DEAN SPANLEY

Year: 2008
UK: Icon Film Distribution
Cast: Jeremy Northam, Sam Neill, Bryan Brown, Peter O'Toole, Art Malik, Judy Parfitt, Elizabeth Goram-Smith, Charlotte Graham, Bruce Hopkins, Jenna Pollard, Eva Sayer, Dudley Sutton, Ramon Tikaram
Director: Toa Fraser
Countries: New Zealand / UK
UK: 100 mins
UK Certificate: U contains infrequent very mild language
UK Release Date: 12 December 2008


Synopsis

England,1904. Henslowe Fisk (Jeremy Northam) and his ailing father, Horatio Fisk (Peter O'Toole), decide to go to a lecture given by the Swami Nala Prash (Art Malik) on reincarnation, called 'The Transmigration of Souls'. While there, they meet one Dean Spanley (Sam Neill) as well as Wrather (Bryan Brown), a self-described facilitator from the Colonies.

Later encountering the Dean at his father's club, and then in the grounds of the cathedral, Henslowe takes this to be more than coincidence and decides to ask the man to dinner, enticing him with the promise of his favourite tipple Imperial Tokay, a rare Hungarian sweet wine. Using Wrather to procure a bottle, Henslowe begins a series of dinners between with Spanley, in which - after two glasses of the wine - the

Dean begins to recount strange recollections of his past life.

Incredulous at first, Henslowe becomes intrigued by the Dean's clear-headed accounts of his days during his former life. But as these alcohol-induced investigations continue, it becomes clear that Dean Spanley has an intimate connection to someone close to Henslowe, a revelation that will ultimately prove incredibly cathartic for all concerned.

Based on the novel 'My Talks With Dean Spanley' by Baron Dunsany.