Dean Spanley (2008)

Sam Neill and Peter O’Toole star in an enigmatic tale of grumpy old codgers, intoxicating wines and reincarnated dogs.

Adapted from Lord Dunsany’s 1936 novella My Talks with Dean Spanley and set in stiff-upper-lip Edwardian England (most of the location shooting was in Norfolk and Suffolk), the film introduces Henslowe Fisk (Jeremy Northam, pictured below), who pays a dutiful, weekly Thursday visit to his elderly father, Horatio Fisk (Peter O’Toole).

Fisk Senior is a caustic, cold, and emotionally detached patriarch, completely hardened by the tragic loss of his eldest son Harrington (Xavier Horan) in the Boer War and the subsequent death of his wife.

Looking to break the ice, Fisk Junior takes his father to a public lecture on the transmigration of souls given by a visiting Hindu Swami (Art Malik).

There, they cross paths with an eccentric, dignified clergyman named Dean Spanley (Sam Neill), who has a deep, almost spiritual fixation on Imperial Tokay, a rare and sweet Hungarian wine.

With help from a resourceful Australian colonial businessman named Wrather (Bryan Brown), Henslowe secures a few bottles of the elusive vintage to host the Dean for dinner.

As Dean Spanley drinks the Tokay, he falls into a serene, trance-like state and begins recounting memories – not of a human past, but of his former life as a dog.

Speaking with absolute earnestness, Spanley recalls the pure, instinctual joy of chasing rabbits, the terror of thunderstorms, his deep devotion to his Master, and the tragic day his life ended.

As Fisk Junior coaxes more of these alcohol-induced memories out of the Dean across subsequent dinners, the story takes an incredibly poignant turn. The specific details of the Dean’s memories – including his old canine name, “Wag” – perfectly match a closely guarded secret from Horatio Fisk’s childhood.

Through the eccentric clergyman, bitter old Fisk Senior is unexpectedly given a window to connect with the spirit of the beloved childhood dog he lost decades ago.

Hearing that his old companion passed away peacefully and held no resentment shatters Horatio’s icy exterior, allowing him to finally weep, process the modern-day grief of losing his son, and reconcile his relationship with Henslowe.

Dean Spanley
Sam Neill
Horatio Fisk (Fisk Senior)
Peter O’Toole
Henslowe Fisk (Fisk Junior)
Jeremy Northam
Wrather
Bryan Brown
Mrs Brimley
Judy Parfitt
Swami Nala Prash
Art Malik
Nawab of Ranjiput
Ramon Tikaram
Harrington Fisk
Xavier Horan
Marriot
Dudley Sutton

Director
Toa Fraser