Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964)

User Rating:

8.4/10   

Director:

Bryan Forbes

Writers:

Bryan Forbes (screenplay)
Mark McShane (novel)

Release Date:

5 November 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Myra, a self-styled psychic in London, concocts a scheme to gain celebrity. She convinces Billy, her weak-willed husband...

Plot Keywords:

Ransom | Seance | Kidnapping | Little Girl | Medium

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 7 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Kim Stanley	...	Myra Savage
Margaret Lacey	...	Woman at first Seance
Marie Burke	...	Woman at first Seance
Maria Kazan	...	Woman at first Seance
Lionel Gamlin	...	Man at Seances
Marian Spencer	...	Mrs. Wintry
Richard Attenborough	...	Billy Savage
Godfrey James	...	Mrs. Clayton's Chauffeur
Judith Donner	...	Amanda Clayton
Ronald Hines	...	Policeman outside Clayton's
Hajni Biro	...	Maid at Clayton's
Mark Eden	...	Charles Clayton
Nanette Newman	...	Mrs. Clayton
Diana Lambert	...	Sheila - Mr. Clayton's Secretary
Frank Singuineau	...	Bus Conductor
Gerald Sim	...	Detective Sergeant Beedle
Stanley Morgan	...	Man in Trilby
Maggie Rennie	...	Woman at Second Seance (as Margaret McGrath)
Michael Lees	...	Plain Clothes Policeman
Patrick Magee	...	Superintendent Walsh
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Arnold Bell	...	Mr. Weaver (uncredited)

Directed by
Bryan Forbes

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Bryan Forbes		screenplay
Mark McShane		novel

Produced by
Richard Attenborough	....	producer
Jack Rix	....	associate producer
Bryan Forbes	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
John Barry

Cinematography by
Gerry Turpin		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Derek York

Art Direction by
Ray Simm

Makeup Department
Stuart Freeborn	....	makeup artist
Barbara Ritchie	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Christopher Dryhurst	....	assistant director
Simon Relph	....	first assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Peter James	....	set dresser
Jock Lyall	....	construction manager

Sound Department
Bill Daniels	....	sound recordist
George Fisher	....	dubbing editor
Gus Lloyd	....	sound assistant

Camera and Electrical Department
Gerry Anstiss	....	assistant camera
David Harcourt	....	camera operator
Ted Lockhart	....	camera grip
George Courtney Ward	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Laurel Staffell	....	wardrobe supervisor (as Laurel Staffel)

Music Department
John Barry	....	conductor
John Barry	....	music arranger
Sidney Margo	....	music contractor (uncredited)

Other crew
Penny Daniels	....	continuity
Ann Skinner	....	production secretary (uncredited)

Thanks
Ernest Lough	....	acknowledgment: permission for using "Hear my Prayer"
Sir George Thalben-Ball	....	acknowledgment: permission for using "Hear my Prayer" (as Dr. Thalben Ball)

Production Companies

• Beaver Films
• Allied Film Makers (AFM)

Distributors

• J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (1964) (UK) (theatrical)
• Artixo Productions (1964) (USA) (theatrical)
• Carlton Visual Entertainment (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• VidAmerica (????) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Séance on a Wet Afternoon

Runtime:

USA:115 min | UK:121 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

41 Marryat Road, Wimbledon, London, England, UK

Company:

Beaver Films

Trivia:

During filming, Richard Attenborough developed kidney stones and was unable to work for an entire day. Since filming was on such a tight schedule, director Bryan Forbes got into costume played his role for some shots.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As Myra looks outwards through the rain spattered window of a child's nursery, the rain falls unnaturally onto the panes - in two bursts - as though it were sprays from a hose or watering can.

Quotes:

Myra Savage: So bright after a séance. Brightness just seems to fall from the air.

Movie Connections:

References 8½ (1963)

Soundtrack:

Hear my Prayer

Powerful Performances in an Unexpected Story

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.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer