Dean Spanley
Encyclopedia
Dean Spanley is a 2008 New Zealand
and British
comedy-drama
film, with fantastic
elements, from Miramax Films
, Atlantic Film Group (UK) and General Film Corporation (NZ), directed by Fijian New Zealander Toa Fraser
. The film is based on an Alan Sharp
adaptation of Irish
author Lord Dunsany's short novel My Talks with Dean Spanley, and stars Sam Neill
as the Dean, Jeremy Northam
and Peter O'Toole
as Fisk Junior and Fisk Senior respectively and Bryan Brown
as Wrather.
The narrative is called "a surreal period comedic tale of canine reincarnation exploring the relationships between father and son and master and dog". Peter O'Toole said that the film's use of comedy to explore the relationship between a father and son was part of the attraction for him: "All of us have had these difficult familial relationships and I think it's a film for all of us who understand the relationship between a father and son. It's been interesting watching how various members of the crew have been looking at the monitors during scenes, because they come up to me and say, 'I had the same thing with my father.'"
) who has lost her husband. Fisk Junior reluctlantly visits his father every Thursday.
One day, trying to entertain his father, Fisk Junior brings him to a lecture by a visiting swami
(Art Malik
) about the transmigration of souls that is attended by the new local clergyman, Dean Spanley (Sam Neill
).
Later the same day he sees the Dean at his father's club. A chance third meeting leads to an introduction. Fisk Junior is intrigued by the Dean's oddly open-minded views on reincarnation and getting beyond the appearance of an affable, rather bland clergyman by his weakness for certain peculiar sensations produced by Hungarian Imperial Tokay
wine, which leads him into a dreamlike state. Working with his clever friend Wrather (Bryan Brown
), an Australian "conveyancer
", Fisk secures a large batch of Tokay and the two entertain the Dean, who acts ever more strangely, starting to reveal memories of his previous life – as a Welsh Spaniel
. These memories are acute and convincing, including rich feelings around food and communication with other canines, a deep distaste for cats and pigs and the joy of serving his master. As the story unfolds, Fisk Junior comes to understand his father's background better and the two draw closer.
in Cambridgeshire
(including Wisbech Castle
and Peckover House) on 10 November 2007, continuing for some weeks and taking in the heritage area of the Crescent, the Castle and the museum. It continued at Holkham Hall
in Norfolk
, while another setting was Elveden Hall
in Suffolk
, once home to and remodelled for the last Maharajah of Punjab
in the years just before the film's setting. Elm Hill
in Norwich
with its mixture of medieval, Tudor, Victorian and Edwardian buildings, as used in the Dunsanyesque box-office success Stardust, as well as Norwich Cathedral
cloisters. Further filming took place in New Zealand.
cameras were used, with digital internediate post-production by Lipsync Productions.
, where it received a red-carpet gala premiere, the first New Zealand production ever to do so.
It also had two showings at the London Film Festival
, one attended by the cast and closing with a standing ovation. Dean Spanley was also shown at the largest film festival in Asia, the Pusan International.
The United Kingdom general release was announced by Icon Distribution for 12 December, and a "U" classification issued by the British Board of Film Classification.
In the Ireland
it was certified "G" and goes on release on the same date. The film has been certified in Australia
as "G" also, for release on 5 March 2009, and in New Zealand
is released 26 February 2009; distribution in both Australia and New Zealand
is by Paramount.
In early November, the film was offered to USA distributors at the annual American Film Market (5–12 November), with two showings announced, and in early February 2009, Miramax bought the USA rights. However, rather than opening in theatres in the U.S., it has gone straight to cable.
Reviews were generally positive, Rotten Tomatoes
website gives the film a rating of 85% "fresh" based on 26 reviews. The critical consensus describes the film as "Offbeat, whimsical, period-set shaggy dog story with daffy performances from Sam Neill and Peter O’Toole."
. A soundtrack CD was released in New Zealand on Warner Music (NZ) 5186531802 consisting of 14 tracks and a running time of 41:05.
Background choir music was provided by the 30-voice New Zealand choir Musica Sacra.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
film, with fantastic
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
elements, from Miramax Films
Miramax Films
Miramax Films is an American entertainment company known for distributing independent and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein...
, Atlantic Film Group (UK) and General Film Corporation (NZ), directed by Fijian New Zealander Toa Fraser
Toa Fraser
Toa Fraser, born in Britain in 1975, of a Fijian father and a British mother, is a playwright and film director. His second feature film, Dean Spanley, starring Sam Neill, Jeremy Northam and Peter O'Toole, premiered in September 2008.-Life:...
