a concert pianist, but the young man had other ambitions, bluntly declaring to his parents that he had his sights set on an acting career when he was still in secondary school. He eventually earned a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, but had his career briefly interrupted with a two-year stint in the Royal Air Force. Soon after his discharge, Bates immediately joined the new English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre and by 1955 he had found steady stage work in London's West End theatre district.

The following year, Bates made a notable mark in English theatre circles when he starred as Cliff Lewis in John Osborne's charging drama about a disaffected, working-class British youth in Look Back in Anger. Bates' enormous stage presence along with his brooding good looks and youthfulness (he was only 22 at the time of the play's run) made him a star and promised great things for his future.

Four years later, Bates made a solid film debut in Tony Richardson's The Entertainer (1960) as the son of a failing seaside entertainer, played by Sir Laurence Olivier. Yet it would be his next two films that would leave an indelible impression in '60s British cinema; Bryan Forbes' Whistle Down the Wind (1961) and John Schlesinger's A Kind of Loving (1962). Bates' performances as a murderer on the lam who finds solace at a farm house in the company of children in the former, and a young working-class husband who struggles with his identity in a loveless marriage in the latter, were such finely nuanced portrayals of loners coping with an oppressive social order that he struck a chord with both audiences and critics alike. Soon, Bates was considered a key actor in the "angry young men" movement of the decade that included Albert Finney and Tom Courtney.

For the next ten years, Bates simply moved from strength to strength as he chose film roles that both highlighted his range and raised his stock as an international celebrity: reprising his stage role as the brutish thug Mick in the film adaptation of Harold Pinter's The Caretaker (1963); starring alongside Anthony Quinn as the impressionable young writer Basil in Zorba the Greek (1964); the raffish charmer Jos who falls in love with Lynn Redgrave in the mod comedy Georgy Girl; the bemused young soldier who falls in love with a young mental patient (a radiantly young Genevieve Bujold) in the subdued anti-was satire King of Hearts (both 1966); reuniting with director Schlesinger again in the effective period drama Far from the Madding Crowd (1967); a Russian Jew falsely accused of murder in John Frankenheimer's The Fixer (1968, remarkably, his only Oscar nomination); as Rupert, the freethinking fellow who craves love and understanding in Ken Russell's superb Women in Love (1969); playing Vershinin in Sir Laurence Olivier's underrated The Three Sisters (1970); opposite Julie Christie in Joseph Losey's tale of forbidden love The Go-Between (1971); and his moving, near-tragic performance as Bri, a father who struggles daily to maintain his sanity while raising a mentally disabled daughter in the snarking black comedy A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1972).

Bates would slow down his film work, concentrating on the stage for the next few years, including a Tony award winning turn on Broadway for his role in Butley (1972), but he reemerged strongly in the late '70s in three good films: a conniving womanizer in The Shout; Jill Clayburgh's love interest in Paul Mazursky's hit An Unmarried Woman (1978); and as Rudge, Bette Midler's overbearing manager in The Rose (1979).

By the '80s, Bates filled out somewhat physically, but his now burly presence looked just right in some quality roles: as the notorious spy, Guy Burgess, in John Schlesinger's acclaimed mini-series An Englishman Abroad (1983); a lonely homosexual who cares for his incarcerated lovers' dog in the charming comedy We think the World of You (1988); and a superb Claudius in Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet (1990).

Tragically, Bates lost his son Tristan to an asthma attack in 1990; and lost his wife, actress Victoria Ward, in 1992. This led to too few film roles for the next several years, although he remained quite active on stage and television. However, just recently, Bates has had some choice moments on the silver screen, most notably as the butler Mr. Jennings in Robert Altman's murder mystery Gosford Park (2001); and scored a great comic coup as a gun-toting, flag-waving Hollywood has-been in a very broad satire about the Canadian movie industry Hollywood North (2003). Also, theatre fans had a treat when Bates appeared on Broadway last year to critical acclaim (and won a second Tony award) for his portrayal of an impoverished 19th century Russian nobleman in Fortune's Fool (2002). Most deservedly, he was knighted earlier this year for his fine contributions as an actor in all major mediums. Sir Alan Bates is survived by two brothers Martin and Jon, son Benedick and a granddaughter.

by Michael T. Toole
Sir Alan Bates (1934-2003)

Sir Alan Bates (1934-2003)

