Every dog has its day and in Toa Fraser’s gently paced tale of fractious father-son bonding in Edwardian England, it’s certainly a day to remember.

Adapted by Alan Sharp from Baron Dunsany’s 1936 novella My Talks With Dean Spanley, this quixotic shaggy dog story will warm the cockles of your heart on the most bitterly cold, winter’s day.

Fraser’s picture is an oddity and in less accomplished hands, the characters’ earnest deliberations of mortality might seem frivolous, even unintentionally amusing.

Yet the script strikes just the right tone, juxtaposing a menagerie of playful and earthy supporting characters with the wistful, central quartet, searching for answers to life’s big questions.

Humour is broad, reserved predominantly for older protagonists, who speak their minds, regardless of social conventions.

When a straight-talking housekeeper is asked if she believes in the transmigration of souls, she briefly considers the matter and responds: ‘I don’t believe in letting foreigners in, if that’s what you mean.’ Setting the mood perfectly with its eye-catching animated opening titles, Dean Spanley turns back the clock to early 20th century London – a microcosm of etiquette.

Henslowe Fisk (Jeremy Northam) makes his regular Thursday visit to his cantankerous father, Horatio (Peter O’Toole), and desperately searches for a way to amuse the old man.

So he drags his father to an advertised lecture on the transmigration of souls, delivered by Swami Nala Prash (Art Malik).

Sitting in the audience, the two men spy Dean Spanley (Sam Neill), who later reveals a connection to Fisk Senior’s beloved dog, Wag.

Determined to learn more, Henslowe enlists help of conveyancer Wrather (Bryan Brown) to procure a bottle of the rare 1989 Imperial Tokay wine, which should lure the Dean to dinner.

With the nectar flowing almost as freely as the conversation, the holy man makes a shocking disclosure over the lamb stew cooked by Mrs Brimley (Judy Parfitt), which brings tears to the eyes of the host.

For all its charm and quirkiness, Dean Spanley will struggle to find an audience.

Unquestionably, Fraser’s film is blessed with strong performances, from Northam’s laconic narrator who unexpectedly rebuilds bridges with his old man to O’Toole’s sharp-tongued rogue, who orders a drink at his gentleman’s club of ‘a brandy and soda, with the emphasis on brandy.’ When the waiter (Dudley Sutton) thanks Horatio for his custom (‘It’s been a great pleasure’), the crotchety old man quips, ‘You’re easily pleased is all I can say.’ Neill ensures his reincarnated pillar of the community remains sympathetic and never becomes a figure of fun while Brown bring Antipodean charm to his money-oriented entrepreneur, who warns Henslowe, ‘What if he recognises your father, starts licking his hand? Could be damn embarrassing…’ Expectations are subverted over a series of Tokkay-soaked conversations, building to a big emotional release reflected in O’Toole’s twinkling eyes, that sweeps us up in the moment.

• Release Date: Friday 12 December 2008
• Certificate: U
• Runtime: 100mins

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