. The film is based on an Alan Sharp
Alan Sharp
Alan Sharp a novelist and screenwriter. He published two novels in the 1960s, and since then has written the screenplays for about twenty films, mostly produced in the United States....
adaptation of Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
author Lord Dunsany's short novel My Talks with Dean Spanley, and stars Sam Neill
Sam Neill
Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM, OBE is a New Zealand actor. He is well known for his starring role as paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III....
as the Dean, Jeremy Northam
Jeremy Northam
Jeremy Philip Northam is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Ivor Novello in the 2001 film Gosford Park, as Dean Martin in the 2002 television movie Martin and Lewis, and as Thomas More on the Showtime series The Tudors...
and Peter O'Toole
Peter O'Toole
Peter Seamus Lorcan O'Toole is an Irish actor of stage and screen. O'Toole achieved stardom in 1962 playing T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, and then went on to become a highly-honoured film and stage actor. He has been nominated for eight Academy Awards, and holds the record for most...
as Fisk Junior and Fisk Senior respectively and Bryan Brown
Bryan Brown
Bryan Neathway Brown, AM is an Australian actor.-Early life:Brown was born in Sydney, the son of John Brown and Molly Brown, a house cleaner who worked as a pianist in the early days of the Langshaw School of Ballet. He grew up in the south-western Sydney suburb of Bankstown and began working at...
as Wrather.
Plot
The screenplay is an adaptation of fantasy author Lord Dunsany's My Talks with Dean Spanley, a 14-chapter novella published in 1936. It is set in Edwardian England.The narrative is called "a surreal period comedic tale of canine reincarnation exploring the relationships between father and son and master and dog". Peter O'Toole said that the film's use of comedy to explore the relationship between a father and son was part of the attraction for him: "All of us have had these difficult familial relationships and I think it's a film for all of us who understand the relationship between a father and son. It's been interesting watching how various members of the crew have been looking at the monitors during scenes, because they come up to me and say, 'I had the same thing with my father.'"
Storyline
In the very early 1900s, Henslowe Fisk lives beholden to his father, the difficult Horatio Fisk. The Fisk family has suffered first the loss of its younger son, Harrington Fisk (Xavier Horan), killed in the Second Anglo-Boer War, shortly followed by the death of Horatio's wife. Fisk Senior is looked after by his house keeper Mrs Brimley (Judy ParfittJudy Parfitt
Judy Parfitt is a BAFTA-nominated English theatre, film and television actress who began her career on stage in 1954.-Life and work:...
) who has lost her husband. Fisk Junior reluctlantly visits his father every Thursday.
One day, trying to entertain his father, Fisk Junior brings him to a lecture by a visiting swami
Swami
A swami sometimes abbreviated "Sw." is an ascetic or yogi who has been initiated into the religious monastic order founded by Adi Sankara, or to a religious teacher.The Oxford English Dictionary gives the etymology as...
(Art Malik
Art Malik
Art Malik is a Pakistani-born British actor who achieved international fame in the 1980s through his starring and subsidiary roles in assorted British and Merchant-Ivory television serials and films...
) about the transmigration of souls that is attended by the new local clergyman, Dean Spanley (Sam Neill
Sam Neill
Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM, OBE is a New Zealand actor. He is well known for his starring role as paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III....
).
Later the same day he sees the Dean at his father's club. A chance third meeting leads to an introduction. Fisk Junior is intrigued by the Dean's oddly open-minded views on reincarnation and getting beyond the appearance of an affable, rather bland clergyman by his weakness for certain peculiar sensations produced by Hungarian Imperial Tokay
Tokaji
Tokaji is the name of the wines from the region of Tokaj-Hegyalja in Hungary and Slovakia. The name Tokaji is used for labeling wines from this wine district. This region is noted for its sweet wines made from grapes affected by noble rot, a style of wine which has a long history in this region...
wine, which leads him into a dreamlike state. Working with his clever friend Wrather (Bryan Brown
Bryan Brown
Bryan Neathway Brown, AM is an Australian actor.-Early life:Brown was born in Sydney, the son of John Brown and Molly Brown, a house cleaner who worked as a pianist in the early days of the Langshaw School of Ballet. He grew up in the south-western Sydney suburb of Bankstown and began working at...
), an Australian "conveyancer
Conveyancer
In Commonwealth countries, a conveyancer is a specialist lawyer who specialises in the legal aspects of buying and selling real property, or conveyancing. A conveyancer can also be a solicitor, licensed conveyancer, or a fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives.In the United Kingdom,...
