ScreenWize

Much stands out in Dean Spanley – a delightful period piece about reincarnation and friendship. Firstly the strange name - hardly an easy sell – which doesn’t hint at much. Then there’s the careful and elegant pacing - a rarity these days - leaving many a viewer wondering, for the first half hour at least, where on earth the story might be heading. Then there’s its delicate mannered tone – full of warmth and humour. But above all else there’s the acting – and a more wonderful collection of performances from four main characters would be hard to find.

Jeremy Northam opens the film as the “young” Fisk, a thoughtful bachelor who barely tolerates his weekly visits to his father Horatio (Peter O’Toole). To help pass the time he takes the grouchy older Fisk to a seminar on re-incarnation where they meet Wrather (Bryan Brown), an opportunist fixer and middle-man, and Dean Spanley (Sam Niell) a portly vicar who holds himself rather aloof from the world. Later that day they meet Spanley again, and he intrigues the younger Fisk with his comments on the importance of keeping an open mind about all matters. Fisk Junior persues a frienship with Spanley, enticing him to a series of dinners by procuring the Dean’s favourite liquor – a rare Hungarian tokai - with the help of Wrather. With a few drinks behind him, Dean Spanley suddenly starts to behave very oddly and tells Fisk some truly extraordinary tales. To say more would be to give too much away.

Sam Neill has never been this good before, and his performance – in a very difficult role – is extraordinary. His physical transformation from reserved Englishman as the tokai takes hold in his system lies at the heart of the success of the film. Peter O’Toole is just as watcheable, clever, dry and opinionated as the crotchety older man, yet moody and warm as events from his past flood back to transform him emotionally. Northam and Brown balance these two with equally warm and engaging performances.

New Zealand director Toa Fraser and his mostly New Zealand crew have created an elegant and whimsical film from Alan Sharp’s carefully observed screenplay.

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Filed Under: Reviews by Simon