The Seventh Stream

This movie is the epitome of romance. Scott Glenn and Saffron Burrows have a chemistry that is undeniable.

The Seventh Stream is much like The Legend of Roane Eilish. The scenery, the sounds, the lighting, just like a day by the beach. I was totally mesmerized by the cinematography.

I am not professional reviewer and I don't write often about photography etc but this was one time that it needed mentioned.

I do know what I like and I really liked this movie. I recommend it to anyone and everyone. It touched my heart and I will be forever grateful for that touch.

Irish mythology is probably not as well known in the world when compared to Egyptian or Greek mythology, due that most of the rich set of myths were lost after the country's conversion to Christianism; however, while the myths of the ancient Celt religion did not survive the change, many of its equally rich variety of legends and stories has been preserved and still are part of the Irish culture and folklore. Among this legends, are the tales about the existence of the Selkies, legendary creatures able to transform themselves from seal to humans by shedding their seal skins, and who like to visit fishing towns from time to time in order to interact with humans. John Gray's "The Seventh Stream" is a Television movie based on this particular Irish legend, proving that film-making is probably the modern equivalent of the ancient art of storytelling, and that the old myths are still pretty much alive.

Set in Ireland during the early 1900s, the movie is the story of Owen Quinn (Scott Glenn), an aging fisherman who 5 years after the dead of his wife, still can't move on with his life and spends most of his time alone, outside the town's society, mourning his loss. One night, a mysterious woman (Saffron Burrows) appears to him claiming to be a Selkie, and asks him to help her to recover her skin, which has been stolen by a local fisherman. Owen doesn't believe this at first, but when fish starts to be scarce and only his former apprentice Thomas Dunhill (John Lynch) seems unaffected, he starts to believe the woman's story. Helping the mysterious Selkie to find her way home, Owen discovers a new way to see life, and before he knows it, he falls in love with the strange woman. But it is said that romance with this creatures is always doomed.

Written by director John Gray (who is probably better known by his work on the TV series "Ghost Whisperer"), the story is very faithful to the Irish legends, and really offers a good representation of these kind of tales. Basically a romantic tragedy (like most of the Selkies' stories), the film is entirely focused on the character of Owen Quinn, and how his relationship with the Selkie (which he names Mairead) helps him to open his heart again and find a new happiness in his life. True, it's definitely a bit clichéd, but the slow, careful way Gray uses to build up his story (as well as it's interesting setting) give the story a fresh spin. The way the story presents life in a small Irish fishing town during the first decade of the 20th Century is also quite realistic, showing that a good effort in research was done by the writer.

As a director, John Gray opts for a very straight forward approach to his story, keeping true to the plot's essence by following the conventions of the romance melodrama almost to the letter. While this style it's truly fitting to the story (after all, it's a classic way of film-making) and Gray shows a great domain of the medium, it also shows some lack of imagination in the sense that it's very notorious that this is a movie made for Television. Despite this, Gray adds some really good elements to the film, such as the great use he gives to Seamus Deasy's cinematography. A native of Ireland himself, Deasy captures the magic of the Emerald Island in beautiful images that are also quite fitting for the TV screen. However, I think that Gray's best trait is his direction of actors, as in this movie, it is their performances what truly make the movie to stand out among the rest.

Scott Glenn is simply excellent as Owen Quinn, giving the character the necessary emotion and depth required. Many have criticized him for looking wooden or emotionless, but I find him really appropriate, as Quinn is not exactly a character prone to show his emotions. Safforn Burrows plays Mairead, the legendary Selkie who will change Quinn's life. While not really amazing, Burrows is effective and makes a good job. Despite being somewhat overshadowed by other cast members, her performance is truly worthy. The supporting cast is simply amazing, with every actor adding a lot of presence to the characters. Among them there are great performances by Fiona Shaw, John Lynch and Joseph Kelly; but the one who shines the most is definitely Eamon Morrissey as Owen's extroverted friend Willy. The perfect portrait of Irish's attitude, Morrissey steals every scene he is in with his natural charm.