", Fisk secures a large batch of Tokay and the two entertain the Dean, who acts ever more strangely, starting to reveal memories of his previous life – as a Welsh Spaniel
Welsh Springer Spaniel
The Welsh Springer Spaniel is a breed of dog and a member of the spaniel family. Thought to be comparable to the old Land Spaniel, they are similar to the English Springer Spaniel and historically have been referred to as both the Welsh Spaniel and the Welsh Cocker Spaniel...
. These memories are acute and convincing, including rich feelings around food and communication with other canines, a deep distaste for cats and pigs and the joy of serving his master. As the story unfolds, Fisk Junior comes to understand his father's background better and the two draw closer.
Cast
- Jeremy NorthamJeremy NorthamJeremy Philip Northam is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Ivor Novello in the 2001 film Gosford Park, as Dean Martin in the 2002 television movie Martin and Lewis, and as Thomas More on the Showtime series The Tudors...
as Fisk, Junior (Henslowe) (also narrator) - Peter O'ToolePeter O'ToolePeter Seamus Lorcan O'Toole is an Irish actor of stage and screen. O'Toole achieved stardom in 1962 playing T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, and then went on to become a highly-honoured film and stage actor. He has been nominated for eight Academy Awards, and holds the record for most...
as Fisk Senior (Horatio) - Sam NeillSam NeillNigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM, OBE is a New Zealand actor. He is well known for his starring role as paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III....
as the Dean - Bryan BrownBryan BrownBryan Neathway Brown, AM is an Australian actor.-Early life:Brown was born in Sydney, the son of John Brown and Molly Brown, a house cleaner who worked as a pianist in the early days of the Langshaw School of Ballet. He grew up in the south-western Sydney suburb of Bankstown and began working at...
as Wrather - Judy ParfittJudy ParfittJudy Parfitt is a BAFTA-nominated English theatre, film and television actress who began her career on stage in 1954.-Life and work:...
as Mrs Brimley - Dudley SuttonDudley Sutton-Life:He served in the RAF as a mechanic before enrolling in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art from which he was later expelled.Known for his eccentricity, he became a cult figure after playing a gay biker in The Leather Boys . He married American actress Marjorie Steele in 1961; she had previously...
as Mariott - Charlotte Graham as the woman in the park
- Eva Sayer as a girl
- Elizabeth Goram-Smith as a young lady of stature
- James Lever as the cricketer
- Ramon TikaramRamon TikaramRamon Pramod Junior Tikaram is a British stage and screen actor of Indo-Fijian and Malaysian descent.-Early and personal life:...
as the Nawab of Ranjiput
Optioning
The novella was optioned from the Dunsany Will Trust through Curtis Brown of London by Alan Sharp. Support for the production came from both English (Screen East) and New Zealand (NZ Film Commission) government agencies, with financing completed by Aramid Entertainment, General Film Corporation and Lipsync Productions. Both producers, the director, some of the lead cast (Neill was born in Northern Ireland but is associated with New Zealand), the cinematographer, the editor, the composer and a number of other members of the production crew and cast are from New Zealand.Writing
The adapted screenplay was written by Alan Sharp, with clearance from the Dunsany Literary Estate. Trevor Johnston has written, "If you read the original story before seeing the film ..., then see the film, what’s striking is that Sharp has not so much effected an adaptation as a reinvention."Casting
Led by Daniel Hubbard, the studio cast leading talent Sam Neill, Jeremy Northam, Bryan Brown and Peter O'Toole, along with a range of experienced actors.Locations
Principal filming began at WisbechWisbech
Wisbech is a market town, inland port and civil parish with a population of 20,200 in the Fens of Cambridgeshire. The tidal River Nene runs through the centre of the town and is spanned by two bridges...
in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
(including Wisbech Castle
Wisbech Castle
Wisbech castle was a motte-and-bailey castle built to fortify Wisbech, in the Fenland area of Cambridgeshire, England by William I in 1072. The Norman castle, reputedly was destroyed during a devastating flood of 1236, the original design and layout is still unknown.In the 15th century repairs were...
and Peckover House) on 10 November 2007, continuing for some weeks and taking in the heritage area of the Crescent, the Castle and the museum. It continued at Holkham Hall
Holkham Hall
Holkham Hall is an eighteenth-century country house located adjacent to the village of Holkham, on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk...
in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, while another setting was Elveden Hall
Elveden Hall
Elveden Hall is a large privately owned house overlooking the large Elveden Estate in Elveden, Suffolk, England. It is located centrally to the village and is close to the A11 and the Parish Church....
