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Birthday:
05-09-1955
(69 years)
Birthplace:
Mexico City, Mexico
Biography
Luis Gabriel Beristáin, ASC, BSC, AMC, is a Mexican cinematographer, producer, and television director known for his work on numerous well-known films, including The Distinguished Gentleman, The Spanish Prisoner, Blade II, and Street Kings, and several entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including the Agent Carter television series.
He has collaborated with filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro, Derek Jarman, David Mamet, and David Ayer. He is an active member of both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
Beristain was born in Mexico City, the son of actor Luis Beristáin. His interest in filmmaking began with his involvement in Mexico's independent film scene in the seventies. He studied engineering at the Instituto Politécnico Nacional and later joined a new film studies program at the school while also producing audiovisual training materials for the health department.
After filming a number of documentaries, he founded a small commercial production company before moving to Italy in 1977. At the recommendation of director Sergio Leone, he relocated to the United Kingdom, where he enrolled in the prestigious National Film and Television School, which accepted only 25 students a year. He was one of only five foreigners to be accepted into the school and studied cinematography under Oswald Morris and Billy Williams.
His first feature film as a cinematographer was the 1983 Colombian horror film Bloody Flesh (Spanish: Carne de tu carne, "Flesh of Your Flesh"), for which he won the Best Cinematography Award at the Bogotá Film Festival. His work on Derek Jarman's 1986 film Caravaggio earned him a Special Silver Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. Beristain was one of several cinematographers on the 1987 anthology film Aria, which was nominated for a Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Allen Daviau suggested he move to Hollywood, where he could apply his talents and unique insight into both Mexican and Anglo cultures. Beristain has been a member of the British Society of Cinematographers since 1990 and the American Society of Cinematographers since 2002.
While working on 2003's S.W.A.T., Beristain became friends with executive producer Louis D'Esposito, who, after helping form Marvel Studios, invited Beristain to do additional photography for Iron Man. He wound up in the same function in six other Marvel Cinematic Universe films and also served as cinematographer for the D'Esposito-directed Marvel One-Shot short films Item 47 (2012) and Agent Carter (2013), as well as the television series Agent Carter. Beristein would eventually have his first feature for the studio as cinematographer in 2021's Black Widow.
Beristain had a son born in 1980 who lived in Austria and died in 2000.
Beristain's influences are Gregg Toland, Freddie Young, Emmanuel Lubezki, and Roger Deakins. Description above from the Wikipedia article Gabriel Beristain, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
He has collaborated with filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro, Derek Jarman, David Mamet, and David Ayer. He is an active member of both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
Beristain was born in Mexico City, the son of actor Luis Beristáin. His interest in filmmaking began with his involvement in Mexico's independent film scene in the seventies. He studied engineering at the Instituto Politécnico Nacional and later joined a new film studies program at the school while also producing audiovisual training materials for the health department.
After filming a number of documentaries, he founded a small commercial production company before moving to Italy in 1977. At the recommendation of director Sergio Leone, he relocated to the United Kingdom, where he enrolled in the prestigious National Film and Television School, which accepted only 25 students a year. He was one of only five foreigners to be accepted into the school and studied cinematography under Oswald Morris and Billy Williams.
His first feature film as a cinematographer was the 1983 Colombian horror film Bloody Flesh (Spanish: Carne de tu carne, "Flesh of Your Flesh"), for which he won the Best Cinematography Award at the Bogotá Film Festival. His work on Derek Jarman's 1986 film Caravaggio earned him a Special Silver Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. Beristain was one of several cinematographers on the 1987 anthology film Aria, which was nominated for a Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Allen Daviau suggested he move to Hollywood, where he could apply his talents and unique insight into both Mexican and Anglo cultures. Beristain has been a member of the British Society of Cinematographers since 1990 and the American Society of Cinematographers since 2002.
While working on 2003's S.W.A.T., Beristain became friends with executive producer Louis D'Esposito, who, after helping form Marvel Studios, invited Beristain to do additional photography for Iron Man. He wound up in the same function in six other Marvel Cinematic Universe films and also served as cinematographer for the D'Esposito-directed Marvel One-Shot short films Item 47 (2012) and Agent Carter (2013), as well as the television series Agent Carter. Beristein would eventually have his first feature for the studio as cinematographer in 2021's Black Widow.
