A Short Film About John Bolton – review

Director: Neil Gaiman

Release Date: 2003

Contains spoilers

This was Neil Gaiman’s directorial début and there are one or two things to say about it before we look at the content. Firstly, it is short. Coming in at only 30 minutes it seems a little too short for a DVD release and yet the length is probably right for what it is, any more would have been spurious. It is only on US DVD, despite the fact that it is clearly British, and one wonders why it is not available here. The direction is nothing special, functional would be the word. Finally it is hardly original. The story is essentially Lovecraft’s “Pickman’s Model” and, having said that, I have spoilt the whole thing for you.

All that said, it is a lovely little piece and fairly essential for the Neil Gaiman fan, if only for the extras, all 2 hours of them, especially the film of Gaiman’s charity reading.

The film itself is documentary style, a documentary about artist John Bolton (John O’Mahony). It begins with British broadcaster Jonathan Ross (as himself) privately viewing a gallery of Bolton’s work before the public opening. Ross confesses to being a Bolton fan.

The camera pans around his work, they are all vampire women (actually most of the pictures are recognisable from the net, google image vampires and I think virtually every one will show up). Ross owns one piece and is definitely looking to buy another. The use of a real broadcaster immediately gives the mock-umentary a realistic feel.

Bolton arrives at the gallery and the owner Carolyn Dalgleish (Carolyn Blackhouse) is gushing – though in interview she skirts whether she actually likes the work herself and admits that she doesn’t own any personally. She also admits that some of her staff take vacation when a Bolton exhibition is on. Bolton himself seems reticent, withdrawn.

When he officially opens the exhibition Bolton simply states he paints what he sees. Following the exhibition the crew follow Bolton into his world. We see him in a bakery, where a shop girl (Denise Worme) asks to see and touch *it*. It is his ceremonial silver dagger – a mark of being a freeman of Crouch-End.

In interview he admits that, despite a Guardian review stating that he has a ‘damaged imagination’, he has no real imagination. He is lucky as an artist, that is all. The interviewer (Marcus Brigstocke as himself) wonders why he has agreed to open up to them and Bolton admits it to be a mistake. Only Marcus is to go to his studio.

Dusk that evening and Marcus goes with Bolton to the graveyard (Abney Park Cemetery for those who wish to know) that houses Bolton’s studio. Marcus has a hand held camera and the crew are required to leave. A monk (Martin Cordier) passes a lantern to Bolton and they descend into the crypt that is Bolton’s studio.

The crypt is candlelit and there are other pieces, more macabre than the gallery pieces, strewn around as well as unfinished work. Bolton seems to do nothing, he says that they come to him – Marcus believes he is speaking about ideas. When asked if he is nervous, Bolton responds with why should they hurt him, besides he has his silver knife. Marcus checks about his teacher – Bolton once said it was someone named Richard Dad but they can only find records of a Victorian lunatic of that name. Bolton dismisses the question.

Growing more nervous Marcus decides to leave – though Bolton has suggested it is now fully dark. We get a piece to camera by Marcus, outside, that owes a great deal to the Blair Witch Project in look and sees Marcus trying to compose an end statement. He hears flapping.

Scared he flips the camera around onto a stone angel, nervously amused by his own fears. As he moves the camera it captures a woman (Betti Marenko), with striped midrift, another woman (Katie Lawrie) approaches. Marcus mumbles about the film and the camera falls as he is attacked, capturing the face of the second woman. We see Bolton’s painting of the attack. The end.

Now I went through the whole thing because the vampires only appear in the last 30 seconds and also because this is – with the replacement of ghouls by vampires – a modern retelling of ‘Pickman’s Model’, as I mentioned, and I expect that most will know that and its twist.

As I also said, the direction is functional but fits the mock-umentary style, indeed it adds (along with the natural dialogue and performance) a sense of the real to the film. This is a quirky little piece, one for the collection of vampire fans, Gaiman fans and, to be fair, Lovecraft fans. For some reason it just works – probably down to O’Mahony’s understated performance. 6.5 out of 10.

The imdb page is here.