Kim Stanley and Richard Attenborough Transfix in Seance

        1964's highly original Seance on a Wet Afternoon, starring Kim Stanley and Richard Attenborough and sublimely directed by Bryan Forbes (working from his screenplay, based on the 1961 novel by Mark McShane) offers a chance to see two great performers in an involving tale concerning kidnapping, marital strife, and the supernatural.

        Stanley's arresting work as Myra Savage grants audiences the opportunity to see this legendary Broadway star and 'Actor's Actor' in possibly her best film work (1958's The Goddess is another peak for Stanley, and she had a nice final bow in films via her acerbic Oscar-nominated work as a mother from Hell in 1982's Frances and much more jovial work in the following year's The Right Stuff). Although Stanley's inventive take on a colorful role in Seance might sometimes appear too mannered or worked-out, one can recollect the actress' agitated, pent-up line readings, tight shifts in facial movements, and jerky body language years after first seeing the movie- no other performer could've inhibited this part with the unique elan Stanley brings to the character (she won the NBR and NYFC's "Best Actress" awards, as well as an Oscar nod). Specifically, Stanley performing with an invested emotionalism during the seance sequences create moments hard to forget, with her bold, all-out approach to the material providing a vividness to these scenes rarely seen in film. Attenborough's performance as Billy, the sedate, quite husband who assists Myra in the elaborate scheme she creates to prove her gifts as a seer, provides a perfect understated counterpoint to Stanley's flamboyant portrayal. The film is a must for those interested in offbeat dramas featuring complex, riveting performances.

       The DVD I viewed presented an okay print of the film, with occasional scratches marring the picture. The sound was soft even with my tv at full volume (although I don't have great sound on my television, it usually comes through better than this).