SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON
UK, 1984, 118 minutes, Black and white.
Kim Stanley, Richard Attenborough, Nanette Newman, Mark Eden, Patrick Magee, Gerald Sim.
Directed by Bryan Forbes.
Seance on a Wet Afternoon is another success for the Richard Attenborough Bryan Forbes team (The L-Shaped? Room, The Angry Silence, etc.). Forbes wrote and directed the film. Attenborough produced and starred.
The film concerns a London suburban medium on the brink of insanity who persuades her dominated husband to carry out a kidnapping so that she can finally reveal the child's whereabouts and win the recognition she knows she ought to have. The story of the plot and Its execution are developed with suspense as well as most moving characterisation. A use of light and darkness, quiet house and city traffic situates the personal crisis of Myra and Billy Savage in the real London of the 60's.
Kim Stanley's performance as Myra is outstanding - refined, yet ruthless, loving but dominating, logical but close to insanity. She suggests so much by her eyes and face and a quietly-inflected remark. (Although she received the New York Critics' Award for 1964, she lost the Oscar to Julie Andrews for Mary Poppins!) Richard Attenborough again shows his ability as an actor playing a subdued role excellently to highlight the characterisation of Myra. Superb adult drama.
1. How well did the initial scenes met the mood and atmosphere of the film - the joined hands at the seance, the candle and the seance, the house and the rain, the faces of the people at the seance as they left?
2. A considerable part of the film is spent in establishing the relationship between Billy and Myra. Although they are shown planning the kidnapping, we learn a lot about them – Myra’s 'gift', her childhood, Billy 's leaving her, his return, his need of her. How is this done - by conversation, facial expression, lighting and such incidents as Myra'a turning off the Mendelssohn music and then denying it? Arthur's bed?
3. Why did Billy agree to carry out the plan? Why did Myra want to kidnap the child? Was she in good faith?
4. How realistic was the kidnapping sequence? Note Billy's use of transport, the ball landing near the car, the girl's reaction, the girl's locking the car doors.
5. Were Myra and Billy cruel to the girl? How shrewd was the girl? How shrewd was the hospital plan? What impression did the scenes of the peep-hole make?
6. How musk did the Claytons suffer? What impression did Myra'a visit to the Claytons make?
7. Comment on the suspense of the police enquiries at the Savage's. The quiet of the night, then the cross-cutting of Myra and the inspector at home and Billy's taking the girl in the bike and the sequence of collecting the money? How did the cross-cutting achieve its effect?
8. What was Billy’s reaction to the girl getting a fever? What was Myra's? Did this change Billy? Did he, at last, take in what they had done?
9. What was the effect of staging the Wednesday seance, with Mrs Clayton present in the room next to the feverish child? Was Myra in a genuine trance? Why did she faint?
10. How did Myra's belief that Arthur wanted them to kill the girl and send her to him produce the climax of the film? What did it show about Myra's beliefs, her sincerity and her sanity?
