Rating: 
Summary: "Yes, dear."
Review: "Seance on a Wet Afternoon" is a psychological thriller involving a miserable, middle-aged, middle-class couple. Following the death of their child, Myra (Kim Stanley) becomes a psychic, and her long-suffering husband, Billy, (Richard Attenborough) tolerates and even encourages his wife's exploration of the after-life. Seances held in the darkened living room seem to be a fairly harmless thing, but when Myra concocts a kidnapping scheme to publicize her talents, Billy agrees to help. The plan is to kidnap the daughter of a wealthy London businessman, and Myra intends to 'solve' the mystery of the child's whereabouts using her psychic powers. Naturally, things go wrong.The relationship between Myra and Billy occupies most of the film, and while a handful of other actors briefly appear, Myra and Billy create most of the drama, and most of the film takes place inside their gloomy home. Myra is domineering, exploitive, and out-of-control, and Billy--the ultimate, hen-pecked husband--is completely under-her-thumb. Their relationship is a study of the power structure within marriage. Myra is an annoying, hideous creature, but Billy loves her. It is through Billy's love and his desire to protect that Myra is empowered, and Billy is exploited and humiliated. I was flipping through my film guide one day when I noticed the high rating this film I was received, and I was rather intrigued by the film's plot. I'd never heard of the film before, but I was determined to track down a copy. I was not a bit disappointed. The film is black and white, and even although it lacks any of the special effects that modern films include (the kidnap vehicle is a motorbike and side-car), the story held my interest all the way to the unexpected ending. It is the acting that takes this film out of the realm of the average, and the film reminded me of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" for its unmerciful dissection of domestic hell in all of its glory. Kim Stanley really threw herself into the role of Myra. She's at times gloating, but always on the edge of hysteria, and this pushes to the surface when she doesn't get her way. There is one scene when Billy stands behind Myra--only his eyes are visible--Billy's facial expressions are blocked out by Myra's head. Attenborough acts with his eyes, and I thought his performance was magnificent-displacedhuman
Rating: 
Summary: Worthless as a DVD presentation
Review: A thump on the head to Home Vision Entertainment: this expensive DVD has NO special features whatsoever - namely subtitle options, or any of the perks that normally come with DVDs.
Rating:
Summary: A FINE, OFF-BEAT FILM.
Review: A very unusual film which plays like a documentary in its approach with hidden cameras in public places. Stanley plays a woman who is on the brink of insanity. She is a psychic who claims contact with the "other side" through her late son, a stillborn child. Because her business is flagging and for the sake of her reputation, Stanley persuades her adoring but essentially weak husband to participate in a twistedly bizarre scheme which concerns the kidnapping of a young girl...This is one of Kim Stanley's rare and wonderful appearances on film, and quite probably her best performance. The subject matter was considered too distasteful by Simone Signoret, who was offered the lead; Margaret Lockwood was then considered, but it was decided that her audience appeal by 1964 had greatly diminished. Although Stanley lost the AA to Julie Andrews for MARY POPPINS, she did covet the New York Film Critic Award for Best Actress.
Rating: 
Summary: Memorable Performances Highlight Psychological Thriller
Review: An unsuccessful psychic and spiritualist has grown frustrated with her lack of celebrity--and so devises a plan to bring herself the fame she craves. She and her husband will kidnap a child. When the police are baffled and press coverage has reached a fevered pitch, she will have a "vision" that will lead to the child's recovery and the reap the rewards of publicity. But no sooner is the plan underway than there are complications--and in this instance the complications are the characters themselves. Everything about Brian Forbes' SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON is understated yet oddly moody. The story, although unusual, is told in a direct sort of way; although it offers an occasional twist, the plot avoids tricky devices. The script is very natural sounding, the black and white cinematography avoids undue cleverness, and the background music is discreet. This throws all attention on the characters--and Kim Stanley and Richard Attenborough offer amazing performances, with Stanley the very personification of rising madness and Attenborough painfully accurate as her emotionally dependent husband. The interplay between Stanley and Attenborough is justly famous, and the two stars are well supported, most particularly by Judith Donner as the kidnapped child and Nanette Newman as her distracted mother. The film has a dreamy, claustrophobic quality that many will find fascinating; some, however, may consider it a bit talky and its conclusion an anticlimax. But if you are in the mood for a psychological thriller that really is psychological, you couldn't pick a better choice for rainy day viewing. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Bryan Forbes' Seance on a Wet Afternoon
Review: Bryan Forbes wrote the screenplay and directed one of the most suspenseful films of the 1960's. Kim Stanley, who received an Oscar nomination for her work, is a psychic medium living in a big dark house with her ill, out of work husband Richard Attenborough. The pair, completely out of touch with reality, are not living well on the once weekly readings Stanley gives in her sitting room. They hit upon a horrible plan, but with what they think are good intentions. They decide to kidnap a child and hold it for ransom. Then they will offer her psychic services to the grieving family, magically divine where the child and ransom are, and reap the rewards. The kidnapping goes off without too many glitches. The couple fools the businessman's daughter into thinking she is in a hospital with german measles. In reality, she is locked in their upstairs spare room, painted white for effect. Attenborough procures the ransom after Stanley drops some tantalizing hints to the child's family that the girl is all right. Attenborough begins to have a change of heart. Stanley has other plans. When Stanley goes into her seance trance, her contact spirit is the couple's stillborn son. Stanley was never able to hold the child. Now the spirit Arthur wants a playmate, who better than the sick little girl upstairs? Despite a confusing first twenty minutes, this is incredible stuff. Forbes grabs the viewer by the neck and forces them to feel both sympathy and revulsion at the kidnapping couple. Kim Stanley, a native of New Mexico, pulls off a British accent without a hitch. She is the most disturbed caregiver in movie history until Kathy Bates came along in "Misery." Richard Attenborough is a milquetoast who follows Stanley along like a lap dog, careful not to upset his psychologically fragile wife. Their scenes together, where they manipulate each other, are brilliant pieces of acting. Forbes turns the suspense up past the Hitchcockian degree. His scenes with the girl's mother at a seance while the child is calling out for her in the next room are priceless. His camera is always doing interesting things without disturbing the actors' work. The sound design is also good, see how long it takes before the constant ticking clock in the living room drives you mad. John Barry's musical score is great, and wisely used sparingly. The black and white photography does not age the film, but adds to the already gray characters. These are people you feel for, and hate, at the same time. Despite the title, this is not a horror film. This is a psychological thriller that no one seems to be able to make anymore in this day and age of panic rooms. No special effects here, just quiet madness lurking in the same room as where you watch this film. I will not be able to get this out of my head for awhile, and you should probably try to get it into yours. Definitely fantastic. This is unrated, and contains mild physical violence, mild profanity, and adult situations.
