1964 Directed by Bryan Forbes
Working-class British housewife Myra Savage 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. In an attempt to enhance her credibility as a psychic, Myra hatches an elaborate, ill-conceived plot to kidnap a wealthy couple's young daughter so that she can then help the police "find" the missing girl.
Het Krankzinnige Medium, Сеанс дождливым вечером, An einem trüben Nachmittag, Le Rideau de Brume, Ventimila sterline per Amanda, Seans w deszczowe popołudnie, Lukittujen ovien takana, Bag lukkede skodder, Farsa Diabólica, 雨の午後の降霊祭, Spiritism intr-o după-amiază ploioasă, Skuggan av ett mord, Seansa jednog kišnog popodneva, Сеанс дощовим вечором, Seance za deštivého odpoledne, Plan siniestro, 20.000 sterline per Amanda, 비 오는 오후의 음모, 비오는 오후의 음모, 비 오는 오후의 강령회, 비오는 오후의 강령회, Le rideau de brume, სველი საღამოს სეანსი, 雨天下的迎神会
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France
Italy
Spain
UK
USA
How terribly in love Myra and Billy must have been, during the time before. How they must have delighted in one another's company: laughing, fucking, talking deep into the night. The joy they must have felt, spinning tales about the life Arthur would have — all the things to which they'd introduce him; how funny they'd be; how proud they would be of him. The completeness they must have imagined would be secured by his arrival.
And then, everything is gone, as if it had been set afire. Nothing left of those plans but rubble; nothing left of that joy but the most painful of memories. Even smiling feels like a betrayal of Arthur; laughter is unimaginable.
Helplessly, Billy watches Myra…
1st Bryan Forbes
Today was my Nana's funeral, and I felt the appropriate way to say goodbye would be to watch one of her favourite films, one I'd never seen before. I wonder what she saw when she watched this, what parts of her life she found within the walls of Myra's house or in her marriage with Billy. I wonder if she saw herself in Myra, in some way, or was she more interested in criminal psychology, the mechanics of a mind that would willingly plan to kidnap a child. Maybe she saw a film about the extremes of love and the perversions that lie within. Maybe she just saw a great film. Sadly, I'll never have the chance to know, and I doubt a medium could ever tell me. All I know is that she had excellent taste.
Fairwell, Nana. Thank you for all the films.
High on atmosphere, thick with dread, a different kind of bleak. The quote on the poster is beyond accurate... Kim Stanley and Richard Attenborough absolutely slay with powerhouse performances. Can’t believe I waited this long to watch this.
Kim Stanley will see a script and be like “is anyone else gonna eat this?” And then not wait for an answer
"You know what I sometimes wish? I sometimes wish I *were*... ordinary. Like you. Dead ordinary."
Kim Stanley and Richard Attenborough are just... transcendent, here.
wish the film weren't so conflicted re: if it wants to focus on grief or mental illness, as its attempts to bridge the two make for the film's only unconvincing beats. but man, this one is muy special.
I literally had to watch this again because I can’t stop thinking about it. Myra is masked up and ready to Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss her way into a Spiritual Girl Summer full of candles, tea, and kidnapping. I’m fucking OBSESSED with this
The 1960s were a strange time for British cinema - it didn't really seem as though they knew what they wanted to be.
Trailing in behind the 1950s sci-fi and monsters craze in the States, you ended up with a lot of low budget British sci-fi films - some good, some terrible. There were still a lot of war films being made, too, mostly of a more revisionist nature, but these were dying out, and all of a sudden there was the obvious craze for spy films, fashion-conscious comedy-dramas, 'kitchen sink' melodramas and slapstick / naughty comedies.
It could be seen to be a bit of a mess, really, but at the same time it was very exciting that British…
Living under the significant weight of his wife's thumb, Bill does exactly what he's told. A man with seemingly little going for him loses the ability of free will and blindly complies with his mildly sadistic other half's plan to snatch the daughter of a wealthy couple for personal gain.
And so, armed with a chemical-laced handkerchief he sends the young, freckled cutie off to the land of nod, transfers her to a holding cell inside their home and waits for further instruction.
This is not a ploy for cash though. Not your typical ransom joint. No, this is a scam to demonstrate wife Myra's prowess as Medium extraordinaire, as illustrated when she steps from out of the shadows to…
Immaculate vibes and pure satisfaction. Geraldine Page might have been too young for this role in '64 but she's the only other actress I can think of who could possibly have matched Kim Stanley's powerfully disturbed performance. Richard Attenborough prefiguring Richard Bucket is so perfectly defined. I wouldn't believe Roy Clarke didn't directly draw from this even if he told me so himself. I'd like to check out more Bryan Forbes this year.
How is there no decent blu of this?? With fucking subtitles please.
the little girl calling out “mommy mommy mommy” over and over again sounded like my lesbian twitter mutuals.
Not a bad little drama/thriller but I was expecting something with a little more punch. It is filmed gorgeously and the acting is top notch but it’s just missing the real thriller element to really drive it home. I actually watched this because it was recently announced that Rachel Weisz will be starring in a remake which had me excited, I actually think this story mixed with the much freer storytelling capabilities of today that it’ll be awesome.
