Search - Brothers of the Head [Widescreen] on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Profanity, Sexual Situations, Drug Content Movie Release: 2006 DVD Release: 11/14/2006 Format: DVD - Color,Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 33 mins Studio: IFC Films Members Wishing: 9 Genres: Comedy Drama, Period Film, Mockumentary

Brothers of the Head was adapted from Brian Aldiss' novel by screenwriter Tony Grisoni, and marks the narrative feature debut of Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe (Lost in La Mancha), who have structured Aldiss' story as a mock documentary. Twins Luke and Harry Treadaway star, respectively, as conjoined twins Barry and Tom Howe, joined at the torso. They were essentially purchased from their family as teens in the 1970s by a sleazy showbiz impresario, Zak Bedderwick (Howard Attfield), who planned to turn them into rock stars. Manager Nick (Sean Harris) kept the volatile Barry in line, sometimes violently, while musician Paul (Bryan Dick) taught the introspective Tom how to play the guitar, and helped the brothers write their songs. A documentary filmmaker, Eddie (Tom Bower), was hired to record the process. Their first live performance was a near disaster, as the rowdy pub crowd didn't welcome the sight of the two young men coming on-stage with their arms around each other, but Barry, the charismatically angry frontman, shocked the crowd by exposing the joint between them as he ripped into a snarling performance of their first single, "Two-Way Romeo," and the legend of their group, the Bang Bang, was born. As the proto-punk group's fame grew, Laura (Tania Emery), a young journalist, came to write an article about them, and quickly developed a romantic relationship with Tom, causing friction between the brothers. The film features interviews with some of the characters in the present day, and clips from an imagined unfinished Ken Russell film about the twins, starring Jonathan Pryce and Jane Horrocks. The music of the Bang Bang, performed by cast members and the band Crackout, was written and produced by Clive Langer. Brothers of the Head was shown at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Harry Treadaway - Tom Howe
Luke Treadaway - Barry Howe
Bryan Dick - Paul Day (1970s)
Sean Harris - Nick
Tania Emery - Laura Ashworth (1970s)

Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe's smart but twisted mockumentary about co-joined twins who become rock stars gets a glossy but straightforward treatment in this DVD release from IFC Films. Brothers of the Head has been given a widescreen transfer to disc, letterboxed at the aspect ratio of 1.78:1 on standard televisions and enhanced for 16x9 playback on anamorphic monitors. The transfer captures the moody grit of the film's visual style beautifully, and the materials look practically flawless. The audio is similarly strong and richly detailed, and has been mastered in Dolby Digital 5.1. The dialogue is in English, with optional subtitles in English and Spanish. As a bonus, the disc features fourteen scenes that were either cut from the final version of the film, or considerably shortened for its original release; also included are trailers for several other IFC and Weinstein Company releases. Brothers of the Head is the sort of film that practically defines the notion of "matter of taste," but the DVD offers a respectful treatment of an unusual work, and this should satisfy both fans of the film and the curious who missed it in its brief theatrical release. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide