The Ghost of Greville Lodge

James Greville is a teenager who has lived in children's homes ever since being orphaned as a child. He has always assumed that he has no living relatives, so is surprised when he learns that he has a great uncle who has invited him to stay at his home in the countryside, an old manor house named Greville Lodge. James does not, however, find life at Greville Lodge much to his taste. His great uncle is a quiet, lonely and reclusive old man, living with only his elderly housekeeper Sarah for company. His manner seems to hint at some great sadness in his distant past. Apart from Sarah, the only friend James makes is Billy, the eccentric gravedigger at the local church, who has a strange, unsettling manner.

To make matters worse, James becomes convinced that the house is haunted and that mysterious figures are watching him. He begins to have strange dreams in which he is another James Greville, in this case the son of the owner of the house back in 1939. This James Greville has formed a close friendship with Ben, an orphan who has been employed by his father as an assistant to the gamekeeper. James, however, needs to keep this friendship a secret from his autocratic father, who would not approve of his son fraternising with members of the servant class. As the film progresses we learn about the tragedy which struck the house one Christmas and which explains the sorrow which has haunted James's great uncle for so long.

Jon Newman, who plays James in both his modern-day and 1939 incarnations, is not particularly memorable, but there are good contributions from two senior members of the British acting profession, George Cole as Great Uncle and Prunella Scales as Sarah. The film is an intriguing mixture of ghost story and period drama, a sort of M R James meets L P Hartley. There is a strong narrative drive; the story is clearly and succinctly presented and the action builds inexorably to its shattering climax when we discover the tragic secret of Greville Lodge. This is a thoroughly enjoyable piece of entertainment.

A goof. The modern-day scenes are supposed to take place around Christmas, whereas those set in 1939 , apart from the climax, take place in late summer and autumn. The entire film, however, must have been filmed in summer, because we see trees in full leaf even in those scenes which are supposed to be set in December.

This film was brilliantly directed and cleverly filmed. Good choice of actors to play all parts, a very strong principal cast. Clever contrast by using a slow pace for modern day scenes compared to faster delivery of the scenes set back in 1945. Acting by young newcomers Billy Smith, Rebecca Weeks and Jon Newman was fresh and inspiring to see them alongside acting veterans Prunella Scales and George Cole. I'm sure this will not be the last we will see of these upcoming young stars. Good direction by director Naill Johnson together with a well thought out script and use of interesting camera shots. This film is a must see for all the family. 10/10

A Good old fashion ghost story. The only problem I had with this well acted film was the season. The filming is meant to take place in an English winter. Unfortunately every tree and bush is covered in leaves. The case may be that global warming is having a bigger impact in England than previously thought. Mr Cole gives his usual excellent performance. Ms Scales also provides her usual high standards, but we are still waiting for the ghost of Basil through out. I may be faulty on that, but there are towers of a sort. I have never come across Jon Newman before, but I am sure I will again. The film takes it's self a bit serious, and could have done with a few more lighter moments. Expanding on this type of story may lead to a decent modern Ghost story film for adults in the future. Wes Craven watch and learn. Bruce.

I had never seen this film on television here in Canada and I purchased the DVD solely based on the reviews found at Amazon UK. After all who doesn't love a Christmastime ghost story. I just finished watching this with my wife and we were not disappointed. The story builds slowly but with suspense. A young lad, James (Jon Newman), is reunited with a great Uncle (George Cole) he never knew he had. James travels to the country to Greville Lodge where his uncle lives. Both James and his uncle are very nice people but the uncle is somewhat somber.

James soon begins to have dreams that are connected to Greville Lodge. He dreams he is a lad much like himself and he befriends a boy and a girl who worked at Grenville Lodge many years before. Why are these strange dreams happening? There is a mystery for James to unravel. Something happened many years ago that still affects his uncle. Eventually James comes to believe that if he can unravel the past perhaps he can bring some joy to his solemn uncle.

This is not a horror film with exploding skulls and gargoyles (Thank heavens). It is a gentle ghost story, superbly written and well acted. I recommend it highly as a family Christmas movie.

A very pleasant and charming spectral story with the very much missed George Cole.

Set amidst a sleepy village where James, a young man from a care home, goes to live in a mansion owned by his great uncle.

There is of course a backstory involving his great uncle. Turmoil and grief.

James is visited by apparitions that hint at a tragedy that befell the mansion in the distant past. The story meanders through the past and present where we learn of the friendship between child servants and the son of the master of the house.

It's a gentle drama that can be watched by the whole family. Prunella Scales plays the housemaid that's been working in the family for generations, she and the great uncle share a history.

It lacks a high budget production but perhaps that contributes to the beauty of the film. Well recommended.