Cast: Jeremy Northam, Peter O'Toole, Judy Parfitt, Bryan Brown, Sam Neill, Dudley Sutton
Rating: (G) Four stars
This year seems to be a celebration of the dog. In Marley and Me we got a straightforward account of doggie mayhem.
Dean Spanley (Rialto) is a more ambitious project.
Horatio Fisk (Peter O'Toole) is a determined grump. His philosophy of life was formed early over his grief at the disappearance of his dog, Wag.
To his mind, once a thing has happened it is pointless to regret it.
It might help him handle the loss of his younger son in the Boer War and the subsequent death of his wife, but it drives his surviving son Henslowe (Jeremy Northam) spare.
Outwardly a more conventional man than his father, he would like the opportunity to mourn more openly but his father forestalls every attempt.
When by chance he becomes acquainted with Dean Spanley (Sam Neill) some whimsy causes him to cultivate the seemingly dry old dean.
Spanley has one peculiarity, a liking for Tokay wine, and Fisk junior is fascinated to discover that the wine stimulates Spanley to reminisce about his previous life as a dog.
This is the moment when the whole gentle edifice of the film could collapse but Sam Neill is equal to the task.
Instead of doing crass dog impersonations he gives an elegant portrayal of a dull man remembering the magical moments when he used to be a dog.
Dean Spanley walks a fine line between delighting in its whimsy and becoming cloying. It stays on the correct side of the equation, making it a wee gem of cinematic pleasure.
Best thing: There is not a dud performance in the bunch.
Worst thing: The whole mystery of Spanley's past life gets resolved a little too neatly.
See it with: A keen eye for life's absurdities.
By Christine Powley.
