Gabriel Byrne Books

View "The Secret" movie today! The Secret is released to the world! This ground-breaking feature length movie presentation reveals The Great Secret of the universe. It has been passed throughout the ages, traveling through centuries... to reach you and humankind.

This is The Secret to everything - the secret to unlimited joy, health, money, relationships, love, youth: everything you have ever wanted.

In this astonishing program are ALL the resources you will ever need to understand and live The Secret. For the first time in history, the world's leading scientists, authors, and philosophers will reveal The Secret that utterly transformed the lives of every person who ever knew it... Plato, Newton, Carnegie, Beethoven, Shakespeare, Einstein.

Now YOU will know The Secret. And it could change your life forever.

The book includes numerous articles, stories and interviews with the great teachers who helped make this movie a #1 smash hit.

The 92 minute movie is presented in full screen, high quality, video with stereo sound requiring nothing more than a standard computer with a DSL/cable broadband connection. For most users, it is just like watching the DVD. Stop, pause, rewind and enjoy. Online with 24 hours of purchasing the companion "Special Edition" book.

This book has unlocked the door to the heart of Gabriel Byrne. He tells all in this book of his childhood as he becomes an adult. He shows his quiet and serious side as well as his wild child-like side.

This is one of the best movies ever made. The cast is perfect, the story holds your attention throughout.

In blu-Ray the picture and sound is perfect.

I feel like a broken record at this point. Let's get one thing straight: I really enjoy The Usual Suspects. And the SE DVD has some great special features on it. So what does this Blu-Ray get? Bupkus. Thanks, guys. You won't be getting any of my money until you start respecting the consumer and release a proper Blu-Ray with AT LEAST all the standard DVD extras ported over.

I feel like they swore so much more in the mid-90's. Maybe I'm just getting old but every other line of this movie was f*ck, it seemed. So that kind of turned me off of the movie. However, on the hole this movie was good, good action, good plot and good mystery. Kevin Spacey did a great job with his role, it was a lot like his role in Seven. Kind of the relaxed sociopath with sarcastic humor.

On Blue ray-HD the movie looked great, I watched it on a PS3 while sick one afternoon and it took my mind off of the stomach flu. And if thats not a great movie I don't know what is.

i love these movie it has great actors and was well done. i love the ending becouse it is a one of a kind ending

I, like so many, obviously love this movie, if you are the 23 idiots that rated this a one then you obviously did that because you have a mainstream complex...meaning you need to be different, why, just because to be different. With that said the movie is amazing, stay patient with it and it will deliver. BOTTOM LINE!

As for the Blue Ray, not impressed, is there a slight improvement, maybe. Buy this on regular DVD and own a classic you will watch multiple times!!!!

This is one of the best movies ever made. The cast is perfect, the story holds your attention throughout.

In blu-Ray the picture and sound is perfect.

I feel like a broken record at this point. Let's get one thing straight: I really enjoy The Usual Suspects. And the SE DVD has some great special features on it. So what does this Blu-Ray get? Bupkus. Thanks, guys. You won't be getting any of my money until you start respecting the consumer and release a proper Blu-Ray with AT LEAST all the standard DVD extras ported over.

I feel like they swore so much more in the mid-90's. Maybe I'm just getting old but every other line of this movie was f*ck, it seemed. So that kind of turned me off of the movie. However, on the hole this movie was good, good action, good plot and good mystery. Kevin Spacey did a great job with his role, it was a lot like his role in Seven. Kind of the relaxed sociopath with sarcastic humor.

On Blue ray-HD the movie looked great, I watched it on a PS3 while sick one afternoon and it took my mind off of the stomach flu. And if thats not a great movie I don't know what is.

i love these movie it has great actors and was well done. i love the ending becouse it is a one of a kind ending

I, like so many, obviously love this movie, if you are the 23 idiots that rated this a one then you obviously did that because you have a mainstream complex...meaning you need to be different, why, just because to be different. With that said the movie is amazing, stay patient with it and it will deliver. BOTTOM LINE!

As for the Blue Ray, not impressed, is there a slight improvement, maybe. Buy this on regular DVD and own a classic you will watch multiple times!!!!

Because I had written a few blog entries complaining about the popularity of the my-horrible-childhood genre of books someone suggested I read this book. I knew Byrne as an actor but little else about him but his skill as a writer and a storyteller is equally evident. The story of his growing up years in Dublin is charming and told with affection and humor --- such a refreshing change from other recent books about Irish childhoods! Byrne's youth was neither better nor worse than other such stories but the warmth of his narration made the story so much more believable.

