HIGH SPIRITS
Ireland, 1988, 97 minutes, Colour.
Peter O'Toole, Daryl Hannah, Steve Guttenberg, Beverley D'Angelo, Liam Neeson, Peter Gallagher, Jennifer Tilly, Ray Mc Anally, Liz Smith, Connie Booth, Donal Mc Cann.
Directed by Neil Jordan.
High Spirits is an English ghost story, written and directed by Neil Jordan, the serious maker of Angel, Company of Wolves, Mona Lisa, The Crying Game, Michael Collins, The Butcher Boy. This is a pity. While Jordan might have made a funny film, he has had only moderate success. It has the old ghost story ingredients, like The Ghost Goes West, The Canterville Ghost, Happy Ever After - impoverished Irish, servants impersonating ghosts to impress Yankee visitors, real ghosts with histories. But it needs a much lighter touch for the whimsy. There is too much that is crass, apparently due to the producers rather than to Neil Jordan.. Peter O'Toole is quite rhetorical, the American cast including Steve Guttenberg and Beverly D'Angelo tends to shout. But Daryl Hannah is quite a charming ghost. A piece of blarney.
1.Irish comedy? Ghosts?
2.The picture of the castle, exteriors and interiors, comic pace and editing, the ghosts and the special effects, the score?
3.The title and tone?
4.Peter O'Toole as Peter Plunkett, the owner of the castle, his rhetorical utterances, his gestures of suicide, Brogan and the Americans wanting the castle, his relationship with his mother, the idea of the ghosts?
5.The rehearsal and the detail, the set-up for the hauntings? The Americans' arrival? The bus, the guide, the banshee on the roof, the accidents, going into the lake, fiasco? The welcome?
6.The meal and the whiting, trying to scare the guests before bed? The various ghosts and performances? The revolving bed? The fiasco and Plunkett's explanation to the guests?
7.Jack and Sharon, the journey together, the plane trip, Sharon and her bitchiness, not enjoying things? Jack and his enjoyment? The ghost detector and his family? The young girl on tour, the story of her life and men, Father Tony and his going to test out his religious commitment in Ireland?
8.Mary and Martin, the story of the ghosts, their re-enacting the murder every night? Jack and Plunkett talking, Jack seeing the ghost, intervening, being stabbed, for love of Mary, breaking the pattern? The clashes with Sharon? Her ringing her father? The appearances of Mary, Jack discussing the situation with Plunkett's mother? Halloween, Martin seeing Sharon, pursuing her? The sexual encounter between Mary and Jack, her ageing 200 years? Martin and the bus, the pursuit of Sharon, Sharon embracing him and falling and dying? Mary in her body? The two couples, the dance and the happy ending?
9.Plunkett, his rhetoric, his drinking, suicide attempts, Halloween, the happy ending?
10.The guests, the Halloween party, the bus chasing them, the girl and Tony, falling into the moat, falling in love?
11.The staff, their loyalty to Plunkett, the performances as ghosts, failures and success?
12.Plunkett's father as a ghost, his mother, the marriage between humans and ghosts?
13.The special effects for the ghosts, the stunts, the bus, people losing their clothes, the wraiths flying about? Irish jokes? A piece of blarney?
