Little Stranger DVD

Sarah Waters writes some extraordinary stories and this is no exception. I read the book some years ago and it was an engaging mystery thriller. It can’t have been easy turning the book into a screenplay because of the way the plot is structured, but I found this film compelling. It’s very slow burn; gothic with a hint of supernatural so don’t expect a shock a minute or loads of action. It’s complex and character driven and the acting throughout is superb. Dvd has a few extras including behind the scenes, cinema trailer and a featurette.

I won't write a synopsis, as so many reviewers have already done that. I'll just say that this was far better than expected - in fact it's extremely good. It's a slow-burner. Not quite horror, not quite psychological thriller, not quite a period piece. Excellent cast. Subtle, unsettling, and brillantly acted. If that's the sort of thing you enjoy, then give it a try. If you want full-blown horror, then you might be disappointed.

Ghostly delivery like Hundreds! Delivered to wrong address, located after eight days of searching. Hugely enjoyable novel....expect to also enjoy movie.

I read the book some years ago, when the paperback had just been published. It's a difficult book to film, because a lot of the nuances are lost. The potency of the novel relies on our gaining access to the main character's mind, and constant voice overs in the film would have been contrived and terrible. Given the difficult task, the film has turned out OK. The action takes place in 1947, just before the birth of the NHS. This is alluded to in a conversation between two doctors. As far as I remember, this didn't take place in the book, and Sarah Waters, capable of clear prose, would never have come up with such confusing dialogue. I played it twice and still couldn't work it out. Occasional snippets of dialogue are lifted from the book, giving the film an air of authenticity to viewers who have read the original. The action centres on Dr Faraday (as in the book, we never learn his Christian name), Sarah Waters' narrator. He is called to a shabby aristocratic house, a house where, as a child he had once gained admission due to his mother having been in service there in the past. The experience never left him, and the wonder and envy he felt as a child turns into a blend of nostalgia and almost a morbid fascination when he returns as an adult professional. He quickly becomes involved with the family, and it soon becomes clear that all is not well. Strange things happen, things which could have benign explanations, explanations which seem less and less credible while their supernatural counterparts seem more and more likely. I should point out that this is not your run of the mill ghost story. It's a story about class divide, life crises and the power that childhood has to influence adult life. It's about conscious action versus the subconscious and there's a strong philosophical element. It just happens to take place within the framework of a ghost story. The film could never replicate the original. Two hours can't do justice to the slow build up of tension achieved in the novel. Yet it's an atmospheric and engrossing piece, which never drags despite a certain lack of action. I have two criticisms. First, the dialogue is hard to understand at times, making it necessary to use the subtitles. Secondly, while the ending of the book is ambiguous, the film is even less clear. I would have preferred the strands to have been drawn together more at the end. At the end of the book we are given strong clues as to what had been happening. The book irritated me, because there was a piece of evidence which contradicted the clues, throwing everything into disarray. I didn't feel that this was the kind of book which benefited from uncertainty at the end. I feel the film should either have mirrored the book's ending, or gone further, removing all doubt. But the film just sort of stops and it seems a bit of an unsatisfactory cop-out. Nevertheless this is sn entertaining film, and worth watching, although probably only once.

A really well-made film with excellent cast and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end. Very close to the book- a well told tale

Found it very slow quite boring

A very impressive movie with an excellent Josh Dylan in a part I would have never expected.

DVD!!

The Little Stranger ist ein wahres Kleinod, welches mit bravourösem Fingerspitzengefühl inszeniert, eine unglaubliche Ruhe ausstrahlt und sich von all den unzähligen Geisterfilmen der aktuellen Generation mit ihrer nervtötenden Effekthascherei und ihrem lauten Getöse positiv abhebt.

ai bien recu le coli

1947, in un piccolo villaggio inglese, il dottor Faraday viene chiamato a Hundreds Hall, elegante tenuta di campagna, ora in rovina, che Faraday conosce bene, poichè la madre vi aveva lavorato come domestica. Lì adesso abitano la vedova Ayres ed i suoi due figli, Caroline e Roddy. Tra il medico e la famiglia si instaura ben presto un rapporto molto stretto e lui chiederà a Caroline di sposarlo, ma Hundreds Hall non è una casa senza segreti. Affascinante, plumbeo, metaforico thriller dell'anima, ottimamente interpretato da un cast di ottimi attori britannici. Il finale non risponde a tutte le domande. Da vedere? Sì.

Well. if you listen to the director as to the special features when he say watching this movie sometimes you would think you don't know what you're watching. he's right. but one thing I know. Dr. Faraday is one pushy guy I'll tell yah.. no wonder his mother slap him. two of my favorite actress is in this movie. Ruth Wilson and Charlotte Rampling.

This movie with Ruth Wilson is a little notch above DARK RIVER, that is, a little less boring. I suppose I like her so much that I will put up with anything she does, or almost. Remembering that she was so much better in THE AFFAIR and LUTHER. But, you can't be perfect everywhere and in everything. Still, it's good in its own way!...