“I HAVE heard it said that remarkable events often have ordinary beginnings. Never was this more true than of my Thursday.”
This opening line to Dean Spanley is actually a very accurate description of this film’s pace and narrative.
Directed by Toa Fraser, Dean Spanley is set in 1904 and stars Jeremy Northam as Henslowe Fisk, who decides to take his ailing father (Peter O’Toole) to a lecture on reincarnation, where they meet an enthusiastic Australian named Wrather (Bryan Brown).
Whilst attending the lecture, they become fascinated with Dean Spanley (Sam Neill) and when they meet again, they ask him to dinner, enticing him with a rare Hungarian wine named Imperial Tokay.
Over the course of the dinner, Spanley begins to recount what appear to be strange recollections of a past life. However, as his stories unfold, it becomes clear that Spanley and Fisk may share a closer connection than either of them realised.
It’s best to see Dean Spanley knowing as little about it as possible, since giving away any detail would ruin the film’s surprises.
The fantastically witty script takes a decidedly unexpected turn towards the end and that the payoff is both funny and emotionally moving.
Neill is exciting in the lead role (one of his best in years), delivering a performance that borders on the absurd, to the point where you can’t quite believe what you’re hearing.
Northam anchors the film with a typically solid performance, while there’s scene-stealing support from Brown and yet another powerfully moving performance from O’Toole.
Whilst watching Dean Spanley, you’re constantly waiting for something to happen, but you won’t quite believe it when it does.
To that end, the script crackles with great dialogue and layers in several lines and moments that will reward further viewings.
In short, Dean Spanley is funny, clever and generally moving. It’s also totally unlike any film you may have seen for quite some time.
http://www.times.co.nz/cms/arts/film/2009/02/dean_spanley.php
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