His stories about his beginnings as an actor, his anecdotes about his fellow actors, and his love of the people of Ireland is told with wit, amusement and a tenderness that allows the reader to see into the lives of others through the eyes of someone who seems a genuinely warm and loving person --- not something often found in Hollywood memoirs. I particularly loved the little vignettes of his fellow actors including Liam Neeson, Michael Cain (whose mother couldn't understand why no one hung out laundry in Hollywood), and his ex-wife Ellen Barkin. In fact, I was so charmed by the quality of the narration that I bought the audio book just so I could hear his lovely Irish brogue as he told the stories. What a treat that was! He has a gift for narration that made me think I was actually listening to Richard Burton, the cast of "The Quiet Man", and one utterly lovely story told in the voice of a "tinker", one of the traveling people of Ireland.

This is a beautiful, warm collection of stories told with affection and humor that gives the reader insight into a world few of us get to see and even more insight into the character of a genuinely loving and admirable writer.

"Pictures in My Head" demonstrates Gabriel Byrne's uncanny ability to convey the essence of time and place with an economy of words. This slim volume of vignettes from Mr. Byrne's life transports the reader from his early childhood through his success in Hollywood as an adult until 1995.

Mr. Byrne's writing is unique and lyrical. His style of writing mimics the disjointed, natural flow of internal thinking, jumping from one fragment of an idea to another. For that reason, in addition to vocabulary and cultural references unfamiliar to the American reader, the text is sometimes difficult to digest upon first reading. Many passages require a second pass, but upon re-reading I found myself effectively transported into Mr. Byrne's world. The title of the book "Pictures in My Head" perfectly embodies the essence of what this book is about.

The stories from the early part of Mr. Byrne's life are particularly enthralling. The retelling of events of his early childhood in Ireland include incredible detail. Mr. Byrne has the rare talent of recalling small details that most people wouldn't notice, much less recall. Rarer still is his ability to then take those small details, recount them and essentially capture a moment with words. However, I agree with another reviewer who found the second half of the book less satisfying. In addition to seeming a bit more rushed, Mr. Byrne's desire to protect the privacy of his friends, family and himself in the second half of the book unfortunately hinders his ability to write with the same freedom and compelling detail that made the first half of the book so captivating.

Despite this criticism, the same honesty, intelligence and sensitivity that contribute to Mr. Byrne's success as an actor translates well into his foray as an author. "Pictures in My Head" is a compelling triumph. Gabriel Byrne's capacity for conveying the beauty and poignancy of life as a human being is remarkably gripping. I sincerely hope Mr. Byrne will continue to write.

This is a very sweet book, written by a wonderful actor. Sadly, it lacks a few things. Details, for one. It's very good in some places, and then it seems to rush on when you want to know more. And it jumps around like "Pride and Prejudice"...I had a hard time keeping track of where he was in his life.

All in all, it's a nice story. However, if you read this and "Angela's Ashes" right tight together, you realize something. You realize that even though you thought at first that Gabriel had it kind of bad growing up, he is almost a spoiled little rich kid, compared to Frank McCourt. Let's see some real life, here!

I get the impression that Mr. Byrne is superbly sensitive to his surroundings and absorbs everything. I envy his photographic memory and ability to live completely in the moment. :o) This is the perfect book to curl up with under your favorite green soft blanket.

I must say this book really surprised me! I got it as a Christmas present last year, and I never expected it, because I had only been a Gabriel Byrne friend for about three months or so, but after I had read it, I felt I knew Gabriel personally. I have never met him, but I am longing to see him. The book is very well written, so I wonder why he doesn't write more. Probably because he doesn't have time... I'm awaiting his new film or book. Whatever it is, I'll buy it. Buy this book, you won't be disappointed. If you're a Byrne fan, it's a must! If you're not, after reading the book, you will be!

The Siobhan McKenna reading of Molly Bloom's soliloquy is sublime.
The vendor from whom I bought this through Amazon was prompt, professional, and courteous.

This just wasn't my cup of tea. Couldn't get through the CD. Found it difficult to understand, and when Joyce was actually reading, I couldn't understand a word. This CD was a waste of my money.

I am very satisfied of having opportunity to hear this work and Joyce reading it. Beautiful!

If you are a fan (student?) of Joyce, this set is indeed wonderful and, yes, indispensable.

