Subscribe to watch - 14-day free trial, then £4.99 a month
Love and Death on Long Island
John Hurt stars in Richard Kwietniowski’s comedy of fame and obsession about an older man (Hurt) who becomes infatuated with a young Hollywood actor (Jason Priestley), and proceeds to track him down.
Comedy 1996 89 mins
Director: Richard Kwietniowski
Overview
Richard Kwietniowski (Owning Mahony) directs this satirical comedy-drama about fame, obsession, and illusion starring acting great John Hurt. Giles (Hurt) is a widower who loves the cinema, but one day stumbles upon a film very much out of his purview – Hotpants College II, starring Ronnie Bostock (Jason Priestley). Giles finds himself infatuated with Ronnie, researching his career, life, and even his hometown. Giles decides to track down Ronnie in Long Island City in an attempt to meet the young actor. Kwietniowski’s film is a perceptive and biting comedy with doses of darkness and discomfort, yet still attuned to the facets of human desire in its careful portrayal of Giles.
Hurt (The Elephant Man, Midnight Express), best known for his grave and dramatic performances, finds the humour and heart of Giles– he never alienates the audience from the character, but rather helps us understand his longing and confusion. It’s an astonishing performance with equal parts of comedy and pathos.
occasional strong languageAccessibility
Related
Comedy
The Olive Tree
Drama 2016 99 mins Director: Icíar Bollaín
A spirited young woman embarks on a journey from the East coast of Spain to Germany in order to retrieve an ancient olive tree precious to her ailing grandfather.
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
Comedy 2005 154 mins Director: Cristi Puiu
Cristi Puiu's multiple award-winning drama about a seriously ill man caught in an absurdist bureaucratic nightmare over the course of one night.
John Dies at the End
Comedy 2012 100 mins Director: Don Coscarelli
A pair of college dropouts play havoc with the space-time continuum in this outrageous mind-bender from the twisted mind of Don Coscarelli (Phantasm, Bubba Ho-Tep).
Traps
Comedy 1998 116 mins Director: Vera Chytilová
Věra Chytilová's dark, post-communist comedy. After a veterinary surgeon is sexually assaulted by two men, she uses her particular expertise in castraton to exact her revenge…
Viva
Sex comedy 2008 116 mins Director: Anna Biller
Anna Biller's outrageous sexploitation satire follows bored housewife Barbi as she searches for adventure in predatory 1970s Los Angeles.
The Old Dark House
Comedy 1932 72 mins Director: James Whale
A group of weary travellers arrive at a spooky mansion with a madman on the loose, in this classic horror-comedy from James Whale (Bride of Frankenstein)
Nineties Cult Classics
The Reflecting Skin
Horror 1990 96 mins Director: Philip Ridley
Stunningly photographed drama about a young American boy caught up in the nightmare of a sinister rural community.
Young Soul Rebels
Drama 1991 105 mins Director: Isaac Julien
The Queen's Silver Jubilee beats to the sounds of Funkadelic, Sylvester and the O'Jays in Isaac Julien’s feature debut.
Delicatessen
Comedy 1990 100 mins Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Jeunet and Caro's endlessly inventive and wildly enjoyable post-apocalyptic black comedy, about a sinister butcher and the circus clown who becomes his nemesis.
Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon
Biopic 1998 87 mins Director: John Maybury
Derek Jacobi and Daniel Craig star as artist Francis Bacon and his muse George Dyer in John Maybury’s darkly exquisite biopic.
Land and Freedom
War 1995 105 mins Director: Ken Loach
Ken Loach’s passionate war drama follows an idealistic young Liverpudlian (Ian Hart) who fights for the international brigade during the Spanish Civil War.
Totally F***Ed Up
Drama 1993 76 mins Director: Gregg Araki
Gregg Araki's typically excessive and eccentric portrait of the lives of a group of six gay and lesbian teenagers in Los Angeles.
Featuring John Hurt
The Proposition
Western 2006 104 mins Director: John Hillcoat
John Hillcoat and Nick Cave's brilliant, brutal bushranger western, with Guy Pearce as the outlaw tasked with tracking down his psychopathic elder brother (Danny Huston).
The Elephant Man
Biopic 1980 124 mins Director: David Lynch
David Lynch's moving true-life tale of the severely deformed Joseph Merrick and his rescue from the hell of a Victorian circus sideshow.
The Shout
Drama 1978 83 mins Director: Jerzy Skolimowski
Cannes’ Grand Jury Prize was awarded to this unnerving drama about a man who claims to be able to kill people with a ‘terror shout’ learned from an Aboriginal shaman.
The Wild and the Willing
Drama 1962 109 mins Director: Ralph Thomas
Ian McShane and John Hurt made their feature film debuts in this swinging 1960s drama centring on a group of students and their sexual exploits and escapades.
Little Malcolm
Drama 1975 111 mins Director: Stuart Cooper
Delusional revolutionary Malcolm Scrawdyke (John Hurt) leads his Party of Dynamic Erection in a battle against an unseen nemesis in this dark comedy.
Directed by Richard Kwietniowski
Flames of Passion
1989 17 mins Director: Richard Kwietniowski
An ingenious gay homage to Brief Encounter.
New
Obsession
Romance 1976 98 mins Director: Brian De Palma
High melodrama, creeping insanity and barely contained delirium abound in this dizzying tribute to the high tension thrillers of Alfred Hitchcock from director Brian De Palma.
The Olive Tree
Drama 2016 99 mins Director: Icíar Bollaín
A spirited young woman embarks on a journey from the East coast of Spain to Germany in order to retrieve an ancient olive tree precious to her ailing grandfather.
Kiss of the Damned
Horror 2012 95 mins Director: Xan Cassavetes
A cool and contemporary take on the vampire myth, steeped in atmosphere and brooding contemplation.
My 20th Century
Drama 1989 99 mins Director: Ildikó Enyedi
Ildikó Enyedi's magical tale of twin girls born in Budapest at the very moment that Edison’s wondrous electric light-bulb is unveiled to the world.
The Cave of the Yellow Dog
Drama 2005 89 mins Director: Byambasuren Davaa
A Mongolian nomad family find themselves in disagreement when the oldest daughter, Nansal, finds a small dog and brings it home, in Davaa Byambasuren's reflective, naturalistic fable.
Faithless
Drama 2000 154 mins Director: Liv Ullmann
Ingmar Bergman scripts this semi-autobiographical drama directed by his closest collaborator, Liv Ullmann, about a theatre director facing up to the pain he inflicted upon his muse.