09.01.04
Three
award-winning Stephen Poliakoff dramas on DVD
Perfect
Strangers, Shooting the Past & Caught on a Train
Released
to buy on 9th February 2004
With
a feast of exceptional actors, deeply involving storylines and wonderfully
atmospheric settings, Stephen Poliakoff brings to life three powerful,
extraordinary dramas. Available for the first time on DVD on 9th
February, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Worldwide are proud to present Perfect Strangers,
Shooting the Past and Caught on a Train, finely woven stories of
family passions and human frailties.
Each
drama received immense critical acclaim, with special praise for
the outstanding array of fine British actors at their best. The
long list of much-admired actors includes: Dame Peggy Ashcroft;
Lindsay Duncan; Timothy Spall; Michael Kitchen; Matthew Macfadyen;
Claire Skinner; Toby Stevens, Liam Cunningham and Michael Gambon,
who received the Best Actor BAFTA for his role in Perfect Strangers.
All
three DVDs feature a commentary with Stephen Poliakoff and a 20
minute documentary.
PERFECT
STRANGERS (2001)
Written and Directed by Stephen Poliakoff, Perfect Strangers is
a revelatory family drama that centres on a grand family reunion
of the Symon dynasty. The story is seen through the eyes of Daniel
Symon (Matthew Macfadyen, Spooks), only child of Raymond (Gambon)
and Esther (Jill Baker) who live in self-imposed exile in Hillingdon.
Though
extremely reluctant to attend, the eccentric, anti-social Raymond
arrives with his family, and is overwhelmed by the enormity of the
occasion. With the self-appointed "archive man" Stephen
(Anton Lester) as their guide, the guests are shown his extraordinary
collection of family photographs, that ultimately hold the key to
a wealth of mysterious family secrets.
Daniel
unearths a world he hardly knew existed, meeting distant and not-so-distant
relatives for the first time. Fascinated by this vast, rich and
varied family, he is keen to unravel the secrets that lurk beneath
its glossy façade and readily adopts the role of go-between
for his glamorous Aunt Alice (Lindsay Duncan) and dazzling cousins
Rebecca (Claire Skinner) and Charles (Toby Stephens), with disastrous
resultsΒ…
Release
date: 9th February 2004
Certificate: 15 Price: Β£19.99
Cat. Number: Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔDVD1326
Genre: Drama
Duration: 237 Mins Aprox
SHOOTING
THE PAST (1999)
Written
and directed by Stephen Poliakoff, Shooting the Past tells of the
passionate battle to save a vast photographic library from the hands
of American property developer Christopher Anderson (Liam Cunningham).
Anderson
is attempting to convert an English country house into a modern
day business school, but the staff of the house's historic photo
library have other ideas and are determined not to move. Following
unsuccessful attempts to sell the pictures to an ad agency, Marilyn
(Lindsay Duncan) makes a personal plea to Anderson, whilst her colleague
Oswald (Timothy Spall) tries another route. After seeing a picture
of Anderson's mother in the library, Oswald decides to investigate
Anderson's background further. It soon transpires that the key to
saving the library may lie in the very pictures it contains.
Also
starring Billie Whitelaw and Emilia Fox, Shooting the Past was awarded
the Prix Italia for Fiction, and Royal Society of Television Awards
for Best Drama Serial and Best Costume Design in a Drama.
Release
date: 9th February 2004
Certificate: 15 Price: Β£15.99
Cat. Number: Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔDVD1327
Genre: Drama
Duration: 194 Mins Aprox
CAUGHT
ON A TRAIN (1980)
Written
by Stephen Poliakoff and directed by Peter Duffell, the BAFTA winning
Caught on a Train is a deeply moving, nightmarish drama starring
the Oscar winning actress Dame Peggy Ashcroft.
A young
English man called Peter (Michael Kitchen, Foyle's War) boards the
Ostend-Vienna express on his way to an important business meeting
in Europe. His journey is immediately complicated by the arrival
of two women to his train compartment. One is an independent, beautiful
American girl called Lorraine (Wendy Raebeck), whom Peter is instantly
attracted to. The other is Frau Messner (Ashcroft), an extremely
difficult and demanding older European woman. Between the two of
them, different aspects of Peter's patience are tried throughout
the journey with unsettling effectsΒ…
Caught
on a Train was the winner of four BAFTA awards, including Best Single
Play.
Release
date: 9th February 2004
Certificate: PG Price: Β£15.99
Cat. Number: Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔDVD1325
Genre: Drama
Duration: 79 Mins Aprox
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