I had read a couple of good reviews about Separate Lies so when I saw this DVD on offer at Sendit.com for only £3.83 I thought it was definitely worth buying. It had a couple of things that really appealed to me too. Firstly, it's a British film and I do always prefer to watch films made here ... Read review
Secrets and lies spiral out of control in this mesmerizing suspense thriller. Tom ... more
Wilkinson and Emily Watson star as James and Anne, a seemingly happy couple whose marriage begins to unravel when he learns she's been having an affair with their seducti...
What does deception do to a marriage? James Manning (Wilkinson) and his wife Anne ... more
(Watson) lead a seemingly idyllic happy life together until a deadly accident sets off a cascade of increasingly dangerous lies which in turn reveal devastating truth ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Now a film directed and adapted for screen by Julian Fellowes and starring Rupert Everett, ... more
Emily Watson and Tom Wilkinson. James Manning is perfectly content. He has a busy and successful life as a magistrate in the city, a bright young thing of a wife, Jill, and an idyllic home in the countryside. The only fly in the ointment as far as he can see is the 'HonBule' - the Honourable William Stephen Fitzharding Bule, very much the country gentleman with too much time on his hands.
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Separate Lies is a compelling, humor-tinged romantic mysterythat is not so much a "who ... more
done it" as an exploration of the riddleof why people make the fatal errors they do - in life, in marriageand when their decisions count the very most. By exposing the rawinner world of an ideal-seeming marriage that has fallen into perilin the wake of a crime, the film weaves themes of secrecy, betrayaland forgiveness through a driving narrative and intenseperformances focused on uncovering the primal human truths that canlie beneath the most placid surfaces. The film puts the audience in the middle of compelling moraldilemmas: when is it better to lie than to confess? Can a selfishact also be a selfless one? What does it mean to be a good wife? Agood husband? And what price would you be willing to pay to makethe one you love truly happy? The story's mix of entertainment and human complexity isprecisely what Julian Fellowes was looking for when he waspreparing to make his feature film debut. Fellowes was already anaccomplished actor and screenwriter, with a career that hadculminated most recently in his winning the Academy Award for thescreenplay of the acclaimed period mystery Gosford Park directed byRobert Altman. He had been searching for inspirational materialwhen Jenni Hopkins (ex-wife of Anthony Hopkins) suggested he readNigel Balchin's novel A Way Through The Wood. The novel, first published in 1951, follows the tale of abewildered husband who permits his wife to carry on an affair inthe hopes that she might return to him. At the time of itspublication, the novel was highly provocative and the LondonEvening Standard called it "a brilliant study of adultery andcorrupted ideals."
Separate Lies is a compelling, humor-tinged romantic mysterythat is not so much a "who ... more
done it" as an exploration of the riddleof why people make the fatal errors they do - in life, in marriageand when their decisions count the very most. By exposing the rawinner world of an ideal-seeming marriage that has fallen into perilin the wake of a crime, the film weaves themes of secrecy, betrayaland forgiveness through a driving narrative and intenseperformances focused on uncovering the primal human truths that canlie beneath the most placid surfaces. The film puts the audience in the middle of compelling moraldilemmas: when is it better to lie than to confess? Can a selfishact also be a selfless one? What does it mean to be a good wife? Agood husband? And what price would you be willing to pay to makethe one you love truly happy? The story's mix of entertainment and human complexity isprecisely what Julian Fellowes was looking for when he waspreparing to make his feature film debut. Fellowes was already anaccomplished actor and screenwriter, with a career that hadculminated most recently in his winning the Academy Award for thescreenplay of the acclaimed period mystery Gosford Park directed byRobert Altman. He had been searching for inspirational materialwhen Jenni Hopkins (ex-wife of Anthony Hopkins) suggested he readNigel Balchin's novel A Way Through The Wood. The novel, first published in 1951, follows the tale of abewildered husband who permits his wife to carry on an affair inthe hopes that she might return to him. At the time of itspublication, the novel was highly provocative and the LondonEvening Standard called it "a brilliant study of adultery andcorrupted ideals."
