Les amants de l'ombre

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.

"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.

This is an excellent film, well-made and well-acted that makes an extraordinary story believable. The characters are multi-layered and performances suitably reflect that. Anne Archer sensitively depicts a woman devastated by the loss of her son, sexually dominant, often deceitful, but possessing a heart and conscience. Neil Patrick Harris appears by turns uncertain, shy, horny, demanding and submissive in the role of Edward Broder, a man who chose to live under a kind of voluntary house arrest to be with the woman he loved. Len Cariou is credible when he plays a husband who is harsh and cruel and equally so when he is endearingly "lovesick."

I was so intrigued by the knowledge that this tale of a man who lived in a couple's attic for years without the husband knowing he was there was based on a true story that I simply had to research it further. It turned out to be inspired by the story of Otto Sanhuber who lived in the attic of Fred and Dolly Oesstreich, about whom I have a story at Court TV's Crime Library. This movie is so good that it rewards re-watching when the viewer can appreciate its multiple layers of interaction and meaning.

far to be remarkable, it is a nice work. correct acting, right dose of tension, a common story who can seduce large part of public. and flavor of old novels about secrets and gray final of it. you can see it without high expectations but, in same measure, without feel of time waist. the good part is the art of Neil Patrick Harris to define his role and the Thchekov/Tennesee Williams Krista by Anne Archer.Hallmark style and a clean end. movie as surrogate for a kind of literature about fool love and interdict sentimental adventure. a good subject for Hitchcock but far by his recipes. short, a nice film for a Friday evening.

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.