Beristain had a son born in 1980 who lived in Austria and died in 2000.
Beristain's influences are Gregg Toland, Freddie Young, Emmanuel Lubezki, and Roger Deakins. Description above from the Wikipedia article Gabriel Beristain, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Their works
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Incident at Loch Ness
Act like Self
event2004 star_border 5.8
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When renowned director Werner Herzog and fellow filmmaker Zak Penn set off to explore the legend of Scotland's Loch Ness monster, they uncover much more than they bargained for. Unexplained sightings of the creature and chaos among the crew create an uneasy feeling that things aren't what they seem.
The Blood Pact: The Making of 'Blade II'
Act like Self
event2002
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Documentary about the making of the film 'Blade II'.
Nightstalkers, Daywalkers, and Familiars: Inside the World of 'Blade: Trinity'
Act like Self
event2005 star_border 5.7
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Documentary on the making of 'Blade: Trinity'.
Street Kings
Director of Photography
event2008 star_border 6.6
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Tom Ludlow is a disillusioned L.A. Police Officer, rarely playing by the rules and haunted by the death of his wife. When evidence implicates him in the execution of a fellow officer, he is forced to go up against the cop culture he's been a part of his entire career, ultimately leading him to question the loyalties of everyone around him.
The Ring Two
Director of Photography
event2005 star_border 5.7
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After the ordeal with Samara, Rachel and Aiden move to a rural town. But soon Rachel learns about the death of a girl in a similar fashion. To save Aiden, she must dig into Samara's past even further.
The Shaggy Dog
Director of Photography
event2006 star_border 4.9
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The tale of a workaholic dad-turned-dog who finds that being man's best friend shows him the most important job - being a great dad.
The Distinguished Gentleman
Director of Photography
event1992 star_border 6
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A Florida con man uses the passing of the long time Congressman from his district, who he just happens to share a name with, to get elected to his version of paradise- Congress, where the money flows from lobbyists.
Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter
Director of Photography
event2013 star_border 7.3
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The film takes place one year after the events of Captain America: The First Avenger, in which Agent Carter, a member of the Strategic Scientific Reserve, is in search of the mysterious Zodiac.
Marvel One-Shot: Item 47
Director of Photography
event2012 star_border 6.5
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Benny and Claire, a down-on-their-luck couple, find a discarded Chitauri weapon referred to as 'Item 47'.
The Sentinel
Director of Photography
event2006 star_border 6.1
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Veteran Secret Service agent Pete Garrison investigates a colleague's murder and is subsequently framed as a mole in an assassination attempt on the President due to the machinations of a blackmailer who knows the secret he is hiding. Disgraced, dismissed, and now a fugitive with two relentless federal investigators hot on his heels, Garrison must both clear his name and save the president from assassination.
Caravaggio
Director of Photography
event1986 star_border 6.1
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A retelling of the life of the celebrated 17th-century Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio through his brilliant, nearly blasphemous paintings and his flirtations with the underworld.
Dolores Claiborne
Director of Photography
event1995 star_border 7.3
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Dolores Claiborne was accused of killing her abusive husband twenty years ago, but the court's findings were inconclusive and she was allowed to walk free. Now she has been accused of killing her employer, Vera Donovan, and this time there is a witness who can place her at the scene of the crime. Things look bad for Dolores when her daughter Selena, a successful Manhattan magazine writer, returns to cover the story.
S.W.A.T.
Director of Photography
event2003 star_border 6.2
top_panel_open
Hondo Harrelson recruits Jim Street to join an elite unit of the Los Angeles Police Department. Together they seek out more members, including tough Deke Kay and single mom Chris Sanchez. The team's first big assignment is to escort crime boss Alex Montel to prison. It seems routine, but when Montel offers a huge reward to anyone who can break him free, criminals of various stripes step up for the prize.
Bound by Honor
Director of Photography
event1993 star_border 8.1
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Based on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, the film focuses on half-brothers Paco and Cruz, and their bi-racial cousin Miklo. It opens in 1972, as the three are members of an East L.A. gang known as the "Vatos Locos", and the story focuses on how a violent crime and the influence of narcotics alter their lives. Miklo is incarcerated and sent to San Quentin, where he makes a "home" for himself. Cruz becomes an exceptional artist, but a heroin addiction overcomes him with tragic results. Paco becomes a cop and an enemy to his "carnal", Miklo.
