The Bloody Chamber (1983) An Angela Carter Adaption

[MrRING]

The IMDB has the curious listing for a short film adaption of Angela Carter's take on Bluebeard:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3187438/?ref_=nm_flmg_wr_4

It lists some rather prominent actors - Rupert Everett, Suzanna Hamilton, Terence Stamp - but I can find no life for this outside of the IMDB listing. Has anybody seen this to confirm its existence?

 

[ralfy]

There are a few more details here:

https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6f675695

The British Film Catalogue: Two Volume Set - The Fiction Film/The Non-Fiction Film mentions it in entry 14077, produced by Springhall (UIP). UIP might be able to give more information:

http://www.uip.com/

 

[JamesWhitehead]

The date leads me to think this short was intended for Channel Four, which first aired in November 1982. The brief of the new channel was to buy from independent producers, so it may have been made on spec. If it never made it onto the air, there was a limited market for it elsewhere.

Neil Jordan's Company of Wolves arrived two years later from Palace Pictures. It was moderately successful* and is described as "Carter's first experience of writing for film." The mysterious short was derived from the same collection of short stories but the screen-writer was one Ross Cramer, so this may - technically - be correct. Film companies were in the habit of acquiring rights and suppressing earlier adaptations, so this curious work may be in limbo for that reason.

*Edit. 04.06 am, It was pitched on its horror movie credentials, as it featured some interesting lycanthropic effects. Carter's wordy, feminist variations on mythical folktales were much celebrated in their day but the feature was not universally welcomed by her fans. She was canonised when she died quite young.