Not for children
Supposedly produced for young people, this mini-series has moments of eroticism and sexuality that are too adult for adolescents. The eternally youthful looking Gillian Hills was 24 in 1968 when she starred in this. Gillian, Michael Holden and Francis Wallis form the odd love triangle in an old Welsh country house and are drawn by occult forces to reenact a Welsh myth. They're supposed to be around 15 or 16. There's a weird vibe to the show. There's a modern car and SLR camera in some scenes and the three dress in style contemporary to 1968, especially Gillian who wears the miniskirts of that time. She's petulant and pouty and not really lovingly photographed by the DP and the two guys who vie for her attention are even more pouty and petulant. Yet the rooms in the fetid, worn out house are lit by old-fashioned oil or kerosene lamps making it seem like a house of the 19th century. The audio is in rough condition and with odd dialogue and overwrought acting, the listening is rough going. The Owl Service is not horror, not a soap opera, not a mystery and not a romantic saga but it's a mix of all of them.
- jameselliot-1
- Jul 12, 2021