When an injured wife murderer takes refuge on a remote Lancashire farm, the owner's three children mistakenly believe him to be the Second Coming of Christ. The story of a strange pair of kidnappers, it was made into a well regarded film in 1964, and has also been adapted as an opera. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Myra and Billy view this scheme as a victimless crime, if a crime at all, as they don't plan on harming Amanda, and they are returning the requested ransom. As the trance continues, she senses that the girl was not killed. Synopsis. Mrs Clayton then comes to one of Myra's seances. Read 23 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. A medium and her husband stage a kidnapping in … I've just taken a look at this one; again, they don't make them like this anymore. Listen to Seance On a Wet Afternoon by Various Artists on Apple Music. And is her 10-year-old charge an emotionally disturbed murderer or just an insolent brat? Myra Savage is a professional medium who holds séances for clients every Wednesday. He takes Amanda into the woods and places her under a tree; it is not clear if she is dead or just sedated. Myra works as a medium, who holds weekly meetings, séances, for a regular group of customers, while Billy supports her in these ventures, as he does not otherwise work, due to his asthma. Title: Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Why did Richard Attenborough wear a fake nose? The film's story is very simple, although to describe it would be to remove one of the best aspects of it. Myra, with Billy's support, devises a scheme to raise her public prominence as a medium: kidnap Amanda Clayton, the young daughter of a wealthy couple, and using her psychic powers provide information to the Claytons and the police of Amanda and the requested ransom money's whereabouts. Directed by: Bryan Forbes Actors: Kim Stanley, Richard Attenborough, Margaret Lacey Production Company: Beaver Films Release Date: 5 November 1964 (USA) Aspect Ratio: 1.66 : 1 Kim Stanley won the Best Actress Award from the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Board of Review. Whether you're ready for the return of your favorite show or need to catch up, May is packed with an array of returning series. Compassionate look at the troubles of two young newlyweds, whose marriage has yet to be consummated. Don't read on if you don't want to know the ending! [8], Séance on a Wet Afternoon was remade in 2000 as the Japanese horror film Seance (Japanese: 降霊, Kōrei), directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Seance on a Wet Afternoon is a slow, moody and startlingly dark 60’s horror film that takes a simple premise and offers up a surprisingly compelling viewing experience. Myra Savage (Stanley) is a medium who holds séances in her home. Warning: screenonline full synopses contain 'spoilers' which give away key plot points. Seance on a Wet Afternoon began as a novel by Mark McShane before Bryan Forbes created the chilling psychological thriller film (1964). Séance on a Wet Afternoon was remade in 2000 as the Japanese horror film Seance (Japanese: 降霊, Kōrei), directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Based on the novel Seance on a Wet Afternoon by Mark McShane (London, 1961). Very suspensefully done from beginning to end. 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. Watch Seance on a Wet Afternoon starring Kim Stanley in this Drama on DIRECTV. [5] The film's sets were designed by the art director Ray Simm. In Seance on a Wet Afternoon housewife Myra believes it’s a blessing. Directed by Bryan Forbes. [2][3] Believing that her dead son Arthur wants Amanda to be with him, she tells Billy to kill her; he wants to refuse, realising that his wife is completely unhinged, but he seems to lack the will power to resist her. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Seance on a Wet Afternoon book. Her doctor thinks Jo uses childbirth as a rationale for sex. Myra's life and psychic work are dominated by her relationship with the spirit of her son Arthur, who died at birth. To write the opera, composer-librettist Stephen Schwartz returned to the novel to re-explore the storytelling potential. The murder of a young woman in London exposes deep racial tensions and prejudices inherent in the area. Forbes also wrote this one (as he often did). Most of the major plot points are revealed slowly and without overstating. View production, box office, & company info. Working-class British housewife Myra Savage (Kim Stanley) reinvents herself as a medium, holding seances in the sitting room of her home with the hidden assistance of her under-employed, asthmatic husband, Billy (Richard Attenborough). “Séance on a Wet Afternoon,” the first opera by Stephen Schwartz and based on the 1964 film of the same title, arrived at the New York City Opera on Tuesday. Myra is the dominant in the couple, Billy, the weak-minded follower. At Myra's insistence, Billy kidnaps Amanda, the young daughter (Donner) of a wealthy couple, Mr and Mrs Clayton (Eden and Newman), confining her in a room in the Savage home, whilst Myra impersonates a nurse to deceive the girl into believing she is hospitalised. A medium and her husband stage a kidnapping in order for her to pretend to solve the crime and achieve fame. Starring: Kim Stanley, Richard Attenborough. Favorite film featuring a Motorcycle and Sidecar Rig? Richard Attenborough won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor, and Forbes’ screenplay and Gerry Turpin's cinematography received nominations. Sadly, the print for Blu ray release shows no discernible difference from the previous DVD release I own, and the audio quality is variable. Seance on a Wet Afternoon location: home of the kidnappers: Marryat Road, Wimbledon, London SW19. Kim Stanley's bravura performance was, quite rightly, Oscar-nominated. "[4], The film was shot at Pinewood Studios and at various locations around London including Trafalgar Square, Wimbledon, several London Underground stations and the derelict Staines Greyhound Stadium. Directed by: Bryan Forbes. SÉANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON is a psychological thriller about a medium, Myra Foster, who convinces her weak-willed husband to kidnap the child of a wealthy couple, so she can use her abilities to locate the child and thus achieve fame. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. Here in Australia, I'm guessing that the film is pretty well-known (at least by name) by people from its generation. Bryan Forbes' writing and direction create an aptly clammy atmosphere and he's backed by some shrewd thesping. Seance on a Wet Afternoon When the police ask Myra to conduct a séance to help them find the missing girl – as she had hoped they would – she breaks down during the séance and reveals, as if in a psychic trance, what she and Billy have done. After finding stolen money she is victimized, making it necessary to find her support in her declining years. Based on the 1961 novel by Mark McShane, the film follows a mentally-unstable medium who convinces her husband to kidnap a child so she can help the police solve the crime and achieve renown for her abilities. Elderly Mrs. Ross lives alone in her meager flat, scraping by on government assistance even as she claims to have great wealth. Seance on a Wet Afternoon.1964: https://ejunk.imrost.com/vthqjho With Kim Stanley, Richard Attenborough, Margaret Lacey, Marie Burke. 15 of 16 people found this review helpful. Released theatrically in 1964, "Seance on a Wet Afternoon", wonderfully directed by Bryan Forbes, remains one of the high watermarks of 60s cinema, with two of the best lead performances you are ever likely to see. Seance on a Wet Afternoon is a wonderful British thriller, dripping with atmosphere. Thank you for joining us for Seance on a Wet Afternoon, our sixth free production stream since April. Myra and Billy view this scheme as a victimless crime, if a crime at all, as they don't plan on harming Amanda, and they are returning the requested ransom. The story of a strange pair of kidnappers, it was made into a well regarded film in 1964, and has also been adapted as an opera. Need some help finding the best things to watch on Netflix? 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. There's just something not quite right when Bette Davis stars as an English nanny. The New York Herald Tribune called Séance on a Wet Afternoon "the perfect psychological suspense thriller and a flawless film to boot", and The New York Times stated "it isn’t often you see a melodrama that sends you forth with a lump in your throat, as well as a set of muscles weary from being tense for nigh two hours."[7]. Londoner Jo and her third husband Jake live with six of her children but the marriage is strained by numerous factors. Myra visits the Claytons, stating that she is a professional medium and claiming that she had a dream involving their daughter; Clayton is dismissive but his wife believes that Myra may know something. In Brighton in 1935, small-time gang leader Pinkie Brown murders a journalist and later desperately tries to cover his tracks but runs into trouble with the police, a few witnesses and a rival gang. Séance on a Wet Afternoon is a 1964 British thriller film directed by Bryan Forbes, and starring Kim Stanley, Richard Attenborough, Nanette Newman, Mark Eden and Patrick Magee. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Filmed in stark black and white, "Seance" is set in a rather drab area of London. 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. Seance on a Wet Afternoon. Huggo. A methodical British psychological thriller of shadowy tenor about an affluent child kidnapped by a husband to appease his medium wife’s plan for recognition guided by her child’s spirit. It's hard to find any fault with this movie. You can't get much better than a film, not only written and directed by Forbes, but starring an unforgettable pairing in Kim Stanley and Richard Attenborough. (1964). Forbes' script won the Writers Guild of Great Britain Award and the 1965 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. Myra and Billy Savage are a married couple living in London. According to Jon Krampner's biography Female Brando: The Legend of Kim Stanley, Forbes and Attenborough initially had encountered difficulty in casting the role of Myra. Horrortheque #8 - Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) - YouTube This page was last edited on 21 April 2021, at 09:32. 41 Marryat Road, Wimbledon, London, England, UK. "Arthur" is her spirit guide, who was their stillborn son. Ms. Stanley didn't make too many movies, but this one is enough to show why she's often thought of as the best stage actress of the 20th century.Just to tell a small bit of the story, it's about a woman and her husband who earn some money giving séances for people. Her husband Billy (Attenborough), unable to work because of asthma and cowed by Myra's domineering personality, assists in her séances. A single, pregnant woman moves into a London boarding house where she meets a group of fellow misfits. A disgruntled veteran recruits a group of disgraced colleagues to perform a bank robbery with military precision. After Billy hides Amanda, anticipating (correctly) the police coming to the house to investigate, he collects the ransom money, burying it in their garden before taking Amanda back to their house, but she has a high temperature and Billy wants to get a doctor, which Myra violently disagrees with. 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. It's unclear whether the husband, played by Attenborough, actually believes anything supernatural is going on, because as the story progresses, what does become clear is that his wife, played by Stanley, is having, or has already had, a serious break with reality.A word of warning to those thinking this is a movie about the supernatural given the film's title—it is not, although some may see something of the supernatural in the wife's delusional mode of existence. Genres: [6], Critical reaction in the British and American media was overwhelmingly strong. Synopsis. It was only recently that I saw, for the very first time, Bryan Forbes’ adaptation of Mark McShane’s novel Séance on a Wet Afternoon (1964), and as it was designed to do, it chilled me to the bone. Myra works as a medium, who holds weekly meetings, séances, for a regular group of customers, while Billy supports her in these ventures, as he does not otherwise work, due to his asthma. But be prepared, it’s really quite dark and there were moments I was talking to my TV, … Despite success on the field, a rising rugby star senses the emerging emptiness of his life as his inner angst begins to materialize through aggression and brutality, so he attempts to woo his landlady in hopes of finding reason to live. Released theatrically in 1964, "Seance on a Wet Afternoon", wonderfully directed by Bryan Forbes, remains one of the high watermarks of 60s cinema, with two of the best lead performances you are ever likely to see. Written by Was this review helpful to you? This should help the film to gain the wider appeal that it deserves. Seance On A Wet Afternoon (1964) Show analysis. Attenborough later was quoted as stating that Stanley was the best choice, noting that the "complexity of dramatic impression vital to the credibility of Myra was hard to find. Although they ask for a £25,000 ransom, they plan to return the money with the girl after Myra has become famous for helping find her. Seance On A Wet Afternoon (1964) - Last Minute Doubts Cryptic conversation, deranged medium Myra (Kim Stanley) with husband Billy (Richard Attenborough, who also produced) involving their dead son and a barely revealed scheme to enhance their circumstances, early in director Bryan Forbes' Seance On A Wet Afternoon , 1964. "Seance on a Wet Afternoon" is one of those great titles for a film--I had been long familiar with the film "by name" but not "by experience". She was nominated for the Academy Award as Best Actress (she lost to Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins) and the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress (she lost to Anne Bancroft in The Pumpkin Eater). It's available to watch. Use the HTML below. Also an intellectual ability to follow and understand the character. Released theatrically in 1964, "Seance on a Wet Afternoon", wonderfully directed by Bryan Forbes, remains one of the high watermarks of 60s cinema, with two of the best lead performances you are ever likely to see. Myra and Billy Savage are a married couple living in London. Deborah Kerr and Simone Signoret originally were approached for the part, but both actresses turned down the role. Jo's issues leave her in a fragile mental state. One of the best British films of the 1960's, "Seance on a Wet Afternoon" is now available on DVD through general distribution. Filmed in stark black and white, "Seance" is set in a rather drab area of London. While our theaters remain dark, these streams are one of numerous ways Opera Santa Barbara is working to support you and artists during Covid. London's Daily Express called the film "superbly atmospheric", and The Sunday Telegraph dubbed it "compassionate, intelligent and absorbing." Myra is the dominant in the couple, Billy, the weak-minded follower. Myra insists she is "borrowing" the girl to demonstrate her psychic abilities to the police in helping them find her. Filmed in stark black and white, "Seance" is set in a rather drab area of London. Paul Wells, Alan Burton & Tim O'Sullivan. To carry out the scheme successfully, they will have to: kidnap Amanda; convince Amanda that her temporary captivity is not out of the ordinary, while having her not be able to ... ‘Enola Holmes’ Trailer: Millie Bobby Brown Is Sherlock Holmes’ Sleuthing Sister in Netflix Film, When the Walls Can Talk: Forbes’ Forgotten “The Whisperers” Finds New Breath | Blu-ray Review, ‘Fleabag’ and ‘Killing Eve’ Director to Helm ‘Seance on a Wet Afternoon’, Pearls of British film noir (Perlas del cine negro británico). [9], https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Séance_on_a_Wet_Afternoon&oldid=1019061301, Films and television featuring Greyhound racing, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Margaret McGrath as Woman at Second Séance. Billy tells the police where he hid the ransom money and reveals that he left Amanda unconscious where she would be found by scouts who were camping nearby, which the police already know, confirming that she is alright. Stream songs including "Seance On a Wet Afternoon", "Jazzabout Suite: In the Sun" and more. I didn’t believe Simone (Signoret) could convey, as Kim did, the otherworldliness which this woman inhabited in her private fantasies. Addresses some of the major 60s social issues - a bored rich London-girl from Chelsea decides to go "slumming" in depressed Battersea, getting a flat and starts factory-work and makes friends... of which one has to get an illegal abortion. The film is actually about something entirely different—the kidnapping of a young girl. The film was a commercial failure, and its losses - along with those of Life for Ruth - caused the demise of the Allied Film Makers company. Myra's plan goes awry as her unsteady mental health begins to fray. A woman reports that her young daughter is missing, but there seems to be no evidence that she ever existed. Title: Seance on a Wet Afternoon Summary: A medium and her husband stage a kidnapping in order for her to pretend to solve the crime and achieve fame. Seance on a Wet Afternoon Date: 1964 Director: Bryan Forbes Production Company: Beaver Films, Allied Film Makers Stars: Richard Attenborough, Kim Stanley, Nanette Newman, Patrick Magee, Mark Eden Location(s): London, Surrey "Arthur" is her spirit guide, who was their stillborn son. 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