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Bookmark this pageDean Spanley (2008)
Director: Toa Fraser
Movie review
From Time Out London
Small film, big delight. New Zealand playwright-turned-director Toa Fraser has made a fine fist of adapting the curious, titular 1930s book by idiosyncratic Anglo-Irish writer Lord Dunsany. Jeremy Northam, in a characteristically unostentatious performance, is our sympathetic guide through this tantalising trip into the strange world(s) of Edwardian England. He plays the long-suffering son of ageing curmudgeon Peter O’Toole, to whom he introduces Sam Neill’s eccentric Dean, thus triggering a series of evening conversations which conjure up all manner of mind-boggling revelations elicited from liberal libations of a rare Hungarian Tokay wine… The director’s comfort in his surroundings –whether it be comportment, dress or interior design – match his gently mischievous delight in the vagaries of the custom-locked but free-ranging mind of the time. This nicely acted drama, in quietly intimating the quirky familial relations and peculiar fascinations of the era – not least with the transmigration of souls, mysticism and the supernatural – delivers a highly pleasurable if modest experience and a sweet tribute to the old traditions of the shaggy dog story.Author: Wally Hammond
Time Out London Issue 1999, Dec 11 - 17, 2008
User reviews of this film
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- R.Hart said...
- Posted on Feb 11 2010 17:50 Brilliant little story.Wonderful acting.I had forgotten what a pleasure it is to watch a simple well acted story(with a sting in the tail)O,Toole as usual brilliant ably supported by a great cast
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- johnny de philo said...
- Posted on Dec 21 2009 14:34 Brilliant, witty, sly. Oscar award winning performances, direction, script. Fantastic, must see.
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- Margie said...
- Posted on Feb 09 2009 11:24 Delightful. Wonderful acting, an engrossing, original storyline and an excellent way to spend an evening at the cinema.
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- Dunc said...
- Posted on Jan 19 2009 01:33 I still can't decide whether this film was a little masterpeice or complete twaddle! Whatever, the acting was superb the direction wonderfully atmospheric. I certainly haven't seen a more original and thought-provoking film than this in a long time, well worth a visit!
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- kate said...
- Posted on Dec 30 2008 17:02 I found this slow and more like a poor TV play than an engaging outing. The film dragged for the first half or more and then just became weird. I usually like both Peter O'Toole and Sam Neil but I don't understand how this script got funding to be filmed or why these excellent actors agreed to perform in it!
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- Sean Corbett said...
- Posted on Dec 14 2008 19:43 what an amazing film, with incredible performances from the main cast; moving, subtle and very funny
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- CricketQueen said...
- Posted on Dec 13 2008 21:45 Hope it will be released in the States soon. Can't wait to see it.
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- brigette said...
- Posted on Nov 19 2008 04:04 Excellent movie that brought me to laughter and tears
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- PATRICIA said...
- Posted on Oct 27 2008 21:09 A wonderful film to watch. Unexpectedly funny and witty whilst being so moving. The actors were fantastic together, especialy enjoyed by someone who is a great admirer of Peter O'Toole - what a performance! Cannot wait to watch this again.
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- Helen said...
- Posted on Oct 20 2008 13:40 A stunningly delightful film. Toa Fraser's direction of Alan Sharp's screenply delivers a story that moves effortlessly from hilarious to genuinely heart-wrenching without missing a beat. All of the acting is superb. One of the few films I could easily watch over and over.
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- Niathedog said...
- Posted on Oct 15 2008 21:15 Briil, a must watch and not to be missed by dog lovers(me), P O toole lovers (me) or anyone else
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Cast & crew
Director: Toa Fraser
Cast: Peter O'Toole, Jeremy Northam, Sam Neill, Bryan Brown full cast
Genre(s): Drama
Rated: 15
Duration: 100 mins
UK Release: Dec 12 2008
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