Cinema surveillance images are loading at the bottom of the page

Dean Spanley - Jeremy Northam, Sam Neill, Bryan Brown, Toa Fraser

Threat advisory: Elevated - Significant risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

Set in Edwardian England where upper lips are always stiff and men from the Colonies are not entirely to be trusted, Fisk Senior (Peter O'Toole) has little time or affection for his son, Fisk Junior (Jeremy Northam), but when the pair visits an eccentric Indian, they start a strange journey that eventually allows the old man to find his heart.

Theatrical propaganda posters

Target demographic movie keyword propaganda

Film comedy drama NZ Edwardian England dog master reincarnation costume period father son wine cricket fantasy

Persons of interest

Jeremy Northam .... Fisk Junior
Sam Neill .... Dean Spanley
Bryan Brown .... Wrather
Peter O'Toole .... Fisk Senior
Judy Parfitt .... Mrs Brimley
Dudley Sutton .... Marriot
Eva Sayer .... Girl
Charlotte Graham .... Woman in Park
Jenna Pollard .... Housemaid
Lord Dunsany .... Author: My talks with Dean Spanley
Alan Sharp .... Screenwriter
Toa Fraser .... Director

Cinematic intelligence sources

Dean Spanley official movie site
Dean Spanley film production notes
Dean Spanley QuickTime movie trailers
Awards and film festivals:

Studios and distributors:

Paramount Pictures

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

You'll need to suspend your disbelief to watch Dean Spanley but once you do, you'll find yourself in a delightful Edwardian fantasy in which the Empire still reigns supreme, the gentleman is the epitome of English life and Peter O'Toole still looks like a cadaver. That would make this film is the thinking man's Weekend at Bernie's.

The key words that describe the movie are delicate, delightful, wistful, poignant, sweet, heart-warming, charming, witty and voyeuristic. There's no great philosophical examination but you do get to go on a strange journey into the slightly gothic, not to mention macabre, Victorian and Edwardian fascination with otherworldliness. The performances are as strong as you'd expect from this cast, from the dourness of O'Toole to the whimsicality of Sam Neill. Bryan Brown is an embarrassingly brash colonial while Jeremy Northam is like a dumpling floating in an Irish Stew (ie exactly right). Toa Fraser has kept a light touch with his direction, which is just what this movie needs.

The comedy, drama, NZ movie Dean Spanley is directed by Toa Fraser and stars Jeremy Northam, Sam Neill, Bryan Brown.