Greedy
Director of Photography
event1994 star_border 6.2
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Meet the McTeagues. They've come to stake a claim in their wealthy uncle's will… only he's not dead yet!
The Invisible
Director of Photography
event2007 star_border 6.3
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After an attack leaves him in limbo -- invisible to the living and also near death -- a teenager discovers the only person who might be able help him is his attacker.
Blade II
Director of Photography
event2002 star_border 6.6
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A rare mutation has occurred within the vampire community - The Reaper. A vampire so consumed with an insatiable bloodlust that they prey on vampires as well as humans, transforming victims who are unlucky enough to survive into Reapers themselves. Blade is asked by the Vampire Nation for his help in preventing a nightmare plague that would wipe out both humans and vampires.
Blade: Trinity
Director of Photography
event2004 star_border 5.9
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For years, Blade has fought against the vampires in the cover of the night. But now, after falling into the crosshairs of the FBI, he is forced out into the daylight, where he is driven to join forces with a clan of human vampire hunters he never knew existed—The Nightstalkers. Together with Abigail and Hannibal, two deftly trained Nightstalkers, Blade follows a trail of blood to the ancient creature that is also hunting him—the original vampire, Dracula.
The Ghost and the Darkness
Second Unit Director of Photography
event1996 star_border 6.8
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Sir Robert Beaumont is behind schedule on a railroad in Africa. Enlisting noted engineer John Henry Patterson to right the ship, Beaumont expects results. Everything seems great until the crew discovers the mutilated corpse of the project's foreman, seemingly killed by a lion. After several more attacks, Patterson calls in famed hunter Charles Remington, who has finally met his match in the bloodthirsty lions.
Havana Kyrie
Producer
event2019 star_border 6.8
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Against the fascinating backdrop of an ever marvellous Havana, Vittorio Arditi De Bellis, an aging Italian orchestra conductor once celebrated for specialising in Rossini's compositions, has fallen on hard times. However, some remember he delivered some of the best renditions of the Rossini-Kyrie, and he soon finds himself reluctantly on the way to Havana, Cuba, to conduct the Children's Cuban National Choir. Starting on the wrong foot he quickly finds himself on the verge of losing everything. Rossini's Cuban style and the choir's children are also protagonists in this heart-warming and nostalgic tale of living, loving, growing old and being unexpectedly surprised when he meets the Son he never knew he fathered years ago - Vittorio's past adds new purpose to his present, allowing an otherwise quirky old man to feel his passion and taste the 'spice of life' once again.
The Beekeeper
Director of Photography
event2024 star_border 7.3
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One man's campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization known as Beekeepers.
The Avengers
Additional Photography
event2012 star_border 7.7
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When an unexpected enemy emerges and threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins!
Joyriders
Cinematography
event1988
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The growing relationship of two people who travel through Ireland in a series of stolen cars.
Waiting for the Light
Director of Photography
event1990 star_border 6.6
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When single mom Kay Harris inherits a failing small-town diner, her eccentric Aunt Zena attempts to liven things up with a 'ghostly' practical joke. But when Zena suddenly suffers a stroke and her spirited prank is mistaken by the townspeople for a spiritual vision, Kay soon discovers that it'll take a real miracle to bring her community and her family back together!
And Soon the Darkness
Director of Photography
event2010 star_border 5.2
top_panel_open
When two American girls on a bike trip in a remote part of Argentina split up and one of them goes missing, the other must find her before her worst fears are realized.
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Director of Photography
event2024 star_border 6.8
top_panel_open
Inside of his book, adventurous Harold can make anything come to life simply by drawing it. After he grows up and draws himself off the book's pages and into the physical world, Harold finds he has a lot to learn about real life.
The Spanish Prisoner
Director of Photography
event1997 star_border 6.8
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An inventor of a secret process suddenly finds himself alone as both his friends and the corporation he works for turn against him.
The Courier
Cinematography
event1988
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When a courier at the D-Day Courier Service mistakenly finds a pile of money in his regular delivery, he does some digging only to discover that the messenger company is a front for a drug ring. A reformed drug user himself, he sets out to crack the lethal ring.
