Dean Spanley
Dir Toa Fraser w/ Jeremy Nothram, Peter O'Toole. 100min. Gala.
BY Damian Rogers
September 09, 2008 12:09
Based on a book by Irish fantasy pioneer Lord Dunsany (1878-1957), this tale of a dog reincarnated as an Anglican clergyman is oddly winsome, despite a few moments that veer dangerously close to goofy. Toa Fraser keeps the silliness mostly at bay by making full comic use of his excellent cast — including Peter O'Toole, Jeremy Northram, Bryan Brown and Sam Neill — and grounds the story in the truly poignant father-and-son relationship at its heart. Set in Edwardian England, the sets are lush and everyone looks to be having a good time. In fact, O'Toole appears almost gleeful in his portrayal of a stuffed-shirt curmudgeon who recovers a boyish capacity for warmth. It's one of several fine turns, but to see a master in the twilight of his career play a man accepting his own losses and failures is undeniably affecting — the other gentlemen step back as his performance lifts the story to another level.
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