Wednesday 25 March 2009

High Spirits

“You're a ghost, I'm an American. It would never work out”
1988 - Dir: Neil Jordan

Shown at The FeckenOdeon on 24th November, 2004
Have another drink (and probably another one) and settle down for a large dollop of Anglo-Irish-American whimsy. It must be said that this tale of Irish ghostliness divides audiences into those who love it or those who absolutely hate it. To the latter we’d simply say that if you’re looking for great art then you’re watching the wrong movie. If you, like many of us, enjoy a bit of silliness - and a lot of good performances - you’re probably in for a treat.
Neil Jordan made this film after critical success with “Mona Lisa” - so it must have been a bit of a shock to the arty crowd when he made a supernatural movie containing a bit of rudery and a lot of corn. Peter O’Toole’s obviously having a whale of a time in what is, when all’s said and done, a high tech multinational Carry On film. It’s said that the Studio took the film to bits once Jordan was off the production - which might explain its uneven pace.
· Neil Jordan’s father, a university professor, would never let him read comic books, but read them himself so he knew what children would be interested in.

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