In the "Truth in Advertising" department, however, be advised that the recording of Joyce reading from Ulysses is very short (just a little over four minutes!). The outer package states, "The most fascinating treat here is the landmark recording of James Joyce reading selections from Ulysses. This rare recording was made in 1924, and Joyce's reading provides the singular experience of hearing the work as he intended it to be read." In truth, there is just one selection of Joyce reading from Ulysses; representing barely one-and-one-half pages from Chapter 7, Aeolus (pp. 142-43 in the 1990 Vintage International Edition).

Another inconsistency concerns the recording date: There is a written quotation in the package attributed to Sylvia Beach that provides informative details about the process by which she recorded Joyce reading from Ulysses in 1924. She goes on to say that Joyce was adamant that "this would be his only reading from Ulysses." Yet the CD track listings indicate that the Ulysses excerpt was recorded "circa 1921." Which is it?

Further, given the considerable logistics, negotiations and expense that Beach apparently invested in order to record Joyce, it seems inconceivable that they would have recorded for only four minutes; notwithstanding the "primitive manner" of recording in the early 1920s. Where is the rest? Do other selections really exist?

The set includes one other, somewhat longer selection of Joyce reading from the Anna Livia Plurabelle section of Finnegan's Wake (three pages at the end of Book One; pp. 213-16 in my ancient copy of the Viking Compass Edition). It was recorded "circa 1932," and lasts eight-and-a-half minutes.

In both excerpts, there are some slight, inconsequential discrepancies between the recorded and written versions; often simply affecting word order. These do make one wonder which version Joyce intended.

So here you have a total of fourteen-and-a-half minutes of Joyce's voice. Believe me, I am not complaining. But if you have read this far, it's a fair bet that you, too, would like to know how much (or how little) of Joyce's voice is actually contained in this 4-CD set. The sound quality is pretty good, considering the age, particularly if you follow along in the books while listening. And that is no doubt the best way to experience these recordings, in order to more fully appreciate Joyce's wonderful lilt, accent, pronunciation & emphasis; and to gain a much better understanding of his meaning.

Would that we could hear Joyce reading all of Ulysses! But, this little bit is infinitely better than nothing!

The selections recorded by other readers are excellent, too, but that would be the subject of another review. Best regards.

I had a brief introduction to James Joyce by reading "Araby" ions ago in high school, and was looking to become more acquainted with his works. This collection performed by Gabriel Byrne was a joy to listen to...who better to hear it from than a Dubliner and a great actor to boot?! Although I was debating whether or not it was better to read his works directly before listening to any interpretation, film or audio alike, I don`t regret it. In fact, I think it will help me appreciate Joyce more when I go back to read the works featured. The chamber music as well left me thinking of another time and place, adding a nice backdrop for the dialogue.

It is impossible to say who of the tremendous artists on this recording does the greatest honor to Yeats' words and intentions. Let us merely say it is the sort of contest which only the listener wins, especially if he or she has even one Emerald Isle gene in his or her make-up.

This is a wonderful collection of poetry. The readers contribute so much emotion to their reading. The listener can hear the music of Ireland in each voice. Every time I listen to this, I hear something new. Some of the poems included are: Stolen Child; The Indian to his Love; The Cloak, the Boat and the Shoes and The Sad Shepherd. This has brought many hours of relaxation and beauty to my evenings. I highly recommend this tape.

The variety of readers makes Yeats poetry come to life. If you like to chill in the car, this one is for you.

i have been reading reviews about"Charlie Wilson's Wars"since it first came out in America and then in Europe..All of them were mostly positive.As I live in Spain,I knew it would take a long time before I could see it here ,and then it would be dubbed in spanish.On top Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks beeing among my favourite actors plus of course that we have also Philip Seymour Hoffman and Mike Nichols as dirctor(Imagine that I have seen him with Helen May in Detroit around 1960),I preordered it as soon as it was available in DVD.Well,I certainly was not disappointed.All the way through it is fun,witty,very believable.The action develops like a slow menacing tidal wave(for the russians)On top you discover the real Charlie Wilson as an adorable scoundrel on the surface, but deep down a serious dedicated and profoundly honnest man.You have no idea how much and often. I have recommended it.
Bertrand Lewinson MD.

