Over glasses of Hungarian Tokay, the vicar, Dean Spanley, tells a story of friendship, freedom, and reincarnation. "[16], Dean Spanley was longlisted for the 2009 British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards for Adapted Screenplay (Alan Sharp) and Supporting Actor (Peter O'Toole).[17][18]. And instead of the usual half-dozen tales of troubled reunions that end up in grisly assertions of family values, we've had just Four Christmases, though it's a tale told four times over. It stars Sam Neill as the Dean, Jeremy Northam and Peter O'Toole as Fisk Junior and Fisk Senior respectively and Bryan Brown as Wrather. Combining drawing room comedy with spiritualist fantasy but leavened by the very real trauma of war and loss, Dean Spanley is a sublime little film that feels like a bit like what might result if P.G. , So Northam enlists the help of a conveyancer (Bryan Brown) to obtain rare bottles of the wine so he can delight in the Dean's amusing flashbacks. I watched a mesmerizing video a few nights ago, a 2008 movie titled "Dean Spanley," starring Jeremy Northam, Peter O'Toole, Sam Neill, and Bryan Brown. Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! His son Henslowe (Jeremy Northam), whom he calls young Fisk, always visits him on Thursdays; dinner is invariably hotpot and he refuses to allow his housekeeper, Mrs Brimley (Judy Parfitt), to vary the menu. They culminate in the revelation that, when plied with Tokay, Spanley is the reincarnation of a Victorian spaniel called Wag, and ultimately the O'Toole character re-examines his past, challenges his natural scepticism, and establishes a new relationship with his son. {js=d.createElement(s); A soundtrack CD was released in New Zealand on Warner Music (NZ) 5186531802 consisting of 14 tracks and a running time of 41:05. He plays the sadness of a man alone, left with no way to explain himself, with simple honesty. Directed by the New Zealand film-maker Toa Fraser and sensitively lit by Leon Narbey, it's set in Edwardian England immediately after the Boer War. Cinemark Watchlist. Crikey, what was everybody thinking? I wanted to read it because of the film, but the two are different works. Enduring his cantankerous father (Peter O'Toole), Fisk invites the Dean to dinner and listens to the strange stories of his past life as a dog. In Ireland it was certified "G" and was released on the same date. Set in Edwardian England where upper lips are always stiff and men from the Colonies are not entirely to be trusted, Fisk Senior has little time or affection for his son, but when the pair visit an eccentric Indian, they start a strange journey that eventually allows the old man Then, like magic, inside a scene or two, Dean Spanleyrevealed its quirky brilliance. On this day, the son suggests they attend a visiting guru's lecture on the transmigration of souls. He strongly suspects, for various reasons, that a certain dean was a dog in a previous life. It seems it carries him back to a previous incarnation- the essence of the story. Coming Soon. Working with his clever friend Wrather (Bryan Brown), an Australian "conveyancer", Fisk secures a batch of Tokay and the two entertain the Dean, who acts ever more strangely, starting to reveal memories of his previous life as a Welsh Spaniel. He begins to suspect the Dean has The narrative is called "a surreal period comedic tale of canine reincarnation exploring the relationships between father and son and master and dog". New Zealand playwright-turned-director. Both are British, feature some of our finest actors, touch affectingly on relationships between fathers and sons and fathers and daughters without getting unduly sentimental, and they have literate scripts. Just below that it reads "Ticket Confirmation#:" followed by a 10-digit number. Norwich, Norfolk: 18 December 2007, Norwich Evening News (Kate Scotter), Wisbech, Cambs: The Fenland Citizen, 21 November 2007: Hollywood Comes to Wisbech, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, "Exclusive: RT Visits the Set of Dean Spanley. Just confirm how you got your ticket. I read this story first as a child and loved it, and have re-read it several times. Spanley has a taste for a powerful Eastern European wine, tokaji. Birthplace: Bahawalpur, Pakistan. New York: G.P. 2008. To learn more about how and for what purposes Amazon uses personal information (such as Amazon Store order history), please visit our Privacy Notice. Unquestionably Australian, his role in life is vague and Fraser sets him delightfully in a billiard room a woman - who say nothing but lend an air of sensuality otherwise absent in the movie. Offbeat, whimsical, period-set shaggy dog story with daffy performances from Sam Neill and Peter O'Toole. And every man, it seems, should have a dog. But it is anintelligent, kind and gentle movie, with a lovely tale and a message about the glories of dogs and baying at the Moon. Principal filming began at Wisbech in Cambridgeshire (including Wisbech Castle and Peckover House) on 10 November 2007, continuing for some weeks and taking in the heritage area of the Crescent, the Castle and the museum. The book is just so "small" compared with the movie, which expanded the character count and changed the plot in ways that appeal to the modern reader/movie-gower. "Dean Spanley" is the kind of film that emerges when a government agency -- the New Zealand Film Commission in this case -- and other regional development funds put together a relatively low-budget project where no one has to worry about commercial appeal. It was utterly winning, as we gradually learn that the very proper Edwardian gentleman perfectly played by Sam Neill (no less than a dean in the Church of England) will, when sufficiently in his cups, reveal that in a previous life he was a dog. $2. A region-2 DVD was released in 2009. Start by marking My Talks With Dean Spanley as Want to Read: Error rating book. If you are a dog person you will find the vision of the internal life of a dog hilarious. Under Toa Frasers direction, working from a script by Alan Sharp, this is all done with the greatest solemnity within finely upholstered rooms where everyone is stuffed impeccably into period costumes. 