Seance on a Wet Afternoon
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DVD details
Actor: Kim Stanley, Lionel Gamlin, Margaret Lacey, Maria Kazan, Marie BurkeBrand: Image Entertainment
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Black & White, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 115 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-09-24
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Homevision
DVD Reviews of Seance on a Wet Afternoon
DVD Review: Disturbing Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
To begin with, I agree completely with the previous review by David Baldwin. Released theatrically in 1964, "Seance on a Wet Afternoon", wonderfully directed by Bryan Forbes, remains one of the high watermarks of 60s cinema, with two of the best lead performances you are ever likely to see.
Filmed in stark black and white, "Seance" is set in a rather drab area of London. Myra (Kim Stanley) is a professional medium who holds seances in her home once a week for a small, sad, gullible group of people. Clearly she is not very successful or well-known, a situation she wants to change desperately. With the help of her weak, malleable husband, Billy (Richard Attenborough), she plots to kidnap the young daughter of an affluent couple, hold her for ransom, and not only collect the money but "astonish" the police and the public with her "psychic" powers in "finding" the young girl. As this sordid plan develops, Myra's already-delicate mental state deteriorates even further, complicated by memories of her own deceased child and her "conversations" with this lost son. As for Billy, considering his total lack of self-confidence, it's a miracle that he is able to pull off the kidnapping at all. I will not reveal more of the plot, or the memorable outcome, for first-time viewers, but the rising suspense continues to keep your eyes transfixed to the screen.
As Myra, Kim Stanley is a revelation--what a superb actress she was ! Unfortunately for film buffs, Ms. Stanley made very few films, preferring the theatre. Her performance in "Seance" is matched by Richard Attenborough as the weak, ineffectual Billy, whose main purpose in life is to please his patronizing, self-absorbed wife. The rest of the cast is solid, with Nanette Newman (Mrs. Bryan Forbes) particularly effective as the kidnapped girl's distraught mother.
The DVD exhibits a clear, wide, black and white image, with some occasional lines. Unfortunately, for such a prestigious film, there are no extras. Sadly, Ms. Stanley has passed on, but some comments from Lord Attenborough (who also produced the film) would have been fascinating, I'm sure.
The premise of this film will still strike a chord for many of us. Children are still being kidnapped by disturbed people--we see stories on the news far too often. In this way, "Seance on a Wet Afternoon" remains chilling and relevant--when you add some of the finest acting in cinema history, you have a truly memorable disc to add to your collection. Highly recommended.
Description of Seance on a Wet Afternoon
SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON - DVD MovieAside from boasting one of the great evocative titles in film history, Séance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) works up a surplus of dread with a minimum of devices. Kim Stanley was nominated for an Oscar® for her performance as a London medium who bulldozes her weak husband (Richard Attenborough) into kidnapping a little girl; the goal is not ransom money, but a chance to prove Stanley's clairvoyant gifts to the police, and thus bring her the respect she has always deserved. The suspense is keen, yet the movie's real achievement is detailing the stifling marriage between two deluded, dependent middle-aged people. Attenborough is heartbreaking as a human doormat, and Stanley's Method intensity brings the movie into a genuinely unnerving realm (she didn't work in movies again for nearly two decades). The story was remade, with intriguing changes, by Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa as Séance (a.k.a. Korei, 2000). --Robert Horton
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