The Wyvern Mystery
by Alex Pillai
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DVD details
Actor: Derek Jacobi, Iain Glen, Jack Davenport, James Doherty (III), Naomi WattsDirector: Alex Pillai
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 118 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-10-07
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Bfs Entertainment
DVD Reviews of The Wyvern Mystery
DVD Review: Not so good...
Summary: 2 Stars
I was fairly disappointed in this movie. I love period dramas and British mysteries and I was hoping for a gothic treat. I also was interested in seeing Naomi Watts again since I enjoyed her performance in Painted Veil. I really wanted to like this movie but found the script sorely lacking and the performances mediocre. As a generic Hollywood offering, the piece was mildly entertaining but certainly not on par with other offerings in the genre. This DVD was suggested by Amazon based on my previous BBC purchases. Though the credits state that this film was "associated with BBC", I wouldn't recommend this for the average BBC viewer. It doesn't even come close to that level of quality. I would have felt less critical if I had picked this DVD up used at Blockbuster, but I was expecting much more based on the association with other high quality films. If you enjoy BBC films like Bleak House, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, The Black Heath Poisonings, Jane Eyre, Barchester Chronicles etc, then you may want to pass on this one. DVD Review: An intriguing gothic thriller!
Summary: 4 Stars
It was by accident that I stumbled upon this movie and I must say, it is a well-made gothic period drama. Alice, an orphan is taken in by the Squire of Wyvern, and she grows up to be a beauty who attracts the unsavory attention of the aging Squire. Unbeknownst to him, Alice [Naomi Watts] is in love with his eldest son, and the both of them elope, earning the wrath of the Squire. The newly married couple move to Carwell Grange, a mysterious old house with dark sections that seem to indicate the presence of someone else and this arouses Alice's curiosity.
There are shades of "Rebecca" here, though this is based on J Sheridan Le Fanu's work in 1869. There are a host of sinister characters in this story - the old Squire who lusts after his young guardian, the mysterious other occupant of Carwell, maids who seem to know more than they should, and all of these enhance the gothic feel of the period drama. The charming shots of the bucolic English countryside contrasts with the doom and gloom that permeates Carwell and Alice's increasing paranoia that something is dreadfully wrong. She suffers two great losses - that of her husband and infant son, and at first attributes it to fate, but as time passes she begins to realise that more sinister forces are at work.
The pacing of the plot is excellent - there is sufficient time allotted to the setting of the story, development of characters and building of suspense. The end result is a satisfying gothic mystery, and Naomi Watt's performance as the anguished Alice is very credible and deserves praise. She is a talented actress indeed. The other characters also do their roles justice. All in all, this production will appeal to those who are fans of period dramas and mysteries.
DVD Review: Good But not Great Gothic Tale
Summary: 3 Stars
This gothic horror tale has more plot twists, many unexplained, than the maze at Hampton Court. There is much promised, but sadly little delivery of what could have been a well above average story. Some of the tale is implied in fevered flash-backs. At times it is not only hard to tell who is having them, but whether they represent real or imagined events. The answer to both is a definite: maybe.
The costuming and atmospheric setting is worth seeing. The cast is stellar. Naomi Watts, looking like a Nicole Kidman clone; the ever dependable Derek Jacobi; and the always facinating Iain Glen; and newcomer Jack Davenport; all give exceptional performances in spite of a convoluted and confusing script. I read the book in an attempt to tie up the loose ends of the story. The movie and the book are quite similar until the last one third. Though it did explain some of the subtext and started out as a fascinating and eerie tale, it never lived up to its potential. A wonderfully evil and vengeful "bump in the night", is dispatched half way through and the story meanders to its somewhat predictable conclusion over 11 years. They tightened the ending of the movie to four years and gave a small sense of redemption for the squire (Jacobi.) Maybe it lost its umph in the editing room. There are two continuity errors that bothered me. Two blue eyed parents cannot have a brown eyed child (that's genetics) how does the penniless Alice afford to keep her lady's maid?? But I pick nits. See it if you love great acting, beautiful scenery, plot twists and eerie gothic tales. (Anyone who saw Painted Lady with Helen Mirren and Iain Glen will recognize the lovely house that stands in for "Carwell Grange" as the same one.)
DVD Review: Victorian Gothic
Summary: 5 Stars
Irish/French writer J. Sheridan Lefanu's novel "Carmilla" about a female vampire is his most famous work but he wrote a number of captivating Gothic novels dealing with ghosts and mystery. The Wyvern Mystery is a long and complicated work of psychological female fear, especially regarding losing children to a "monster" both within the woman herself or from a powerful "other". Naomi Watts - in Victorian garb- stars as the quintessentially Gothic heroine. She is somewhat naive about the world at first but develops into a mature and valiant woman who protects her family. All the elements of Gothic novels are present in this film brought to life by evocative cinematography and visuals. Fog, mist, eerie moonlight, strange noises, secrets, suspense, Gothic mansions and of course blood. Discover the Wyvern Mystery on this DVD edition. It first aired in the UK via the BBC and was featured in PBS's Mystery! hosted by veteran British star Vanessa Redgrave.
True. This formulaic and mainstream horror/mystery film is nothing like the longer and more psychologically chilling LeFanu novel. There have been many alterations which actually weaken the writer's intentions. LeFanu wrote not only supernatural thrillers involving vampires, ghosts and people behaving monstrously but was writing about repressed sexualities and fears of the unknown. In the 19th century, Gothic novels and romances were highly popular, especially among women. However, while romance was the biggest factor in the novels at first, it later became novels of darker themes. If you like this movie and you looked the book, you should read other LeFanu novels as well as such early Gothic novels as "The Castle of Otranto" and "The Monk". Both of these novels would make awesome horror films.
DVD Review: The Wyvern Mystery
Summary: 1 Stars
I had just finished the book by J.S. La Fanu and inserted the DVD,wondering how close the DVD would follow the book. What a sad disappointment. In no way did the dvd even come close to the book, in fact I so surprised to see how they distorted the story line, which was very interesting in the printed word.
The screen writer should be ashamed in knowingly substituting an isipid story line in place of a well written plot.
I cannot say how a viewer would react when viewing the DVD without reading the book.
Personally this DVD was a disaster and J.S. La Fanu would be justified in rolling in his grave.
Robert Lyons
Reno, Nevada
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