"Charlie Wilson's War" is a political comedy about Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson (played wonderfully by Tom Hanks). In the 1980s he developed a scheme to funnel money and weapons to Afghanistan rebels to help fight the invading Soviet Union. Mr. Wilson is the man who knows how to get things done, by knowing the right men, and knowing how to play the political system. Helping him with the weapons is eccentric CIA agent Gust Avrakotos (played hilariously by Philip Seymour Hoffman), with Joanna Herring (Julia Roberts) providing political influence in the Middle East to get Charlie in the area he needs to see in Afghanistan.

As for the movie, it is great fun, funny and warm with sympathetic characters at its center. (One suspects that the characters may have been slightly sanitized for dramatic purposes.) Hanks is brilliant as womanizer and hard partying Wilson. Despite his flaws, Wilson is highly intelligent and committed to the cause. Hoffman's Avrakotos is great too, a smart guy who is burned out by the bureaucratic system. And of course Roberts turns in an elegant performance. The cast is excellent all the way around.

If there is a problem, it is not one the film makers did, it is one of history. Everyone knows that the weapons and money the U.S. gave the rebels were eventually used against American forces in the War on Terror. I in no way hold Mr. Wilson responsible; no one could have predicted what would happen in the 1980s. But it still puts a damper on the humor of the film.

Of course, I love just about anything that Philip Seymore Hoffman is in. But it's the entire cast, especially Tom Hanks as Charlie that makes this flik shine. Excellent movie.

When director Mike Nichols is attached to a project, actors and studios listen. From The Graduate to The Birdcage, Nichols' eye for a specific brand of snappy and broad-ranging comedy is something to be cherished and respected.

That CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR is based on actual events also makes this story all the more interesting. Taking place in the office of Congressman Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks, The Da Vinci Code), we're taken on a wild ride of political manipulation that helps defeat communist Russia during the Cold War. Now one might think that such a fantastic thing as eliminating the communist threat would come from an upstanding and righteous man. Not so. Charlie's a womanizing, drinking, and drug-sniffing man who's responsible for a little known congressional district in Texas. But he's also a damn good looking guy, and he's caught the eye of southern socialite Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts, Charlotte's Web), the sixth richest woman in Texas. She implores Charlie to go to Afghanistan and witness the atrocities being committed upon that little-known nation in the name of communism. So Charlie goes and his life is turned around. He comes home and begins pressuring his constituents to place more money and military aid to the freedom fighters in Afghanistan.

With Charlie's ideas comes a gruff CIA agent named Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote) who's abrasive demeanor and beer-gut shape is in direct contrast to Charlie's. But the two learn to cope with one another and bring victory to the Afghan fighters.

The most notable performances in the film come not from Hanks, but from Hoffman and Julia Roberts. Philip Hoffman's whip-bang line delivery is astonishing and absolutely hilarious ("What is US strategy?" "Most strictly speaking, we don't have one. But we're working on it." "Who's we?" "Me and three other guys.") And Roberts' performance was quite a surprise. She played the soft but opinionated and strong Ms. Herring exceptionally well, giving one of her finest performances to date. I also enjoyed Amy Adams' (Enchanted) role as Charlie's personal secretary. She was always in the background and always right-on target with her beauty and wit. But even she couldn't stand up to the power that is Philip Seymour Hoffman (he definitely deserved the Oscar nod he got this year for his performance here).

This is a funny, sexy, and downright interesting story that few people probably know about. One can't help but wonder what new gem Nichols might be working on now and who will be in its cast.

Strong acting and a great plot-line captivated my attention from start to finish. I knew nothing about Charlie Wilson or the story when I sat down to watch it and whether it was all true or not, I was impressed.

_Hollywood Irish_ is a fantastic collection of interviews and photographs of six handsome and talented actors: Gabriel Byrne, Liam Neeson, Stephen Rea, Pierce Brosnan, Aidan Quinn and Patrick Bergin. The simple introduction provided by Áine O'Connor sets the mood for the rest of the book well. As she mentions, the interviews do reveal insightful, private information: "Liam Neeson reveals how he considered leaving acting and how he found the confidence to continue; Pierce Brosnan, simply and openly, shares the painful story of his wife Cassie's death; Stephen Rea discusses the relationship between acting and politics; Aidan Quinn talks about the Irish identity and its many paradoxes; Patrick Bergin reveals the temptations of an actor's life and the difficulties of doing love scenes; Gabriel Byrne tells us about the risks and illusions that surround fame." In a nutshell, that's the book. Each actor discusses his beginnings, both in life and as an actor. Each discusses, in some capacity, how being Irish has impacted him. Each actor's profile comes with several b/w photos from childhood, movies and family collections. At the end, one can find each actor's filmography. The only complaint I would have regarding the book is that the material is dated (only current to 1997) and I wish an updated version could be compiled. That criticism aside, though, this is certainly a title worth owning.

