Night Train to Venice

Night Train to Venice is a 1993 German contemporary gothic-horror film directed by Carlo U. Quinterio. This international production was a cooperation of British, Italian, and German artists, including Hugh Grant, Malcolm McDowell, Tahnee Welch, Evelyn Opela, Kristina Söderbaum and Rachel Rice (Big Brother 9 winner). It was filmed in 1993 and released worldwide in 1995. The film has been criticized for the non-linear plot it follows and the obvious references to the Gothic genre. In a radio interview in 2002, Hugh Grant deemed the film the worst he has ever been in. The thriller presents a labyrinthine combination of sexual transgression, darkness and intrigue, bearing a strong similarity to other Gothic texts, including Dracula. The story itself features obscure icons, such as the constant appearance of a woman and child dressed in white, ferocious Rottweilers with a taste for human flesh, Venetians in strange masks and recurring figures of the Commedia dell'arte; all of these elements wrapped in a dream-like atmosphere. Synopsis The young Scottish journalist Martin Gimmle (Grant) is traveling to Venice by train to drop off a copy of his book on European Neo-Nazism to an unknown publisher. On the way there he meets a bevy of odd characters. Among them is The Stranger (McDowell), an illusive and evil character, who has mysterious powers over people, and even their dreams. He also encounters Vera (Welch), a performer who is travelling with her daughter, and he falls in love with her.