Trial and Error
Director of Photography
event1997 star_border 5.4
top_panel_open
An actor poses as a lawyer to help his sick friend, and problems develop.
Iron Man
Additional Photography
event2008 star_border 7.6
top_panel_open
After being held captive in an Afghan cave, billionaire engineer Tony Stark creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil.
Jerry Seinfeld: I'm Telling You for the Last Time
Cinematography
event1998 star_border 7.5
top_panel_open
Taped for HBO in August 1998, on the final date of Jerry Seinfeld's tour appearances at New York City's Broadhurst Theater, I'm Telling You for the Last Time presents the standup comedian's so-called "final" standup, or at least his final tour with the standup material that made him famous.
Bloody Flesh
Director of Photography
event1983 star_border 6.8
top_panel_open
August 6, 1956 during the military dictatorship of Rojas Pinilla. A military convoy loaded with dynamite explodes in the center of Cali, destroying a good part of the traditional buildings of the city and exposing the roots of some houses that for years had kept the secret stories of their inhabitants.
Fatal Instinct
Director of Photography
event1993 star_border 5.4
top_panel_open
Ned Ravine is a police officer and lawyer who occasionally defends the delinquents he arrests. He crosses paths with seductive Lola Cain during an assignment and promptly begins an affair with her. Meanwhile, Ned's wife, Lana, is deep in an affair of her own. Lana and her lover are planning to murder Ned in an elaborate fashion so they can collect on his triple indemnity life insurance policy.
Aria
Director of Photography
event1987 star_border 5.7
top_panel_open
Ten short pieces directed by ten different directors, including Ken Russell, Jean-Luc Godard, Robert Altman, Bruce Beresford, and Nicolas Roeg. Each short uses an aria as soundtrack/sound, and is an interpretation of the particular aria.
There Be Dragons
Director of Photography
event2011 star_border 5
top_panel_open
Arising out of the horror of the Spanish Civil War, a candidate for canonization is investigated by a journalist who discovers his own estranged father had a deep, dark and devastating connection to the saint's life.While researching the life of Josemaria Escriva, the controversial founder of Opus Dei, the young journalist Robert uncovers hidden stories of his estranged father Manolo, and is taken on a journey through the dark, terrible secrets of his family’s past.
Sabotage
Additional Photography
event2014 star_border 5.6
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John 'Breacher' Wharton leads an elite DEA task force that takes on the world's deadliest drug cartels. When the team successfully executes a high-stakes raid on a cartel safe house, they think their work is done – until, one-by-one, the team members mysteriously start to be eliminated. As the body count rises, everyone is a suspect.
Tale of the Mummy
Director of Photography
event1998 star_border 4.4
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Centuries ago, under the sands of ancient Egypt, a Prince was buried and his tomb eternally cursed so that no man would ever again suffer from his evil ways. But hundreds of years later on a greedy search for treasure, a group of archaeologists break the cursed seal of the tomb. Every man vanishes without a trace, leaving behind only a log book, and a deadly warning of the legend of the bloodthirsty Talos.
Molly
Director of Photography
event1999 star_border 4.2
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Molly McKay is a profoundly autistic twenty-something woman who has lived in an institution from a young age following her parents' death in a car accident. When the institution must close due budget cuts, Molly is left in the care of her neurotypical, older brother, Buck McKay, an advertising executive and perennial bachelor. Buck makes her undergo an experimental medical treatment, with unexpectedly drastic results.
Christmas Present
Director of Photography
event1985 star_border 2
top_panel_open
A Christmas black comedy based on the tradition in Hammond's Bank that a member of the board should take a turkey and 6 pence to a deserving poor family.
Killing Dad (Or How to Love Your Mother)
Director of Photography
event1989 star_border 3.5
top_panel_open
A man, always very devoted to his mother, decides to look for his father whom he never met. He meets a seducing older woman prone to drinking and her aged boyfriend whom she grew tired of.