Sir Alan Bates, the versatile British actor, who held a distinguished career on both stage and screen, via a string of outstanding roles in both classical (Shakespeare, Chekhov, Ibsen) and contemporary (Pinter, Osborne, Stoppard) drama, died of pancreatic cancer on December 27th in London. He was 69. Born Alan Arthur Bates on February 17th, 1934 in Derbyshire, England, Bates was the son of amateur musicians who wanted their son to become a concert pianist, but the young man had other ambitions, bluntly declaring to his parents that he had his sights set on an acting career when he was still in secondary school. He eventually earned a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, but had his career briefly interrupted with a two-year stint in the Royal Air Force. Soon after his discharge, Bates immediately joined the new English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre and by 1955 he had found steady stage work in London's West End theatre district. The following year, Bates made a notable mark in English theatre circles when he starred as Cliff Lewis in John Osborne's charging drama about a disaffected, working-class British youth in Look Back in Anger. Bates' enormous stage presence along with his brooding good looks and youthfulness (he was only 22 at the time of the play's run) made him a star and promised great things for his future. Four years later, Bates made a solid film debut in Tony Richardson's The Entertainer (1960) as the son of a failing seaside entertainer, played by Sir Laurence Olivier. Yet it would be his next two films that would leave an indelible impression in '60s British cinema; Bryan Forbes' Whistle Down the Wind (1961) and John Schlesinger's A Kind of Loving (1962). Bates' performances as a murderer on the lam who finds solace at a farm house in the company of children in the former, and a young working-class husband who struggles with his identity in a loveless marriage in the latter, were such finely nuanced portrayals of loners coping with an oppressive social order that he struck a chord with both audiences and critics alike. Soon, Bates was considered a key actor in the "angry young men" movement of the decade that included Albert Finney and Tom Courtney. For the next ten years, Bates simply moved from strength to strength as he chose film roles that both highlighted his range and raised his stock as an international celebrity: reprising his stage role as the brutish thug Mick in the film adaptation of Harold Pinter's The Caretaker (1963); starring alongside Anthony Quinn as the impressionable young writer Basil in Zorba the Greek (1964); the raffish charmer Jos who falls in love with Lynn Redgrave in the mod comedy Georgy Girl; the bemused young soldier who falls in love with a young mental patient (a radiantly young Genevieve Bujold) in the subdued anti-was satire King of Hearts (both 1966); reuniting with director Schlesinger again in the effective period drama Far from the Madding Crowd (1967); a Russian Jew falsely accused of murder in John Frankenheimer's The Fixer (1968, remarkably, his only Oscar nomination); as Rupert, the freethinking fellow who craves love and understanding in Ken Russell's superb Women in Love (1969); playing Vershinin in Sir Laurence Olivier's underrated The Three Sisters (1970); opposite Julie Christie in Joseph Losey's tale of forbidden love The Go-Between (1971); and his moving, near-tragic performance as Bri, a father who struggles daily to maintain his sanity while raising a mentally disabled daughter in the snarking black comedy A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1972). Bates would slow down his film work, concentrating on the stage for the next few years, including a Tony award winning turn on Broadway for his role in Butley (1972), but he reemerged strongly in the late '70s in three good films: a conniving womanizer in The Shout; Jill Clayburgh's love interest in Paul Mazursky's hit An Unmarried Woman (1978); and as Rudge, Bette Midler's overbearing manager in The Rose (1979). By the '80s, Bates filled out somewhat physically, but his now burly presence looked just right in some quality roles: as the notorious spy, Guy Burgess, in John Schlesinger's acclaimed mini-series An Englishman Abroad (1983); a lonely homosexual who cares for his incarcerated lovers' dog in the charming comedy We think the World of You (1988); and a superb Claudius in Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet (1990). Tragically, Bates lost his son Tristan to an asthma attack in 1990; and lost his wife, actress Victoria Ward, in 1992. This led to too few film roles for the next several years, although he remained quite active on stage and television. However, just recently, Bates has had some choice moments on the silver screen, most notably as the butler Mr. Jennings in Robert Altman's murder mystery Gosford Park (2001); and scored a great comic coup as a gun-toting, flag-waving Hollywood has-been in a very broad satire about the Canadian movie industry Hollywood North (2003). Also, theatre fans had a treat when Bates appeared on Broadway last year to critical acclaim (and won a second Tony award) for his portrayal of an impoverished 19th century Russian nobleman in Fortune's Fool (2002). Most deservedly, he was knighted earlier this year for his fine contributions as an actor in all major mediums. Sir Alan Bates is survived by two brothers Martin and Jon, son Benedick and a granddaughter. by Michael T. Toole

Quotes

Trivia

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States February 2001

Released in United States March 14, 1997

Released in United States March 1997

Released in United States March 7, 1997

Released in United States on Video August 19, 1997

Released in United States September 1995

Released in United States Spring March 1997

Shown at American Film Market (AFM) in Santa Monica, California February 21-28, 2001.

Shown at Santa Barbara International Film Festival March 6-19, 1997.

Shown at Toronto International Film Festival (Special Screening) September 7-16, 1995.

Began shooting March 3, 1995.

Completed shooting April 13, 1995.

Released in United States February 2001 (Shown at American Film Market (AFM) in Santa Monica, California February 21-28, 2001.)

Released in United States March 1997 (Shown at Santa Barbara International Film Festival March 6-19, 1997.)

Released in United States Spring March 1997

Released in United States March 7, 1997 (New York City)

Released in United States March 14, 1997 (Los Angeles)

Released in United States on Video August 19, 1997

Released in United States September 1995 (Shown at Toronto International Film Festival (Special Screening) September 7-16, 1995.)