Stanley had agreed to star in seance on a wet a fternoon in part because she was impressed with the way director bryan forbes had handled icy leslie caron in the lshaped room 1962. Maria kazan woman at first seance patrick magee supt. A medium decides to create publicity and drum up much needed business by finding a child she and her milquetoast husband plot and plan to kidnap. Dont know what ol jeffs been smokin, but to say that edward albees play about a nymphomaniacal wife and her acerbic history professor. I highly recommend this film which still in times of hannibal, and scream gives us chills. Seance on a wet afternoon is a claustrophobically tense suspense. Seance on a wet afternoon movie clip its a young face airing. His first novel, the straight and the crooked, appeared that year but it was his third effort, seance on a wet afternoon, for which he is best known. Marryat road, wimbledon, london sw19 creepy suspenser with fake medium myra kim stanley, oscar nominated persuading her husband bill richard attenborough to kidnap a child so that she can miraculously reveal its whereabouts. Seance on a wet afternoon 1964 movie synopsis and info. John barry, obe 3 november 1933 30 january 2011, born john barry prendergast in york, uk is considered one of the big four of late 20th century film composers the others being john williams, jerry goldsmith, and henry mancini. There is a moment when seance on a wet afternoon, bryan forbess 1964.
Stanley was also encouraged by forbes plan to shoot in sequence, which would allow the actress to build her character in a more theatrically organic way. Patrick magees inspector in the films conclusion is also a very fine addition. Seance on a wet afternoon 1964 bleak black and white chiller as couple. Sometimes atmosphere is an underrated element in horror films. Trailer for director bryan forbes classic thrillerchiller feature.
Bryan forbes, 1964 is easily the darkest, and maybe the finest, of the five films which richard attenborough and bryan forbes coproduced. The work, schwartzs first opera after a string of broadway musicals godspell, pippin, wicked, premiered on 26 september 2009 at the granada theatre of opera santa barbara which. Seance on a wet afternoon 1964 workingclass british housewife myra savage kim stanley reinvents herself as a medium, holding seances in the sitting room of her home with the hidden assistance. The story of a strange pair of kidnappers it was made into a well regarded film in 1964 and has been adapted as an opera. Seance on a wet afternoon is a 1964 british neo noir drama film directed by bryan forbes, based on the novel by mark mcshane, in which an unstable medium. Find out everything empire knows about seance on a wet afternoon. Seance on a wet afternoon by mark mcshane goodreads. Ultimately it doesnt do much more than follow its plot to its inevitable conclusion. Forbes adapted it from a 1961 novel by mark mcshane, a britishbased crime writer whose penchant for odd titles resulted in such books as the crimson madness of little doom 1966, ill met by a fish shop in george street 1968.
Seance on a wet afternoon 1964 cast and crew moviefone. The plan is for her husband billy richard attenborough to kidnap amanda clayton judith donner. Stephen schwartz opera seance on a wet afternoon photos. And its never more spooky than in the opening minutes, as candles flutter and halfilluminated faces look vaguely puzzled as the. An opera of the same name based on the film, created by broadway composer stephen schwartz, had its world premiere on 26 september 2009, at the granada theater at opera santa barbara in california. Damn loonies, trying to get fame and validation from kidnapping defenseless children. Method maven stanley was oscarnominated and won top acting honors from the new york film critics. She plans a scheme that will make her famous, involving kidnapping then psychically locating a little girl.
The films story is very simple, although to describe it would be to remove one of the best aspects of it. Joey, i caught most of seance on a wet afternoon and i wont spoil any surprises for others, but i will say that as a mom, i wished i could somehow dive right into the tv and throttle myra and billy senseless and then call the cops, of course. There were still a lot of war films being made, too, mostly of a more revisionist nature, but these were dying out, and. Best movies like seance on a wet afternoon bestsimilar.
Disturbing and twisted, seance on a wet afternoon portrays the efforts of myra savage kim stanley and her husband billy richard attenborough to affirm her mothers claim. Seance on a wet afternoon began as a novel by mark mcshane before bryan forbes created the chilling psychological thriller film 1964. Seance on a wet afternoon by mark mcshane mysterious press. Seance on a wet afternoon is one of the great examinations of madness ever transferred to film. Adapted by director bryan forbes from a novel by mark mcshane, seance on a wet afternoon is a compelling psychological melodrama made doubly powerful by. His family was in the cinema business, but it was during his national service that he began performing as a musician. Seance on a wet afternoon 1964 british horror films. Kim stanley can hardly be known to most of todays cinema audiences. To write the opera, composerlibrettist stephen schwartz returned to the novel to reexplore the storytelling potential. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. The 1960s were a strange time for british cinema it didnt really seem as though they knew what they wanted to be. Seance on a wet afternoon 1964 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Myra foster lauren flanigan, is a smalltime medium. Directorwriter bryan forbes masterfully blends all the elements, including gorgeous blackandwhite photography, an eerie john barry score, and evocative art direction that.
Movies like seance on a wet afternoon if you like seance on a wet afternoon you are looking for tense, psychological and suspenseful movies about with kidnapping, ransom, seance, family in danger, crime, crime gone awry and crimes themes of crime and drama genre shot in uk. Seance on a wet afternoon is a lowbudget psychological thriller that deals with a dominating medium, her asthmatic husband and her plot to kidnap a wealthy couples child in order to make her. The movie descends like a shroud upon the lives of myra kim stanley, a wouldbe psychic who seems at the beginning of the film to be what one might describe as dotty and demanding, and her. A mediums kim stanley husband richard attenborough kidnaps child to help her act.
Bill savage is struggling to maintain his marriage to his increasingly unbalanced wife, myra, who believes she is a medium. She is assisted by her meek husband bill, who is unable to work due to his. She was special, able to serve as a medium with the dead. Having barely survived mismanagement and financial ruin, it has begun to rise from the. Opening sequence, director bryan forbes presents medium myra kim stanley at work, her husband billy richard attenborough, also the producer not seen, camera by gerry turpin, on location in londons wimbledon district, in seance on a wet afternoon, 1964. Associates programme, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to. See the full list of seance on a wet afternoon cast and crew including actors, directors, producers and more. Viewers who go for this school of scary should check out seance on a wet afternoon 1964, a film that is almost haunted itself in its simplicity. Trailing in behind the 1950s scifi and monsters craze in the states, you ended up with a lot of low budget british scifi films some good, some terrible. Seance on a wet afternoon is not a masterpiece, but it is a subtly and intensely disquieting film, the kind that lingers in your head long after youve seen it. The film stars richard attenborough who was also the films coproducer, kim. Another fascinating portrait of a woman by one of the most underrated british directors, after leslie caron in the lshaped room and before edith evans in the whisperers, kim stanley gave here a superb performance in front of bryan forbes camera. By the time the film has come to an end he has been bullied by his wifes.
After completing seance on a wet afternoon, stanley did not appear in another film until frances in 1982. Myra savage kim stanley is an emotionally unbalanced woman and failed psychic who comes up with an idea that she hopes will revive her career. In her youth, myra was told that she was different. Dvd compare is a participant in the amazon services llc associates program and the amazon europe s. Seance on a wet afternoon 1964, directed by bryan forbes. Two of the greatest performances you will ever see myra, a selfstyled psychic in london, concocts a scheme to gain celebrity. Monday, april 28, 2014 1964 seance on a wet afternoon psycological thriller if viewers were to take the first half hour of this movie, and then watch the last thirty minutes should be able to.
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