| Consuming Passions | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Giles Foster |
| Written by | Paul D. Zimmerman Andrew Davies (from a play Secrets by Michael Palin and Terry Jones) |
| Produced by | William P. Cartlidge |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Roger Pratt |
| Edited by | John Grover |
| Music by | Richard Hartley |
| Distributed by | Vestron Pictures[1] |
Running time | 98 min |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Consuming Passions is a 1988 black comedy film which stars Vanessa Redgrave, Jonathan Pryce, and Sammi Davis and was directed by Giles Foster. The film is based on Secrets by Michael Palin and Terry Jones,[2] a BBC television play broadcast in 1973.
In the film, a chocolate factory accidentally released a new luxury product which contained human flesh. When the product turns into a surprise sales hit, the factory's owners decide to market their products to cannibals and to keep acquiring human corpses as key ingredients.
Synopsis
The film tells the story of a chocolate factory preparing to launch a new luxury range, Passionelles. However, during the production run a worker falls into a vat of chocolate and dies, meaning human flesh is present in the first batch released.
The horrified owners try and fail to recall the chocolates, but when they go on sale, they prove a surprise hit. Keen to continue the success, the developers try to replicate the taste with animal meat, but this fails miserably - leading them to realise human flesh is the key ingredient, and going to extreme lengths to obtain dead bodies to use in the chocolate.
Cast
- Tyler Butterworth as Ian Littleton
- Jonathan Pryce as Mr Farris
- Freddie Jones as Graham Chumley
- Vanessa Redgrave as Mrs Garza
- Prunella Scales as Ethel
- Sammi Davis as Felicity
- Thora Hird as Mrs Gordon
- John Wells as Dr Forrester
- Timothy West as Dr Rees
- Bryan Pringle as Gateman
- Mary Healey as Mrs Eggleston
- Andrew Sachs as Jason
- Deddie Davies as Mrs Coot
- William Rushton as Big Teddy
- Wincey Willis as TV Presenter
- Linda Lusardi as French Beauty
- Patrick Newell as Lester
- Preston Lockwood as Josiah
Reception
The Time Out Film Guide describes the 'recipe' for this film and concludes that of the result: "the consistency should be lumpy and the taste insipid."[3]
References
- ↑ "Consuming Passions (1988)". BBFC. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
- ↑ John Walker (ed) Halliwell's Film and Video Guide 2000, London: HarperCollins, 1999, p. 177
- ↑ John Pym (ed.) Time Out Film Guide 2009, London: Aurum Press, 2008, p. 210