An English man tracks down a young girl to New York who he believes that the girl is the reincarnation of his dead daughter Audrey Rose who died in a car accident over 10 years ago. He starts following the girl and her parents, and then suddenly he keeps on ringing their house and trying to confront them why he's here. After deciding to hear what the man wants with their daughter, he reveals that from psychics he was told his daughter was alive and well, and he would like to part of the child's life. After hearing that the parents don't feel same way, the father is totally against it and think his a nut but the mother's mind starts to change when their daughter who every now and again looses consciousness and goes out of control, with her strangely burning her hands on a cold glass window and the only one who can calm her down during this hysteria is the English man.
I remember the first time I tried to watch it, I kind of dozed off during the second half, but I won't blame the movie for that even though I kinda found that particular half far less gripping, but I blame it more towards my tired state of mind. Really, this a isn't a film to watch when your buggered out and I found that out the hard way. So I thought maybe my perception would change this time around. Yep it did, but not by a huge amount. The weak links of this flick is the tedious pacing and the pushiness of the actual topic in making you believe, which are really hard to push aside. During that second half it seems stick out and the characters and their relationships seem to get lost in the subject matter. When the first half is so promising with it building on the interesting story and mood, but when it gets passed the hour mark and leads into the courtroom sequences. Disappointedly I just couldn't care less what happened next. Maybe the slow mode of it had just got to me, but I thought that's when the plot got a bit more numb and banal when the reincarnation subject really took hold. Interesting idea, but the theories weren't so enticing. Although I got to hand to them as the context could've come across as quite silly, but the guiding hands stop it from heading in that direction. The script is rather thorough and complex; maybe sometimes too over dramatic and overwrought, but more often it hit the mark. Also this is based on the novel by Frank De Felitta (which I haven't read), who also penned the screenplay for the film.
Obviously it was made on the back of 'The Exorcist' success with moviegoers. Although, the film pretty much reminded me off the more superior 'Don't Look Now'. Both share certain similarities, but the main one would be that of its depressingly, hurting atmosphere. Here the film feels like a telemovie, but Robert Wise achieves a beautifully presented production. On show is prominent cinematography of the big apple and its incredibly well defined direction by Wise. He constructs some intense sequences, which involves a decent opening and a couple of unnerving fits of hysteria by the child. Plus it gets an extra tick in my book for going for an ending that will leave you more depressed then you were before. Some might feel like it's leading up to something big and wonderful. I hate when they give you a sweet and happy ending, so not to offend, but actually I give credit here because it doesn't take away from painful awe that flowed throughout. I know some people with either love it or loathe the ending. So if you don't want be depressed, steer clear away from this as I assure you it's a real downer. Where given a real gloomy and uncertain tone, but the chills seem to be lacking here. There are one or two moments, but definitely not enough to sustain the running time. The proficiently brood score and sound effects chime along with enough elasticity to ruffle some feathers.
A more than decent cast come up with okay performances, though there's one shining light in the pack. A young Anthony Hopkins gives a controlled performance as Hoover the Englishman. The parents played by John Beck and an impressively realistic Marsha Mason hold their own. Susan Swift was reasonable if little uneven and nagging as Ivy / Audrey Rose. Wise directs a subdued thriller that has a plethora of ideas that flicker between the on and off button. It's just too bad that the solid ensemble cast and crew came up with a real mixed bag.
Overall it's a tepid spiritual thriller/drama, which does contain some memorably effective moments, polished direction and a standout performance by Marsha Mason. Just that it got a bit hard-going towards the latter half of the flick and the drama of it falls away into tiresome territory, but still this is worth a peek for its involving matter.
I remember the first time I tried to watch it, I kind of dozed off during the second half, but I won't blame the movie for that even though I kinda found that particular half far less gripping, but I blame it more towards my tired state of mind. Really, this a isn't a film to watch when your buggered out and I found that out the hard way. So I thought maybe my perception would change this time around. Yep it did, but not by a huge amount. The weak links of this flick is the tedious pacing and the pushiness of the actual topic in making you believe, which are really hard to push aside. During that second half it seems stick out and the characters and their relationships seem to get lost in the subject matter. When the first half is so promising with it building on the interesting story and mood, but when it gets passed the hour mark and leads into the courtroom sequences. Disappointedly I just couldn't care less what happened next. Maybe the slow mode of it had just got to me, but I thought that's when the plot got a bit more numb and banal when the reincarnation subject really took hold. Interesting idea, but the theories weren't so enticing. Although I got to hand to them as the context could've come across as quite silly, but the guiding hands stop it from heading in that direction. The script is rather thorough and complex; maybe sometimes too over dramatic and overwrought, but more often it hit the mark. Also this is based on the novel by Frank De Felitta (which I haven't read), who also penned the screenplay for the film.
Obviously it was made on the back of 'The Exorcist' success with moviegoers. Although, the film pretty much reminded me off the more superior 'Don't Look Now'. Both share certain similarities, but the main one would be that of its depressingly, hurting atmosphere. Here the film feels like a telemovie, but Robert Wise achieves a beautifully presented production. On show is prominent cinematography of the big apple and its incredibly well defined direction by Wise. He constructs some intense sequences, which involves a decent opening and a couple of unnerving fits of hysteria by the child. Plus it gets an extra tick in my book for going for an ending that will leave you more depressed then you were before. Some might feel like it's leading up to something big and wonderful. I hate when they give you a sweet and happy ending, so not to offend, but actually I give credit here because it doesn't take away from painful awe that flowed throughout. I know some people with either love it or loathe the ending. So if you don't want be depressed, steer clear away from this as I assure you it's a real downer. Where given a real gloomy and uncertain tone, but the chills seem to be lacking here. There are one or two moments, but definitely not enough to sustain the running time. The proficiently brood score and sound effects chime along with enough elasticity to ruffle some feathers.
A more than decent cast come up with okay performances, though there's one shining light in the pack. A young Anthony Hopkins gives a controlled performance as Hoover the Englishman. The parents played by John Beck and an impressively realistic Marsha Mason hold their own. Susan Swift was reasonable if little uneven and nagging as Ivy / Audrey Rose. Wise directs a subdued thriller that has a plethora of ideas that flicker between the on and off button. It's just too bad that the solid ensemble cast and crew came up with a real mixed bag.
Overall it's a tepid spiritual thriller/drama, which does contain some memorably effective moments, polished direction and a standout performance by Marsha Mason. Just that it got a bit hard-going towards the latter half of the flick and the drama of it falls away into tiresome territory, but still this is worth a peek for its involving matter.