Rating:
Summary: One of the top films in the sixties!
Review: Bryan Gorbes (Goldfinger) directed this superb and eerie psychological thriller .
Kim Stanley - in a glorious performance - is a neurotic woman trapped in a struggling and suffocating marriage and deeply haunted by the death of her only child . She will manipulate her meek husband (Richard Attenborough) and decide kidnap a child of wealthy parents , devising a scheme to rescue the child and claim the ransom and her wide fame due her psychic abilities . Dense script with a complex web of issues such as the public madness and the private fantasy . This movie is a real punch in a decade unfortunately not characterized for original and mature films like this one .
One superb film.
Rating:
Summary: chilling and moody film
Review: Frankly, it's one of the best films I've ever seen. There's the rare screen performance by Kim Stanley (this alone makes the DVD worth purchasing) along with the chilly, moody & eerie story (in glorious black & white) of two con artists, one who's heart really isn't in his work. I'm not going to give away the plot but, suffice to say, this film's worth the investment.
Rating:
Summary: chilling and moody film
Review: Frankly, it's one of the best films I've ever seen. There's the rare screen performance by Kim Stanley (this alone makes the DVD worth purchasing) along with the chilly, moody & eerie story (in glorious black & white) of two con artists, one who's heart really isn't in his work. I'm not going to give away the plot but, suffice to say, this film's worth the investment.
Rating:
Summary: Great atmosphere, brilliant acting - a great ride
Review: I coincidentally watched this along with the excellent "Repulsion". These two films go together very well. They were both filmed in beautiful black-and-white, showing the incredible power and atmosphere that color film cannot capture. I suggest getting these two films together. If you enjoy one, you'll probably enjoy the other. This film features one of the most stunning pieces of acting I have ever seen. Kim Stanley is extraordinary, walking a tightrope throughout the whole film. She is truly breathtaking. You can watch her facial expressions and mannerisms shift within a single sentence, as her character veers from lucidity to absurdity in one breath. Richard Attenborough is brilliant, too, as her weak and spiritually deadened husband. The atmosphere in this film is so striking. It's a combination of the black-and-white photography, John Barry's eerie score, and, of course, the acting and direction. I don't want to say much about the plot, but it's basically about an unbalanced woman that has an absurd means to her desired end of a lifetime of shattered dreams. The house is filled with her ghosts, and she is hopelessly caught up in her past. And her spineless husband gets dragged down right with her. It's always interesting to see films where a male is subservient to his woman! The climactic seance scene is fantastic, solidly convincing me that Kim Stanley gave one of the greatest film performances I have ever seen. This is especially an amazing feat considering Kim Stanley is a revered stage actress that has been in very few films. She has said that working in film is too awkward a medium, that she didn't like its starts and stops. But her painstaking attention to detail is evident throughout this film, and she easily worked around whatever she felt her limitations might be in filmmaking. This film is a must-see. It makes for good suspense as it does for good drama. The whole experience of watching this film will not be soon forgotten.
Rating:
Summary: Great atmosphere, brilliant acting - a great ride
Review: I coincidentally watched this along with the excellent "Repulsion". These two films go together very well. They were both filmed in beautiful black-and-white, showing the incredible power and atmosphere that color film cannot capture. I suggest getting these two films together. If you enjoy one, you'll probably enjoy the other. This film features one of the most stunning pieces of acting I have ever seen. Kim Stanley is extraordinary, walking a tightrope throughout the whole film. She is truly breathtaking. You can watch her facial expressions and mannerisms shift within a single sentence, as her character veers from lucidity to absurdity in one breath. Richard Attenborough is brilliant, too, as her weak and spiritually deadened husband. The atmosphere in this film is so striking. It's a combination of the black-and-white photography, John Barry's eerie score, and, of course, the acting and direction. I don't want to say much about the plot, but it's basically about an unbalanced woman that has an absurd means to her desired end of a lifetime of shattered dreams. The house is filled with her ghosts, and she is hopelessly caught up in her past. And her spineless husband gets dragged down right with her. It's always interesting to see films where a male is subservient to his woman! The climactic seance scene is fantastic, solidly convincing me that Kim Stanley gave one of the greatest film performances I have ever seen. This is especially an amazing feat considering Kim Stanley is a revered stage actress that has been in very few films. She has said that working in film is too awkward a medium, that she didn't like its starts and stops. But her painstaking attention to detail is evident throughout this film, and she easily worked around whatever she felt her limitations might be in filmmaking. This film is a must-see. It makes for good suspense as it does for good drama. The whole experience of watching this film will not be soon forgotten.
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