CINEMA: Dean Spanley

There’s also plenty of imagination at play in this truly original and beguiling little movie, which has a huge heart. Set in 1904 it is a tale of estrangement, reconciliation and – rather oddly – reincarnation.

Henslowe Fisk (Jeremy Northam) loves his elderly father Horatio (Peter O’Toole), but the two have never been close since the death of Henslowe’s brother in the Boer War. However, Henslowe is a dutiful son and while taking his father out one day the pair meet up with Dean Spanley (Sam Neill) a man who, like Henslowe, is fascinated by the theory of reincarnation. By accident Henslowe discovers when plied with his favourite wine (procured by the enigmatic Wrather, played by Bryan Brown) the Dean seems to regress to a past life. Intrigued by the tales the Dean tells Henslowe arranges a dinner party where he, his father, and Wrather will learn whether Dean Spanley is making it all up or really can remember a time when he was not only someone else but something else entirely.

Although the overall tone of the film is one of quiet warmth and humour, in one extremely touching scene O’Toole and Northam show their considerable stature as actors as father and son truly bond for the first time in years. However, it is Sam Neill who steals the show here in a part he clearly relishes and has enormous fun with.      Dee Pilgrim

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