"The Seventh Stream" has very good elements going for it, like really good acting, superb photography and Ernest Troost's wonderful score (better than the average for a TV film); however, the faithful way it follows the conventions of Television movies truly diminishes its quality. While Gray gives a good use to his low budget, he can't escape of the resource of episodic cliffhangers for commercial breaks, as this classic narrative devise is used in a very exaggerated and obvious way. As an experienced director of TV movies (with the excellent films "The Day Lincoln Was Shot" in his resumé), it's surprising that he left this flaw to be so notorious and damaging, although to his credit, it's truly the only thing that diminishes the value of his movie. I found "The Seventh Stream" to be a nice and good effort, but somehow I was expecting something more from Gray and Hallmark productions.

Overall "The Seventh Stream" is a very good story of romance with a beautiful Irish setting despite its problems. The really great performances by the cast and the wonderful cinematography really make up for the story's clichés (although after all, isn't that what we love about tragedies?) and the typical way the movie was done. It's not exactly a classic of the genre, but it's a nice and entertaining way to spend a rainy evening. 7/10

"The Seventh Stream" is beautifully filmed with a deeply romantic score and a story comes from the same vein of Irish folklore that inspired 1994's "Secret of Roan Inish," another good family movie but not, I think, quite as atmospheric or nearly as moving as "The Seventh Stream." Both films are based on the legend of the selkies - gray seals who sometimes take human form, come ashore and interact with humans. The production values are very superior for a made-for-cable flick.

Saffron Burrows is nothing short of remarkable as the seal-woman. Viewers drugged by the over-the-top acting styles of so many movies may find her performance too subdued, too quiet, but that's their problem. Some kind of emotion is constantly flickering across her face, which is amazingly expressive. She's by turns mysterious, cold, curious, sultry, beautiful, vulnerable, weird - everything you'd expect to see in a seal-girl.

In a less fascinating role, Scott Glenn too is convincing and sympathetic as the hardscrabble middle-aged fisherman to whom the selkie turns for help. There's a lot of talk about the human heart, none of it sappy. Aside from one or two minor cultural goofs that few will care about, the film depicts pretty plausibly life in an Irish fishing village a hundred years ago.

There are also one or two minor directorial lapses. When fate deals unkindly with one of the characters, he cries out "Nooooooooooooooo!" in ultra slow-mo. Just like in The Simpsons and elsewhere. But the embarrassing moments take up about two minutes in total, and none is as bad as that.The rest of the film could hardly be improved on as a serious fairy tale for the whole family, unless your family is deeply into pro wrestling and stuff like that.

One of the most moving fantasy films I've seen, definitely not sugary or maudlin, and not oozing with CGI.

Check it out! I bet they were going to call it originally "The Seventh Seal," but found out that title was taken.

For a TV movie, this is a real winner.

Gorgeous scenery, touching romance, examination of the avarice and evil of human nature and our redeeming qualities are all on offer. Bring your crying towel, because this will move you, and it is a romantic tragedy.

The cinematography is way above average for TV fare. If you like water scenes and boats, like I do, you're in for a treat, but don't expect lavish yachts. No, this is a tale set in a simple and beautiful Irish fishing village with men who wrest their living from the sea.

It has above average acting for TV, and I disagree with some of the other reviewers who have said that Scott Glenn didn't deliver. To the contrary, I thought his portrayal of a stricken widower deprived of his raison d'etre who we first see as a near recluse from society and then emerging from his hard shell of pain was very effective.

I own this on VHS, and I love it more every time I watch it. It's a rare find, but if you do run across it, do yourself a favor and give it a watch if you go in for romantic tragedies.

Scott Glen stars with a different character type in this mystic, romance drama set in Ireland. In a rather straightforward but touching story, this bittersweet drama lends itself to the mystery surrounding the discovery of a strange woman who has her own story to tell. The only real problem and its an important one is how the woman ends up in her own environment, it does not really track except for being a story device to make the movie more emotional compelling. Both quite satisfying in some ways and sad in other ways. This movie could have been a nine with a more perhaps conventional treatment though maybe ironically not as memorable. The grandest of all paradoxes.