Love and Death on Long Island

1998 1h 33m EN

😐

6.3

MID

🍅

87%

FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

6.9

IMDB

★6.3TMDB · 60🍅87%Rotten Tomatoes●80Metacritic★6.9IMDB · 4,198

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Curmudgeonly author Giles De'Ath, a widower with a marked distaste for modern popular culture, attempts to buy a ticket for a film adaptation of an E.M. Forster novel, but instead finds himself watching a tacky teen sex comedy. Yet when the beautiful Ronnie Bostock appears on the movie screen, Giles finds himself caught in a whirlwind of unanswered questions about both his own sexuality and his place in late 20th-century society.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

John Hurt
Giles De'Ath
Jason Priestley
Ronnie Bostock
Fiona Loewi
Audrey
Sheila Hancock
Mrs. Barker
Harvey Atkin
Lou
Maury Chaykin
Irving Buckmuller
Gawn Grainger
Henry
Elizabeth Quinn
Mrs. Reed

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Richard Kwietniowski
Writers: Richard Kwietniowski
Languages: German, French, English
Countries: Canada, United Kingdom, Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Canada, United Kingdom, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Richard Kwietniowski, shot by Oliver Curtis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Richard Grassby-Lewis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Susan Shipton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

John Hurt and Jason Priestley and Fiona Loewi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0119574 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Richard Kwietniowski directs. Oliver Curtis behind the camera. Richard Grassby-Lewis scores. Susan Shipton cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Canada, United Kingdom, Italy. Dialogue in German, French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

128 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, French, English.
3International production across 3 countries: Canada, United Kingdom, Italy.
4Directed by Richard Kwietniowski, shot by Oliver Curtis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Richard Grassby-Lewis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Susan Shipton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7John Hurt and Jason Priestley and Fiona Loewi carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0119574 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 60 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Oliver Curtis
Original score: Richard Grassby-Lewis
Editing: Susan Shipton
Production design: David McHenry
Costume design: Andrea Galer
Makeup / hair: Norma Richard
Stunt coordinator: Branko Racki
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Love and Death on Long Island (1998)
Rotten Tomatoes: 87% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 80/100
IMDB rating: 6.9/10 · 4,198 votes
MPAA: PG-13
US box office: $2,581,012

Awards

Won 1 BAFTA Award4 wins & 4 nominations total

Also by

Richard Kwietniowski

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-09-07
★ 7/10
“Giles De’Ath” (John Hurt) is a rather reclusive writer who has largely shunned publicity until he goes to the cinema and inadvertently finds himself watching a piece of throwaway teen nonsense starring heartthrob “Ronnie” (Jason Priestly). For reasons that he can’t immediately explain this recently widowed gent finds himself enthralled by this young man and has soon bought himself a VCR (without knowing he needed a television too), then signed up at his local Blockbuster to rent just about every bit of pulp this lad has graced. Now entirely entranced, he travels to Long Island, takes a room in a motel and plans to ingratiate himself with his girlfriend “Audrey” (Fiona Loewi). His arrival proves well timed as the young superstar is having some doubts about what to do next. Seeing his chance, “De’Ath” begins to use his Britishness to espouse the virtues of Shakespeare and his abilities to entertain those in the bear pit to convince “Ronnie” that he, too, could become a Thespian. “Ronnie” begins to lap this all up but, gradually, “Audrey” begins to tire of his increasing interloping into their lives and with the author now somewhat besotted, what possible outcome can emerge? Hurt is in his element here sporting his stiff upper lip, his perfectly tailored tweeds and captivating his naive young quarry with his perfect command of the English language. Priestly? Well he’s more of a model with lines than an actor. Thoughtfully strolling along the beach in his pristine white linen, playing with his dog, beautiful home and girlfriend - he epitomises the beauty that made so many a star without really the talent to support any sort of longevity once the fickle audience had moved onto the next poster person. Some of the dialogue from Hurt is considered and quite poignant as he deals not only with his own fairly steep emotional (and technological) learning curve but with an infatuation that takes a firm grip on his heart and his soul. I didn’t love the conclusion. Perhaps because it was never going to satisfy, but along the way John Hurt provides us with a characterful performance.

Production companies