Dice | |
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Dice DVD
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Written by | A.L. Kennedy John Burnside |
Directed by | Rachel Talalay |
Starring |
Aidan Gillen Martin Cummins Gina McKee Fred Ward |
Country of origin | Canada/UK |
Original language(s) | English |
Production | |
Producer(s) | Gub Neal Lorraine Richard Greg Dummett |
Cinematography | Jean-Pierre Trudel |
Editor(s) | Gaetan Huot Denis Papillon |
Running time | 2 x 102 mins. |
Distributor | Digital Classics DVD |
Release | |
Original release | 2007 |
Dice (2001) is a Canada/UK co-produced drama television mini-series. It was directed by Rachel Talalay and written by A. L. Kennedy and John Burnside, inspired by cult 70s novel The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart.
Dice tells the story of charismatic psychology teacher, Glenn Taylor (Aidan Gillen), who manipulates people by teaching them how to live by the throw of a dice. When the small community is shattered by the death of student Sally Quine, Detective Patrick Styvesant (Martin Cummins) finds himself drawn deeper into a bizarre world where decisions are ruled by the dice. As Taylor's influence over the community deepens, Patrick also has his own demons to contend with as he battles alcoholism and his repressed homosexuality, all of which make him a perfect target for Taylor.
Dice was nominated twice for 2002 Gemini awards: Best Dramatic Series (producers Lorraine Richard, Greg Dummett, Gub Neal) and Best Actor in a Drama (Martin Cummins).
Dice was co-produced by Cité-Amérique and Showcase Television in Canada and Box TV in the UK. It debuted on The Movie Network in Eastern Canada and on Movie Central in Western Canada in November 2001, and was originally aired as a six-episode season.
The series was filmed in Montreal over 45 days from May to July 5, 2001. It was shot on Super 16 by DOP Jean-Pierre Trudel. The leading cast included British actors (Aidan Gillen from Queer as Folk and Gina McKee) as well as Canadian actors (Martin Cummins, Callum Keith Rennie, Brendan Fletcher, Mark McKinney, actor/jazz singer Dorothée Berryman, Gary Farmer), plus U.S. actor Fred Ward. The budget was $6 million.