Venus Peter
Cinematography
event1989 star_border 5.8
top_panel_open
Produced for Scottish television, Venus Peter was financed by the Orkney Islands Council. The title character is transformed into a "sea child" when he is baptized with salt water. Though his family tries hard to accustom him to life on land, Peter (Gordon R. Strachan) yearns to go to sea -- or, at the very least, to escape his cloistered community. He finds a kindred spirit in Princess Paloma (Juliet Cadzow), the village "looney," who, alas, is eventually carted away to an institution. Briefly fascinated by poetry and music, thanks to his lovely teacher Miss Balsibie (Sinead Cusack), Peter is disillusioned when he finds his teacher in the arms of her lover (and out of her clothing). The final blow to Peter's idealism comes when his grandfather's ship is repossessed. Despite the bleakness of his surroundings and his seemingly dead-end existence, however, Peter never completely lets go of his dreams, and the film ends on a positive note.
K2
Director of Photography
event1991 star_border 5.6
top_panel_open
They call it the savage mountain. 27 people have perished trying to reach the summit on K2, the world's second highest peak. A U.S. climbing team, funded by millionaire Clairborne is determined to conquer K2.
Black Widow
Director of Photography
event2021 star_border 7.2
top_panel_open
Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow, confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.
Princess Kaiulani
Director of Photography
event2010 star_border 5.7
top_panel_open
Ka'iulani, a 19th-century Hawaiian princess, is raised in England but determined to maintain her people's independence from aggressive American businessmen. After being sent to England as a child by her Scottish father, Ka'iulani returns to Hawaii and becomes a political activist who fights to retain her throne, even though she must leave her English paramour.
Solo Respira
Co-Producer
event2022
top_panel_open
After receiving a strange call from Ignacio, her irresponsible older brother, Lourdes, a girl with a supernatural sensitivity, takes a flight to the Dominican Republic with her boyfriend Elías only to find that nothing is what it seems.
The Gentleman
Director
top_panel_open
Aging ex-soldier Theo meets weekly with prostitute Olga to reminisce. After Olga's murder, Theo seeks bloody revenge, attracting attention of alcoholic cop Iborra and hitman Herodes.
Magic City
Director of Photography (8 ep.)
event2012 star_border 6.9
top_panel_open
Set in 1959 Miami, Florida shortly after the Cuban Revolution, Magic City tells the story of Ike Evans, the owner of Miami's most glamorous hotel, the Miramar Playa. Evans is forced to make an ill-fated deal with Miami mob boss Ben Diamond to ensure the success of his glitzy establishment.
Hawaii Five-0
Director of Photography (1 ep.)
event2010 star_border 7.8
top_panel_open
Steve McGarrett returns home to Oahu, in order to find his father's killer. The governor offers him the chance to run his own task force (Five-0). Steve's team is joined by Chin Ho Kelly, Danny "Danno" Williams, and Kono Kalakaua.
MacGyver
Director (3 ep.)
event2016 star_border 7.3
top_panel_open
20-something Angus MacGyver creates a clandestine organization where he uses his knack for solving problems in unconventional ways to help prevent disasters from happening.
Marvel's Agent Carter
Director of Photography (8 ep.)
event2015 star_border 7.5
top_panel_open
It's 1946, and peace has dealt Peggy Carter a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy must balance doing administrative work and going on secret missions for Howard Stark all while trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life - Steve Rogers.
The Strain
Director of Photography (4 ep.)
event2014 star_border 7.5
top_panel_open
A high concept thriller that tells the story of Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, the head of the Center for Disease Control Canary Team in New York City. He and his team are called upon to investigate a mysterious viral outbreak with hallmarks of an ancient and evil strain of vampirism. As the strain spreads, Eph, his team, and an assembly of everyday New Yorkers, wage war for the fate of humanity itself.
Hawkeye
Additional Director of Photography (6 ep.)
event2021 star_border 7.9
top_panel_open
Former Avenger Clint Barton has a seemingly simple mission: get back to his family for Christmas. Possible? Maybe with the help of Kate Bishop, a 22-year-old archer with dreams of becoming a superhero. The two are forced to work together when a presence from Barton’s past threatens to derail far more than the festive spirit.
Troubles
Director of Photography (2 ep.)
event1988 star_border 10
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In 1919, Major Brendan Archer arrives in Ireland to reunite with his fiancée, Angela Spencer. Unfortunately, the family home, The Majestic Hotel, is a decaying shadow of its former self, as is Angela. Puzzled by the changes, Archer's attentions are soon drawn to her lively friend, Sarah Devlin, a passionate Irish Nationalist. They fall in love, but the Major soon discovers some disturbing aspects about their relationship, which threatens to explode into violence, destruction, and murder.
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