Do Not Swallow, the only film directed by Gary Oldman, is back in theaters 25 years after its release, in a restored 4K version!
For his first (and only) film as a director, Gary Oldman places his camera in a working-class district of south London and paints a particularly somber portrait of a modest family that is not really a stickler for vocabulary.
Directed in 1997, Do not swallow marked its time by the harshness of its subject and the socially dramatic dimension of its narrative. The film is notably known for being one of the grossest of all time with 428 pronounced “fucks”.
Don’t Swallow introduces us to Ray (Ray Winstone), Val (Kathy Burke), Janet, the Grandmother and the Granddaughter. Odd jobs, tricks and jail. Friends, bars, alcohol and drugs. A world of men where only women hold out. Raymond’s family, his wife Val and his brother-in-law Billy live in a working class area of London.
Billy is drugged and Raymond kicks him out of his house, forcing him to live outside, hoping for help from his mother Janet and grandmother Kath. Raymond, father of a little girl, is drunk most of the time and sometimes becomes violent, including with his pregnant wife.
On the occasion of its 25th anniversary, Do Not Swallow has therefore been restored in 4K from the Super 16mm negative and the 35mm soundtrack, on loan from Sony Pictures Classics. The work is offered in a new 1.66:1 format. The calibration was made from a recent print and approved by Gary Oldman himself.
By directing this feature film, the actor opens up like never before, painting an uncompromising portrait of his own family. Hailing from the southern suburbs of London, Gary Oldman strips bare for his one and only achievement to date.
The filmmaker describes us “a slow descent into family hell, torn apart by the alcohol, drugs and violence of Ray, the pater familias, a replica of his to whom the film is dedicated, and embodied by Ray Winstone, unforgettable in Scum, whose depiction of violence echoes here”explains Eva Markovits, programming manager at the Cinémathèque française and the Center Pompidou.
DR Ray Winstone and Kathy Burke
“The camera, often carried on the shoulder, nervous and on the lookout, restores this slice of life as in a documentary. Gravely monologues, heroin shots, striptease, rare moments of tenderness, everything is filmed in the same way , without concession, in a dark setting that the sun never illuminates”analyzes Eva Markovits.
In addition, Do not swallow is also remarkable for its heady soundtrack by Eric Clapton, legendary guitarist and British musician. Selected in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997, Do Not Swallow won the Best Actress Award for Kathy Burke, who played Valerie, Ray’s wife.
“The work is considered a classic of English cinema, in line with the greatest masters of social realism (Stephen Frears, Mike Leigh, Ken Loach)”, assures Eva Eva Markovits. Note that the feature film is co-produced by Luc Besson, who directed Gary Oldman in Leon in 1994.