The Grotesque (film)

The Grotesque is a 1995 British film by John-Paul Davidson, adapted from the 1989 novel by Patrick McGrath. It stars Alan Bates, Lena Headey, Theresa Russell and Sting.

Academy Award-winning Costume Designer Colleen Atwood worked on the film, and McGrath's wife, actress Maria Aitken, performed in a supporting role. The Grotesque is also notable as featuring Sting in nude scenes.

Plot summary
From Amazon.com: Sir Hugo is more interested in reconstructing dinosaur bones than in paying attention to his wife, Lady Harriet. He's not thrilled when daughter Cleo brings home her betrothed, Sidney, who aspires to be a poet. The new butler, Fledge, provides Lady Harriet with the attention she's been missing and then seduces Sidney. Did he have a role in Sidney's disappearance as well?

Cast
Alan Bates	... Sir Hugo Coal Theresa Russell	... Lady Harriet Coal Sting	... Fledge Lena Headey	... Cleo Coal Jim Carter	... George Lecky Anna Massey	... Mrs. Giblet Trudie Styler	... Doris Maria Aitken	... Lavinia Freebody James Fleet	... Inspector Limp Steven Mackintosh	... Sidney Giblet John Mills	... Sir Edward Cleghorn Chris Barnes ... John Lecky Timothy Kightley	... Harbottle Richard Durden	... Sykes-Herring Nick Lucas	... Hubert Cleggie Annette Badland	... Connie Babblehump David Henry	... Freddy Hoygh Bob Goody	... Father Pim Edward Jewesbury	... Sir Edward Tome David Killick	... Sir Humphrey Stoker Geoffrey Freshwater	... Jury Foreman Jeffrey Wickham	... Justice Congreve Michael Cronin	... Dr. Walter Dendrite Eleanor Church	... Nurse

Alternate titles and availability
The film was released under the title Gentlemen Don't Eat Poets in the United States, and later its US video title was Grave Indiscretion. It is also known as Butler morden leiser in Germany, Grotesco in Portugal and Perverso in Spain.

The film is available on Region 2 DVD (as The Grotesque) and VHS (Grave Indiscretion) only, though both versions are out of print.