Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964)

Director:

Bryan Forbes

Writers:

Bryan Forbes (screenplay)
Mark McShane (novel)

Release Date:

5 November 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

A psychic convinces her weak-willed husband to kidnap the child of a wealthy couple, so she can use her abilities to locate the child and thus achieve fame.

Plot Keywords:

Ransom | Little Girl | Stillbirth | Seance | Mental Illness

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 8 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Kim Stanley	...	Myra
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
Godfrey James	...	Mrs. Clayton's Chauffeur
Judith Donner	...	Amanda
Ronald Hines	...	Policeman Outside Clayton's
Hajni Biro	...	Maid at Clayton's
Mark Eden	...	Mr. Clayton
Nanette Newman	...	Mrs. Clayton
Diana Lambert	...	Sheila - Mr. Clayton's Secretary
Frank Singuineau	...	Bus Conductor
Gerald Sim	...	Beedle
Stanley Morgan	...	Man in Trilby
Maggie Rennie	...	Woman at Second Seance (as Margaret McGrath)
Michael Lees	...	Plain Clothes Policeman
Patrick Magee	...	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	....	hairdresser

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
Alan Roderick-Jones	....	set designer (uncredited)

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

Camera and Electrical Department
Gerry Anstiss	....	camera assistant
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
Diana Hawkins	....	publicist (uncredited)
Ann Skinner	....	production secretary (uncredited)

Thanks
Ernest Lough	....	acknowledgment: permission for using "Hear my Prayer"
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)
• VidAmerica (1984) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)
• Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Carlton Visual Entertainment (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2009) (Australia) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2011) (Australia) (video) (VOD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

USA:115 min | UK:121 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

41 Marryat Road, Wimbledon, London, England, UK

Company:

Beaver Films

Trivia:

In one of the scenes, Richard Attenborough passes a street ad promoting stage musical 'Oh, What a Lovely War!'. Five years later, Attenborough directed a movie adaptation of the musical (see Oh! What a Lovely War (1969)).

Goofs:

Continuity: During the final seance, there is a close up of a man's hand with a pinkie ring and gray sleeve, who is not at the table. It is a repeated shot from the previous seance, when the gray-jacketed man took part.

Quotes:

Myra Savage:You know what I sometimes wish? I sometimes wish I *were*... ordinary. Like you. Dead ordinary. Ordinary and *dead* like all the others.

Movie Connections:

References Oh! What a Lovely War (1969)

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