The Grotesque
Promotional poster
Directed by	John-Paul Davidson
Written by	Patrick McGrath (novel and screenplay)
Produced by	Stephen Evans John Kay Trudie Styler
Starring	Alan Bates Lena Headey Theresa Russell Sting
Cinematography	Andrew Dunn
Edited by	Tariq Anwar
Music by	Anne Dudley
Distributed by	Live Entertainment (U.S.)
Release dates	14 June 1996 (1996-06-14) (UK) 7 March 1997 (1997-03-07) (U.S.) 28 November 2001 (2001-11-28) (France TV)
Running time	99 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

The Grotesque (also known as Grave Indiscretion and Gentlemen Don't Eat Poets) is a 1995 British film by John-Paul Davidson, adapted from the 1989 novel of the same name by Patrick McGrath. It stars Alan Bates, Lena Headey, Theresa Russell and Sting.

Costume Designer Colleen Atwood worked on the film, and McGrath's wife, actress Maria Aitken, performed in a supporting role.

Plot

Eccentric paleontologist Sir Hugo has little interest in his wife, Lady Harriet, but the new butler, Fledge, gives her the attention she needs. Hugo dislikes his daughter Cleo's fiancé, aspiring poet Sidney, and Sidney's subsequent disappearance places the household in further turmoil.

Cast

• Alan Bates as Sir Hugo Coal
• Theresa Russell as Lady Harriet Coal
• Sting as Fledge
• Lena Headey as Cleo Coal
• Jim Carter as George Lecky
• Anna Massey as Mrs. Giblet
• Trudie Styler as Doris
• Maria Aitken as Lavinia Freebody
• James Fleet as Inspector Limp
• Steven Mackintosh as Sidney Giblet
• John Mills as Sir Edward Cleghorn
• Annette Badland as Connie Babblehump
• Bob Goody as Father Pim

Release

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.^[1] 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.

Reception

Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club called the film "predictable", noting its "lack of substance" and that "Bates and Russell deliver amusingly over-the-top performances...but Sting and Styler give wooden performances that make their characters seem not so much eerie and mysterious as heavily sedated."^[1]