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5.0 out of 5 stars Dean Spanley, an affecting comic drama with stellar cast, March 23, 2014
By Judith Naimark - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dean Spanley ( My Talks with Dean Spanley ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - United Kingdom ] (DVD)
From the novel "My Talks With Dean Spanley" by Lord Dunsany, screenplay by Alan Sharp, Jeremy Northam stars as Henslow Fisk, the dutiful surviving son of an elderly father (Peter O'Toole) left emotionally numb by the loss of his older son in the Boer War and the subsequent death of his wife. Their relationship is shaken when they attend a lecture on reincarnation. Sam Neill is the title character, a cleric with an interesting possible past life which sheds light on the father's character. Bryan Brown takes a fun turn as the "conveyancer," a man who can obtain any item anyone could want. Judy Parfitt is the long-suffering housekeeper who has seen the father through thick and thin.
Directed with a lot of heart by Toa Fraser and scored with powerful music by Don McGlashan. Northam gives a wonderfully nuanced performance. O'Toole brought me to tears as the father's full story came to light. Neill delightfully reveals characteristics of the possible past individual behind the present man of "gravitas."
I just wish it were available in Region 1 format. I ended up buying a Region-free DVD player to watch it.
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