The Green Man

An excellent and faithful adaptation of the 1960s Kingsley Amis novel ( lacking a green man but all the better for it ). A promiscuous alcoholic hotelier, Maurice Allington, is drawn into the schemes of Dr Underhill, a 16th-century cleric who having survived death with the help of a pre-Columbian silver charm now seeks to summon a demon who lives in the woods nearby. Maurice Allington is the perfect anti-hero who still finds time to run a hotel, set up a lesbian tryst with his own wife and save his daughter from a cruel fate and .. oh yes .. meet God on the way, who incidently has a natty line in linen suits and likes a good Scotch.

Everything that Albert Finney `touches' turns to movie gold and he was the perfect choice for the lead role in this highly original ghost story. The mixing of his alcoholic delusions with the supposedly `objective' presentation of the ghost part gave the whole thing an usual screen credibility. One didn't know half the time what was what, glossing over the delusional to the phantasmagoric. The injection of uniquely English, character based humor, lent an important significance to the otherwise just scary (alebeit very scary) story line. Then there was the contrast of pagan hedonism with the contemporary gloss of civilized, sophisticated hedonism (the elaborate meals and wines all being eagerly consummed by mostly boorsish clients), all this being reflected in the conflicted sexual content of the ghost and his `victims'. One could go on and on about the rich fabric of this jewel. Thank God for the Brits !

I loved this 3 part series, and have seen it 3 or 4 times over the years. Albert Finney's character, Maurice, does have many unappealing traits. However, Finney makes the character irresistible. Finney plays the anti-hero to perfection. The script is excellent. I loved the scene where Linda Marlow and Sarah Berger (excellent performances both) pull a fast one on the `manipulative' Maurice. Just reading the other reviewers' comments makes me eager to see this British gem again!

This is one of those films that is so laid back and realistic that it TRULY scares the crap out of you! The fact that you won't even see the scary bits coming is what sets this movie above and beyond many more obviously scary pictures. And, if you are like me, you will often casually think about some of the scenes in this film, because they are quiet profound! Be prepared to be creeped out by the Green Man!

I was 17 when I watched this on the BBC. I thought I could handle anything on TV. I remember being seriously scared for the first time in years. Albert Finney and the Green Man has haunted me ever since. Will never forget this one.