Sea of Dust (film)
| Sea of Dust | |
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| Directed by | Scott Bunt |
| Produced by | Patrick T. Rousseau, Noah Workman |
| Written by | Scott Bunt |
| Starring | Tom Savini Ingrid Pitt Bill Timoney Edward X. Young Troy Holland Stuart Rudin John Correll |
| Music by | Jasper Drew |
| Cinematography | Brian Fass |
| Editing by | Ron Kalish |
| Distributed by | Cinema Epoch- North America |
| Release date(s) | 2008 |
| Running time | 90 min |
| Country | U.S.A. |
| Language | English |
Sea of Dust is a 2008 horror-fantasy film starring Tom Savini and Ingrid Pitt that takes its name from the boundary separating reality from religious "truth," a boundary epitomized by Prester John's Sea of Dust.
[edit] Production
A stylistic tribute to the sixties work of Hammer Films and Italian genre director Mario Bava, Sea incorporates the Prester John myth into its heady stew of surrealism, social satire, and comic invention. Pitt went as far as to call her final screen appearance "one of the best films I ever worked on."
While the tongue-in-cheek "horror" film garnered largely positive reviews in the horror press, including such publications as Canada's Rue-Morgue, the U.K.'s Gorezone, and America's Fangoria, its Midnight Movie structure and social critiques also served to polarize audiences. The film can be read as a dark satire of George W. Bush's War on Terror and the rise of Neo-Con politics, as well as a Lynchian fable of sexual repression. "(SEA is) at once a black slapstick comedy, a twisted horror tale, a stylish period piece and a biting religious satire," wrote Fangoria.
Originally shot in 2006-2007, SEA OF DUST suffered post-production delays attributable to the illness of star Ingrid Pitt, which caused extensive structural revisions (detailed in the Region 1 DVD commentary). Regardless, the film obtained strong festival response, winning both the Rhode Island International Film Festival and Fright Night Film Festival, and opening Fangoria's Trinity of Terrors in Las Vegas in 2009.
The film also gained the support of cult directors Jean Rollin and Ken Russell, no strangers to the incorporation of surreal elements into a horror context, which boosted SEA OF DUST's standing.
In August 2010, SEA OF DUST was released in North America by Cinema Epoch DVD. This package included three trailers, all of which would be banned when the film went to cable TV. Despite the film's satiric intent, the trailers were deemed "too bloody" for mass consumption, as was a fourth that had been created as a tribute to Ingrid Pitt (who passed in November, 2010).
The same month marked the publication of the McFarland Press book, "Ingrid Pitt, Queen of Horror," by Bobb Cotter. Mr. Cotter called SEA OF DUST "one of the strongest anti-intolerance statements made in recent film history" and one of Ingrid Pitt's "best latter-day showcases."
[edit] News
November 11, 2008
Sea of Dust wins "Best Picture" at the Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival.
September 1, 2009
Sea of Dust wins "Best of the Fest" at the Fright Night Film Festival.
October 30th, 2009
Sea of Dust opens the 2009 Fangoria Trinity of Terrors Film Festival.
