Dust Devil (1993 film)
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Dust Devil is a 1993 horror film written and directed by Richard Stanley. The film was described by one critic as being like "Tarkovsky on acid". [[Citing sources citation needed]]
Plot
Set largely in the desert in Namibia and South Africa, it concerns a demon which possesses human beings. The film has three interlocking plots, about an abused wife fleeing her husband, her husband's search for her, and the search of a guilt-ridden, elderly black policeman for the perpetrator of a gruesome ritual murder. The plots are deftly woven together in what the writer-director has described as a "spiralling" structure, and come together at the end for an apocalyptic finale.
Availability
The film's producers Palace Pictures went bankrupt during the production and Stanley lost control of the film. A new edit of the film was done for release in the United States without the Director's involvement.
Dust Devil has surfaced in about five different versions. The original cut runs at 120 minutes, yet its post-production was never finished. The U.K. video release runs at 105 minutes, being the final director's cut. Stanley has personally presented it in various film festivals.
The film suffered greatly in hands of the U.S. distributor, Miramax. The U.S. VHS and laserdisc, both in pan&scan, run at 87 minutes. According to Stanley, an even shorter stateside version was released, with a running time of 68 minutes. An Italian version, dubbed Demoniaca runs at 82 minutes. The original and the final cut are said to be only ones sharing most of the scenes and the general storyline.
The state of things has improved greatly since then, as the German publisher Laser Paradise have released their Dust Devil DVD. It features the Final Cut of the film, basing on the same master as the British VHS.
Subversive Cinema will be releasing a special edition DVD in North America in September. Stanley recently has recorded commentaries and interviews not only for the film, but also for three rarely seen documentary films he has directed over the last decade and a half, Voice of the Moon, The Secret Glory and The White Darkness. [link] [link]
Cast
- John Matshikiza - Joe Niemand
- Robert John Burke - Dust Devil (as Robert Burke)
- Terri Norton - Saarke Haarhoff
- Chelsea Field - Wendy Robinson
- Rufus Swart - Mark Robinson
- William Hootkins - Capt. Beyman
- Zakes Mokae - Ben Mukurob
- Russell Copley - Cpl. Dutoit
- Andre Odendaal - Cpl. Bates
- Luke Cornell - Soldier 1
- Philip Henn - Soldier 2
- Robert Stevenson - Rifle Boy
- Peter Hallr - Marist Monk
- Stephen Earnhart - Camper Driver
- Marianne Sägebrecht - Dr. Leidzinger
External links
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