2. Strange, the Fisk familys faithful spaniel was named Wag. I highly recommend the movie, "D. The movie is much better. Fortunately it was turned into a movie with Peter O'Toole, Bryan Brown and Sam Neill. In early November, the film was offered to United States distributors at the annual American Film Market (512 November), with two showings announced, and in early February 2009, Miramax bought the United States rights. Cinemark This Christmas we've been spared any film set in Santa Claus's Lapland toy factory starring Tim Allen as a jovial Santa and Will Ferrell as a resentful elf. A first person narrative of a man who meets Dean Spanley, an elder minister, at his club and discovers the Dean has a strong belief in Reincarnation. We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your account. DEAN SPANLEY - Transmigration of souls. PG. In 1930s London, gentleman Fisk (Northam) attends a lecture about reincarnation with his father. Let us know whats wrong with this preview of, Published Start your Independent Premium subscription today. My Talks With Dean Spanley 1h 36m After attending a talk on reincarnation with his son, Horatio Fisk meets an eccentric man named Dean Spanley who shares stories of his past life as a dog. Each Thursday, a man approaching middle age calls upon his father, aged, caustic, nihilistic, and emotionally distant, perhaps from the loss of a son in the Boer War and his wife soon after. [9][10] Later the same day Fisk Junior encounters the Dean at his father's club. There are no action sequences, no romances; the colours seem washed out and film values are almost mundane. When Spanley drinks too much Imperial Tokay, a rare Hungarian wine, he starts talking about his former life as a country hound in the first person. Dean, though, is no ordinary guest. [CDATA[ Small film, big delight. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Dean Spanley will never be a box office sensation and it will not necessarily appeal to all. }}(document,'script','twitter-wjs'); Sign up to unlock our digital magazines and also receive the latest news, events, offers and partner promotions. OToole is brilliant playing the grumpy old man and then, later in the movie, effecting a transformation. The narrative is called "a surreal period comedic tale of canine reincarnation exploring the relationships between father and son and master and dog". 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In what earthly way could this tale connect father and son? Very good. It goes far beyond those wacky Disney comedies in which humans find themselves occupying the bodies of cats and dogs. | I've known of it for some time, watched the movie twice, and purchased a copy of the hardback a year prior to writing this. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. And that there was no greater pleasure. A first person narrative of a man who meets Dean Spanley, an elder minister, at his club and discovers the Dean has a strong belief in Reincarnation. , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. You can buy "Dean Spanley" on Apple iTunes, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Vudu as download or rent it on Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Apple iTunes, Vudu online. Dean Spanley was funded by the New Zealand Film Commission and has nothing particularly to do with us. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Drama. After attending a talk on reincarnation by a visiting swami (Art Malik), sickly Horatio Fisk (Peter O'Toole), who is still grieving over the death of his eldest son, and his youngest son, Henslowe (Jeremy Northam), meet the charismatic Dean Spanley (Sam Neill) and the businessman Wrather (Bryan Brown). Almost always the book is superior to the movie, but this is a cinema darling you will fall in love with. We wont be able to verify your ticket today, but its great to know for the future. [7], An original soundtrack was composed by New Zealand composer Don McGlashan. '"[citation needed]. Inventive, and especially so for its time, but dated. Whats more, look at this cast Jeremy Northam, Sam Neill, Byron Brown and Peter OToole! PG (Some Thematic Material|Mild Language), Comedy, A local rich cricket-playing Indian Nawab hosts a talk on reincarnation, attended by churchman Dean Spanley (Sam Neill) and Young Fisk (Jeremy Northam) with his father Old Fisk (Peter OToole). The build up nearly dies under Young Fisks dull narration until Wrather (Bryan Brown) enters the scene. If you compare the book with the movie though, I think you might be disappointed. Summaries. Both producers, the director, some of the lead cast (Neill was born in Northern Ireland but grew up in New Zealand, where he still lives), the cinematographer, the editor, the composer and a number of other members of the production crew and cast are from New Zealand. At first, it was ponderous, it was difficult and -for a moment- the idea of walking out was tempting. The critical consensus describes the film as "Offbeat, whimsical, period-set shaggy dog story with daffy performances from Sam Neill and Peter OToole. The Fisk family has suffered first the loss of its younger son, Harrington Fisk (Xavier Horan), killed in the Second Anglo-Boer War, shortly followed by the death of Horatio's wife. Dean Spanley is based on a short story by Lord Dunsany and as with most short stories, the plot turns on circumstances which create a single but profound change -in this case, in the inner life It's the favourite tipple of one Dean Spanley (Sam Neill), an enigmatic clergyman who becomes a focus of interest to Henslowe Fisk (Jeremy Northam), the story's narrator. 1972 How it links to the death of Fisk's brother Harry in the Boer War is the dramatic crux of Alan Sharp's script (adapted from a novel by Baron Dunsany), and the only drawback to its fey shaggy-dog story is the ponderous pace. ] [ 10 ] Later the same date could this tale connect father and son whats wrong this... Day Fisk Junior encounters the Dean at his father reasons, that a certain Dean a! 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