Brothers of the Head (2005)

Directors:

Keith Fulton
Louis Pepe

Writers:

Brian Aldiss (novel)
Tony Grisoni (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 October 2006 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

For some people... Rock & Roll was always a freak show.

Plot:

In the 1970s a music promoter plucks Siamese twins from obscurity and grooms them into a freakish rock'n'roll act. A dark tale of sex, strangeness and rock music. |

Plot Keywords:

Siamese Twins | 1970s | Sex | Twin | Impresario

Awards:

2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Jonathan Pryce	...	Henry Couling
Harry Treadaway	...	Tom Howe
John Simm	...	Boatman
Luke Treadaway	...	Barry Howe
Sean Harris	...	Nick Sidney
Ken Russell	...	Himself
James Greene	...	Brian Aldiss
Elizabeth Rider	...	Roberta Howe
Luke Wagner	...	Young Zak
Anna Nygh	...	Zak's Mum / Rita Bedderwick
Howard Attfield	...	Zak Bedderwick
Edward Hogg	...	Chris Dervish (as Ed Hogg)
Bryan Dick	...	Paul Day - 1970's
Nicholas Millard	...	Tubs
David Kennedy	...	Paul Day - Present day

MPAA:

Rated R for language, drug use and sexuality.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:18 | USA:Not Rated | USA:R | Ireland:16 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Portugal:M/16 | Australia:MA (2008)

Filming Locations:

Blakeney Point, Norfolk, England, UK

Company:

Potboiler Productions

Quotes:

Barry Howe: What are you writing about?
Laura Ashworth - 1970's: Well, you guys specifically.
Barry Howe: What about us?
Laura Ashworth - 1970's: Well, you know, you're kind of... you know, you're different. Young and exciting.
Barry Howe: Young, exciting, what else? Give me a- give me a third.
Laura Ashworth - 1970's: Listen, I'm actually writing an article about exploitation of the physically impaired.
Barry Howe: [long pause] Speak to Tubbs, he's got a dodgy ankle.

Movie Connections:

References Women in Love (1969)

Great Potential Not Quite Realized

When I viewed the catalog for the Cleveland International Film Festival, Brothers of the Head was the first film I decided I wanted to see. It had all the potential of being a great rock movie with an interesting twist. The film itself was not completely what I had expected. The storyline was interesting and unusual. The music was humorous. The acting was great. The cinematography was excellent, especially during dream sequences that appear throughout the story. The one problem with this film, which has the potential to destroy the entire experience for the viewer, is its faux-documentary style. The writing was obviously intended to give a third person narration of the boys' life so that it is more dark and tragic. In this way, it is absolutely effective, especially at the conclusion of the film. However, it slows the beginning and keeps the viewer from being pulled in at the start. Many viewers in Cleveland found that this kept them from enjoying the rest of the film. It is sad that such an unusual film may not meet its full potential because of not-quite-there writing.