Dean Spanley (2008)

This is actually a dog movie. It's also about getting over a loss. The more times you watch it, the more things become clear, because it's more complex than just a story about a guy who was a dog in a past life.The first time I watched it, I didn't know where the movie was going, and it does start slow. The surviving son of a crotchety old man is doing is weekly visit with his father, who has no appreciation for it. Then Dean Spanley comes into the picture.I love this movie. It will surprise you, and it's got a wonderful ending.

The puzzle is why this film was ever made in the first place, though I hasten to add that I don't mean that as any kind of criticism. It is a gentle, rather whimsical and moving piece which I can't think would find a mass audience anywhere much, though that, too, is not meant as criticism.To put it all in perspective: thank goodness there are some people around in the film world prepared to produce films of this calibre for apparently no other reason than that they like films and like making good ones. It is a British and New Zealand co-production which astutely avoids all the pitfalls many smaller scale British films fall into. Its lightness of touch is admirable where all too often Brit films are just a tad heavy-handed and suffer as a result. There is only a small cast – just five main characters – and the story itself is superficially slight, yet it packs a punch which touches true emotion rather than mere sentimental whimsy. It would be unfair to pick out any particular performance because none stands out above the others – they are all excellent, as is the gently witty screenplay.Its evocation of Edwardian Britain is all the better for being understated – this is no 'period piece' and thus avoids the horrors just beneath the surface which many a 'period piece' singularly fails to avoid. My advice to everyone is to watch this and savour everything about it. If you like well-made films, you will probably love this. I shan't bother to provide a synopsis because that would be thoroughly misleading. There's far more to this than meets the eye.

Mr. Fisk, Jr. (Jeremy Northam) visits his cantankerous father, Fisk Sr. (Peter O'Toole) every Thursday for the noon meal. The long-standing cook and housekeeper, Mrs. Brimley (Judy Parfitt) always makes the same "hotpot" meal, for that's what Sr. demands. Knowing his father is in a rut and becoming more ornery every day, younger Fisk suggests that the two of them go hear a lecture on reincarnation. Most reluctantly, older Fisk agrees to go. Once there, another attendee asks the man if people can appear again as an animal or visa versa. The speaker says yes. Meanwhile, younger Fisk has gotten to know a gentleman named Dean Spanley (Sam Neill) who was at the "club" and likes an unusual drink, Tokai. Wanting to know the man better, Fisk Jr. asks a dealer (Bryan Brown) for the beverage, which turns out to be very expensive. But, its seems to be the only way to get a meeting with Spanley! Over glasses of the drink, younger Fisk is startled to hear an account of Dean's that he was once a DOG and what happened in his previous life! Well, well. Since the tale is spellbinding, Fisk listens. Will more earth shaking secrets be revealed? You bet! This is a very sophisticated film, told mostly in dialogue, and it focuses primarily on the male characters. Anglophiles will like it or film goers with refined tastes, as there is very little action. All of the acting is terrific, as are the beautiful sets and costumes. Script and direction are up to snuff, too. Therefore, if you admire the cast, as I do, or like the unusual offerings in the cinematic arena, go fetch dear Dean.

This film is a masterpiece with a great script, patiently building to a crescendo, delivered by skilled charming actors.Once upon a time, more than hundred years ago, before Google, before computers, before television, before movies, before radio, intelligent people still quested for understanding. If you are curious about reincarnation you might go to a public lecture and be aware of other people in the audience. The mysteries of why pain comes into your life, what gives happiness, can a soul survive death is the same in any century, and a quiet persistent pursuit yields result.The other reviewers do an excellent job of telling of Fisk Jr. Trying through weekly visits to thaw his curmudgeon distant father. was the father always abrasive and bitter? Will he always be so? What unlocks the emotions is a shaggy dog story. Somehow the aroma of a rare wine enjoyed by Dean Spanley unlocks the acute sense of smell of a dead spaniel, who lives again to tell his adventure. This is the adventure of the three astonished men and you the audience. It is more emotionally rewarding than all the explosions and chases and violence that are not in this film.