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, once home to and remodelled for the last Maharajah of Punjab
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
in the years just before the film's setting. Elm Hill
Elm Hill, Norwich
Elm Hill, Norwich is an historic cobbled lane in Norwich, Norfolk with many buildings dating back to the Tudor period.It is a famous Norwich landmark and features the Briton's Arms coffee house, The Stranger's Club and the famous Dormouse bookshop....
in Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
with its mixture of medieval, Tudor, Victorian and Edwardian buildings, as used in the Dunsanyesque box-office success Stardust, as well as Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral is a cathedral located in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Formerly a Catholic church, it has belonged to the Church of England since the English Reformation....
cloisters. Further filming took place in New Zealand.
Technology
Filmed in 35mm colour, in 1:1.85 ratio, with high-definition, Arri 416 and D-20Arriflex D-20
The Arriflex D-20 is a film-style digital motion picture camera made by Arri first introduced in November 2005. The camera's attributes are its optical viewfinder, modularity, and 35mm-width CMOS sensor. The camera was discontinued in 2008 and the Arriflex D-21 was introduced.- Overview :The D-20...
cameras were used, with digital internediate post-production by Lipsync Productions.
Release and reception
Ahead of general release, Dean Spanley was shown twice at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival2008 Toronto International Film Festival
The 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This 33rd annual festival was from September 4 to September 13, 2008...
, where it received a red-carpet gala premiere, the first New Zealand production ever to do so.
It also had two showings at the London Film Festival
London Film Festival
The BFI London Film Festival is the UK's largest public film event, screening more than 300 features, documentaries and shorts from almost 50 countries. The festival, , currently in its 54th year, is run every year in the second half of October under the umbrella of the British Film Institute...
, one attended by the cast and closing with a standing ovation. Dean Spanley was also shown at the largest film festival in Asia, the Pusan International.
The United Kingdom general release was announced by Icon Distribution for 12 December, and a "U" classification issued by the British Board of Film Classification.
In the Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
it was certified "G" and goes on release on the same date. The film has been certified in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
as "G" also, for release on 5 March 2009, and in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
is released 26 February 2009; distribution in both Australia and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
is by Paramount.
In early November, the film was offered to USA distributors at the annual American Film Market (5–12 November), with two showings announced, and in early February 2009, Miramax bought the USA rights. However, rather than opening in theatres in the U.S., it has gone straight to cable.
Critical response
Receiving a standing ovation at the gala premiere, initial commentary was positive (per reviews at IMDb.com and elsewhere), with particular praise for O'Toole's performance and the final "act".Reviews were generally positive, Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
website gives the film a rating of 85% "fresh" based on 26 reviews. The critical consensus describes the film as "Offbeat, whimsical, period-set shaggy dog story with daffy performances from Sam Neill and Peter O’Toole."
Awards and nominations
Dean Spanley was longlisted for the 2009 Orange British Film Academy Awards (BAFTAs) for Adapted Screenplay (Alan Sharp) and Supporting Actor (Peter O'Toole).Music
An original soundtrack was composed by New Zealand composer Don McGlashanDon McGlashan
Don McGlashan is a New Zealand musician and songwriter who has been a member of bands such as The Plague, From Scratch, The Whizz Kids, Blam Blam Blam, The Front Lawn, The Mutton Birds and, from 2009, The Bellbirds. He composed several pieces for the Limbs Dance Company...
. A soundtrack CD was released in New Zealand on Warner Music (NZ) 5186531802 consisting of 14 tracks and a running time of 41:05.
Background choir music was provided by the 30-voice New Zealand choir Musica Sacra.
Websites
Official websites exist for the UK & Ireland (http://www.deanspanleythemovie.co.uk) and Australia and New Zealand (http://www.deanspanleythemovie.com.au).Home media
A region-2 DVD was released in 2009. A region-1 DVD was released in 2010.Accompanying releases
- Reissue of the novella (out of print for some years) from HarperCollinsHarperCollinsHarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
, with screenplay, set photos, publicity stills, cast interviews, and interviews and comments from the director, producers and crew members – released in the UK 3 November 2008, and due in the USA.
External links
- Official Website.
- ITV Anglia News report about Dean Spanley – filmed in the East of England
- Official listing at Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film FestivalThe Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
- Actors from the film at the Gala Premiere
- Brief notes from a cinema management figure, who rated the film possible "best of festival"