Les amants de l'ombre

"The Man In The Attic" is a movie set in the 1910s. It is inspired by a true story. Unfortunately, it's a story that really didn't need to be told.

Looking at the box, the people responsible for packaging the movie tried their best to make this film appear steamy and erotic. They use terms such as "illicit passion", "forbidden affair", and "unlimited pleasures". They even show a picture of Neil Patrick Harris (little Doogie Howser, M.D.) holding a gun!

The story involves Krista, played by Anne Archer. She is unhappily married to a gentleman who owns his own business. Edward (Harris) is an employee of her husband's company. Krista and Edward end up falling in love with each other.

The supposedly "shocking" part of the movie is this: Krista's husband finds out about the affair and forbids them from ever seeing each other again. So what do they decide to do? Krista ends up having Edward live up in their attic. Wow! Krista ends up seeing someone else and Edward gets extremely jealous. So on and so on and so on.

"The Man In The Attic" doesn't cover any new territory. It's a Showtime original picture, which explains why the stars are a couple of B-list actors and both appear briefly in the buff.

I just viewed this film and found it to be excellent. I liked the characters and found them to be believable and well portrayed. The sensitivity shown by Harris was in keeping with the plot of the story. I understand this was taken from a true story. Whether it was or not, I found it to very enjoyable.I wonder why it wasn't advertised more than it was. Too bad...I'm sure some people missed it because of that. I particularly liked the emotion showed by Anne Archer in the portrayer of the heroine. The costumes and houses, etc. gave the impression of really being back in the 1900s. The car that Krista almost hit Edward with was especially beautiful and typified the class of the age.

The movie had all the elements of a movie to be potentially great.

I was immediately captivated in watching it. The narrative hook, showing the jail and the interviewer; after that, my eyes were glued to the screen right until the end...

The story builds and enriches beautifully throughout the screen. Their are always gradual changes, but not too long or ongoing to still keep you interested. Very well done acting, but I bieleve far better direction and plot to go along with.

After I watched the movie, I went to bed, when I woke up the next morning I couldn't bieleve what happened, how far the movie built this so-called relationship, this so-called 'family'. But, I've said too much I don't want to give the movie away.

This is one of Norman Winski's later works. It shows maturity, talent and unique creative style. I first saw it on MOVIE OF THE WEEK, and again. I enjoyed as much or even more the second time I saw it. there are little hidden manings everywhere.

Anne Archer. and Len Cariou. and Neil Patrick Harris.in a TV movie who has many from the sins and virtues of this genre of movies. the flavor of soap opera, the forbidden love as the basic ingredient, the marriage as fiction, the past as puzzle of seductive memories. The Man in the Attic has the gift to use inspired form for tell the story. and it is not only a good point but the axis of film's credibility and the detail who builds the seduction of a chain of events who are well known from pink novels and tabloids. result - in strange manner, a touching movie. and a not bad analysis of love, sacrifice, family, need of the other, choices with romantic air but, in fact, forms of survive. Neil Harris does a real admirable job in that case and that fact defines , in many aspects, the special status of film among many others from same genre.