Aine O'Conner manage to capture the cadences of the various actors very well. While reading the text, I could almost hear the men speaking their words. I suspect that she didn't edit the tapes very much, save for verbal pauses (the usual "uhs" and "you knows") and for length. Ms. O'Conner also included several photographs (many were candid) that were sprinkled throughout the various sections.

While Ms. O'Conner asked many insightful questions, she didn't follow through on many. Indeed, at times I was a little disappointed that she failed to follow up on specific points; however, that point is trivial compared to the overall effort of the book.

If you are a fan of any or all of the actors listed, or simply are curious to see how contemporary Irish actors are dealing with the joys and disappointments of Hollywood, then you should enjoy this book.

This book provides a facinating, indepth journey into the lives of six very capable and successful actors. Many humourous and sometimes tradgic tales of life in Ireland and struggles to make a name for themselves there and in America. Each actor tells of personal hardships that they have battled throughout their lives and how they have created such prominent status in today's Hollywood scene. Each story is spoken first hand which adds to the richness of these beautiful retold memories. This book provides a greater sense of who these men are by recalling tales from childhood, adolecence and adulthood which explain their journeys to becoming the great actors they are.

I saw this some twenty years ago, and haven't seen it since. It is a very particular vision of the famous night when Lord Byron, Percy Shelley and Mary Shelley spent a night in a country estate in Switzerland and decided to see who wrote the scariest story. Mary Shelley, of course, wrote Frankenstein out of that night. There are other movies on this subject - I think Roger Corman made one. Gothic is what one expects from Ken Russell - lurid, grotesque, hallucinatory, over the top. It hasn't been seen a lot since then, it hasn't become one of his classics, but it is a good film for those who like this sort of thing. And there is the addition of seeing the then young and upcoming English actors playing this - Natasha Richardson (as Mary Shelley), Gabriel Byrne (Lord Byron), Julian Sands (Percy Shelley), Timothy Spall. The scene that have stand most in my memory: Myriam Cyr's nipples turning into eyes.

I have been fascinated by this film ever since its release in the 1980s, coincidentally at the same time I began a career as a high school literature teacher. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's nightmarish tale of a modern Prometheus, "Frankenstein," is ostensibly the subject of this psychosexual romp by visionary Ken Russel. The viewer is invited along to a risque slumber party with a coven of the Romantic Era's most self-indulgent experimenters in free love, drugs, and the occult. The all-nighter takes place at Gordon Lord Byron's gothic mansion on Lake Geneva (actual location), and features his protege, the gifted and tragic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary, Percy's bride, and a few other messed up friends. According to Mary Shelley's own notes of introduction to her novel, considered by many to be the first and still the best gothic horror story ever written, her motivation to write Frankenstein came as a challenge from these very friends. This group set out during the course of one night to pen the most horrifying tale each could imagine, with the intention of outdoing one another. Mary's inspiration, she later claimed, came in the form of a nightmare, possibly drug-induced. This extended nightmare, and the long night that gave it birth, are the subject of Russel's movie. Strange, disturbing, at times revolting, but ultimately well worth viewing. If only it were less raunchy, I would recommend it to my high school students. But alas, it makes for great college dorm fare.

In its eighty-eight quicksilver-fast minutes of existence, Gothic packs in a lot of sheer frickin' sex-oozing brain bashing madness among the literati of the Regency era. Forget for a moment their contemporary Jane Austen with her hoity-toity prim and proper tales of eye-batting heiresses and manner-infused country gentlemen, no, this is Ken Russell's take on how the age's reigning rock star poet, George Gordon, Lord Byron, spent one memorable, acid trip like weekend in a rented Swiss castle along with some "unexpected visitors."

The events that followed left Byron's friend, physician, and sexual admirer Doctor John Polidori suicidal, Byron's sometimes bedmate Claire Clairmont insane and pregnant, saw the radical Romantic poet Percy Shelley scampering naked, crab-like along the castle's rooftop during a thunderstorm babbling about electricity being the germ of life, and overwhelmed Percy's teenaged wife Mary with visions of death and tragedy to the point where she saw her own demise as the only escape. And oh yeah, the weekend also inspired Mary to produce an oft-misunderstood little novel you've probably heard of: it's called Frankenstein.

