When I saw the writer/director was Julian Fellowes, and the cast included his 'Downton' alumni Hugh Bonneville and the ever fabulous Maggie Smith, not to mention such great British actors as Dominic West(of 'The Wire'fame) and Pauline Collins ('Shirley Valentine' herself)and the perennially interesting Timothy Spall (Secrets & Lives) it seemed that all the omens were good....
For me though it only went to show that success as a writer does not automatically translate into success as a Director. The great writer was unable to let go of the desire to tell the story as if it were being 'read'. Everything was articulated (Pauline Collins character at one point almost iterating her own movements out loud ('I think i will just move this cup from her'...we know, we can see you moving the cup!).
The juvenile 'slave' character had an absurdly modern American accent (and a rather refined one for such a character) and only Maggie Smith seemed able to rise above the poor direction (naturally). The story idea has merit, but for Ghost story it lacked atmosphere, and the language was clunky. The characters were often stereotypical and one dimensional, no wonder this movie disappeared as soon as it was released!
For me though it only went to show that success as a writer does not automatically translate into success as a Director. The great writer was unable to let go of the desire to tell the story as if it were being 'read'. Everything was articulated (Pauline Collins character at one point almost iterating her own movements out loud ('I think i will just move this cup from her'...we know, we can see you moving the cup!).
The juvenile 'slave' character had an absurdly modern American accent (and a rather refined one for such a character) and only Maggie Smith seemed able to rise above the poor direction (naturally). The story idea has merit, but for Ghost story it lacked atmosphere, and the language was clunky. The characters were often stereotypical and one dimensional, no wonder this movie disappeared as soon as it was released!