The Manor

The Manor, a dark funny version of Akira Kurosawa's " Rashomon" is a spectacularly shot & acted jewel. With an outstanding International Cast (Peter O'Toole, Greta Scacchi, Gabrielle Anwar, Fay Masterson, Martin Dejdar, Laura Harris, Nicholas Ball, Edie McClurg and Mark Huntley.. I had the pleasure of seeing it at a packed cinema in Germany. I really enjoyed seeing Peter O'Toole, described by no less than Anthony Hopkins as the world's greatest living actor. O'Toole gives the kind of comedic performance that we haven't seen from him since "My Favorite Year." Greta Scacchi gives the best and funniest performance of her entire life. But that's not all. There are so many other touches that the director Kenneth Berris gives it and populates the film with the best ensemble women I have ever seen. Fay Masterson, who I have seen in Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut and the wonderful film " The Power Of One" is a tremendously gifted comedienne. I haven't seen anyone like this since the days of Lucille Ball. Gabrielle Anwar , who I remember most from her memorable dance with Al Pacino in Scent of A Woman is luscious and delectable. Then Berris adds to this the great talents of Edie McClurg ( Ferris Bueller's Day Off), Nicholas Ball (Croupier), Laura Harris , who I loved in The Faculty, and the International star of stars, Martin Dejdar who is the new Gerard Depardieu. It's a pricelessly funny situation with more twists than a pretzel. I loved it. I give it 4 stars****

This is one of those pictures where I find myself asking, "Why did so-and-so take this role?" The script is so-so and the direction bizarre at times. The actors are great, working their way through a not-completely-compelling whodunit.

The lead character is a Scotland Yard detective and therefore Must Ask Questions. A *lot* of questions. So there is a repeated pattern of question-answer, question-answer that gets grating after a while. As noted, the actors (especially Greta Scacchi) do a remarkable job of lifting this poor writing off the page and infusing it with wit and meaning.

Altogether I found it an odd film, trying desperately not to be a play (with bizarre editing) instead of just embracing its intimacy. The "mystery" gets buried beneath the direction but it might be something to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon when you're sick in bed.

This is a real gem. Unknown to most people, this was ten times better than the more reviewed Gosford Park but better in all respects. The acting is solid and the camera-work and visuals are top flight. I highly recommend. Actors like Academy Award winner and legend Peter O'Toole in addition to some real sexy women like Greta Scacchi, Gabrielle Anwar, and Fay Masterson make this very watch- able. I also dare anyone to get ahead of the plot which has more twists than a molecular structure. The thing I really liked best about this is that it broke some of the rules of the genre and did some very inventing camera movement. Also it unveiled a few actors that most European audiences aren't that familiar with. People like Jiri Labus and Martin Dejdar are true pros. It also has some interesting animal scenes. I especially liked the metaphor of the wolves.

WoolyMonkey99

this is based on a stage play and thats what it looks like.Its all shot in interiors of what is supposed to be an English country manor,the action takes place in a few rooms and there's repeatedly cut-between shots of imaginary scenes or other scenes that are not explained until the end of the movie.Most of the plot is related to the main long stairs of the manor and we get to see repeated shots of these stairs to the point that it gets tiring. The good things about this movie are the ladies' performances,which are all above average,O'Toole has a small funny role,if you are a fan of O'Toole this is not anything worthwhile to watch of this great actor.The cinematography is also very nice and so are the sets. This script has a lot of dark humor but its not for everyone's taste. It wasn't bad,but i don't rate it as anything particularly good.Its worth a look though,i watched this and wasn't bored i even laughed in a couple of scenes.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Manor. It was much better than anything else I have seen in this genre. The plot is pretty tricky and you have to pay close attention to the various clues you get. I think all of the women have good motives for the killing and the director Kenneth Berris does not tip his hand too early. I liked that kind of restraint. It can also be seen in the texture of the performances. I have seen some of his previous work, mostly on those huge interactive titles in the late nineties like Spycraft, Blown Away, and Eraser Turnabout. I thought he brought that same kind of multiple plot lines that merge into one. The cast: Peter O'Toole, Greta Scacchi, Edie McClurg and Gabrielle Anwar were at the top of their game and the visuals were pretty sumptuous. I would recommend this to people who like dry humor. I also thought Fay Masterson was sensational in the role of Dolly/ It was much better than Gosford Park, which won an Oscar. I give it 5 stars. *****