When things are done in Gothic, Byron has his way with just about everybody, no one is spared a bad acid trip's worth of crazed visions, and for those of us sitting back watching it all unfold, it's pretty interesting, particularly if you come to the movie pre-loaded with the background story on the main characters and the legendary weekend about which Russell unabashedly speculates.

Gothic stands as the perfect antidote to all those saccharine-esque Hollywood feel-good movies you've been seeing lately. It gives the soul a good old-fashioned leech-bleeding.

This is a really crazy film that may have some historical significance -- I'm not all that certain about the latter. The big thing for me is that it doesn't ever drag -- there's always something interesting going on and the filmscore keeps one a bit on edge too. It's just a crazy, mad film about the weekend that Mary Shelly was inspired to write Frankenstein. I loved it but it's not for everyone, especially the kids! I think that maybe if you liked "Slingblade" and/or "Corn Dog Man" that you'll enjoy this movie. Don't expect an epic here.

Considering he's supposed to be `obsessed with the image' Ken Russell's `Gothic' is notable for what it leaves to the imagination. Russell is no tyro-hack, he's seen `the Haunting' and `the Innocents' and knows an in-tune audience will pick up subtle terrors which may or may not be glowering in dark corners, or in the dull recess of a guilty imagination.
Is that a branch scraping the window, or something much more sinister trying to gain access? Russell's anti-thriller gives no answers, even in a rather disquieting epilogue, where the excesses of the previous night are `explained'
Briefly, Don Boyd at Virgin Vision had a literate script on his hands. The core plot had Percy and Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, his pregnant lover Claire, and a snide, repressed biographer, Dr. Polidori all spending a Saturday night at a mansion in Geneva.
Now, thought Don, let's see what happens if we give `em loads of drugs, vats of wine, throw in a thunder-storm, a haunting, some scene-stealing goats, and let `em go.
Now who do we get to direct? Hmm...
Russell doesn't disappoint, (he NEVER does, all his films, good or bad, have got something of interest in them) his imagination is at full throttle here. It's a furious and upsetting picture, deliberately so.
You can feel that creepiness as the protagonists decide to hold a séance, to call their darkest fears to exist in this world. Russell has a field day illustrating in detail what a houseful of stoned, tortured geniuses are afraid of in the depths of their debasement, with their guard temporarily down.
One grotesque tableau follows another, but Russell never makes it easy for the rattled viewer. As to what's real and what's not, that's left open, as is the interpretation at the end. Was it all suggestion and hallucination? This reviewer isn't convinced, and Russell's leaving only the vaguest of clues.
It also works on a madcap comedy level. If you sit and think about what you've just watched, you WILL laugh, as with many of Russell's movies.
There are many redolent Russell repulses to rejoice in. A gory stigmata, a make-your-own-mind-up abortion, leeches, rats, incest, slime... In fact, if you can think of it, it's probably here, dowsed in Thomas Dolby's vivid score and competing like crazy with all the other fierce imagery.
There's an attractive funeral pyre sequence as well, filmed in the lake district and involving Shelley. In his autobiography, Russell indicates this is how he would ultimately like to be `disposed' of. Good idea, better than cold earth, hope the weather's good so the 40 piece orchestra, assembled by Melvin Bragg, don't get sodden, as they play Liszt or the Who at full blast!
Performances are good, particularly Gabriel Byrne as `mad' Lord Byron and Natasha Richardson as proto-feminist Mary Shelley (and I'd love to hear the advice mum Vanessa Redgrave gave her about working with Russell. She may proclaim `the Devils' to be her best film, but she never worked with him again!) and I don't think Julian Sands performance as Shelley is as bad as reported either. It's not great by any stretch, but I've seen worse, and he IS playing a highly strung (out!?), self-suffering waif-in-a-storm, zonked out of his literary brains.
`Gothic' isn't Russell's best film, but it is a good one. Compared to the output of most modern Hollywood directors it's a masterpiece. It has wild imagery, some very tender and moving moments, but most of all it has an atmosphere of utter dread, created masterfully by a visionary who knows instinctively how to use light and dark, sound and shadow and Richard Branson's money to make a looney entertainment about some of the worlds most respected and austere literary figures, verbally and physically abusing each other, raising the dead, ripping off their clothes and writhing round in slime.
A Ken Russell film, could it be anything else?