Mrs. Henderson Presents:London, 1937. Mrs Laura Henderson, a woman of wealth and ... more
connections, has just buried her beloved husband. And now she's bored. Friends suggest she finds a hobby and to their amazement she buys the Windmill Theatre. Newly appointed manager, Vivian Van Damm, is shocked by the outrageous, provocative and eccentric Mrs Henderson. When business begins to fail she comes up with a new idea to get the crowds back - put naked girls on stage! But as the bombing of London begins, the government threatens to close the theatre. Mrs Henderson's fighting spirit is revealed - and so is the secret that drew her to buy the Windmill in the first place. Featuring an all-star British cast including Academy Award nominees Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins, Kelly Reilly and introducing Will Young.Separate Lies:Secrets and lies spiral out of control in this mesmerizing suspense thriller. Tom Wilkinson and Emily Watson star as James and Anne, a seemingly happy couple whose marriage begins to unravel when he learns she's been having an affair with their seductive neighbour, Bill (Rupert Everett). When a man turns up dead, James faces another shocking revelation that may cost him everything.Girl With A Pearl Earring:In order to support her family, seventeen-year-old Griet becomes a maid in the house of Johannes Vermeer and soon attracts the master painter's attention. Although worlds apart in upbringing and social standing, Vermeer recognises her intuitive understanding of his work and slowly draws her into his mysterious world of art and passion. Whilst she falls increasingly under Vermeer's spell, his volatile family quickly grow jealous of her. Maria, his shrewd mother-in-law, struggles to maintain the family's lavish lifestyle, and seeing that Griet inspires Vermeer, takes the decision to let their relationship to develop. Van Ruijven, also sensing the intimacy between master and maid, commissions Vermeer to paint Griet's portrait. The result will be one of the greatest paintings ever created... but at what cost?
Postage & Packaging:£0.00 Availability:Temporarily out of stock - This item will be dispatched as soon as it arrives - We cannot guarantee Christmas delivery...
Production Year: 1995 - Drama - Director: Ang Lee - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Greg Wise, Hugh Laurie, Robert Hardy
Production Year: 1995 - Drama - Director: Ang Lee - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Greg Wise, Hugh Laurie, Robert Hardy
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Advantages: potentially a promising idea for a film Disadvantages: did not live up to expectations
...couple of good reviews about Separate Lies so when I saw this DVD on offer at Sendit.com for only £3.83 I thought it was definitely worth buying. It had a couple of things that really appealed to me too. Firstly, it's a British film and I do always prefer to watch films made here rather than over the pond. Secondly it is billed as a suspense thriller and I always enjoy a good thriller which has you on the edge of your seat! Also on the cover there ... ...'outstanding and hugely powerful'. So with all of the above when I sat down to watch the film last night my expectations were very high - but not for long as I will go on to explain.
Firstly, just a very quick summary of what this film is about. James and Anne Manning are a well off middle aged couple. He is a very successful solicitor and she is a somewhat scatty but bored housewife. It's obvious from the very start that there are ... more
I had read a couple of good reviews about Separate Lies so when I saw this DVD on offer at Sendit.com for only £3.83 I thought it was definitely worth buying. It had a couple of things that really appealed to me too. Firstly, it's a British film and I do always prefer to watch films made here rather than over the pond. Secondly it is billed as a suspense thriller and I always enjoy a good thriller which has you on the edge of your seat! Also on the cover there is a quote from the Daily Mail describing it as 'outstanding and hugely powerful'. So with all of the above when I sat down to watch the film last night my expectations were very high - but not for long as I will go on to explain.
Firstly, just a very quick summary of what this film is about. James and Anne Manning are a well off middle aged couple. He is a very successful solicitor and she is a somewhat scatty but bored housewife. It's obvious from the very start that there are cracks in their marriage especially when he does not even turn up at a party that his wife has organised. On that night a tragic accident occurs which throws their lives into turmoil along with that of their housekeeper and also their neighbour Bill Bule.
As James starts to uncover what happened on that night he realises that his marriage is not as strong as he thought but it also becomes necessary for him to become embroiled in a web of lies along with Anne, Bill and Maggie, the housekeeper. This is the basis of the rest of the film added to which, there is a detective who keeps appearing in an attempt to get to the bottom of what has happened. Needless to say there are a few interesting twists and turns of events along the way.
I've attempted to give a bit of a taste of the film there without giving anything away. However, I'm not really recommending this film though as I found it hugely disappointing on a number of counts.
Firstly I would have to say - suspense: what suspense? It really was lacking in any of those elements that might get your heart racing and you edging forward on your seat. I would more describe it as a drama than a thriller and as much as I like dramas that was not what I was expecting.
Secondly the end of the film really took me by surprise and that's not because something really unexpected happened. It's just that it seemed so incomplete that I would have thought that I'd gone and bought a dud DVD that had been cut off halfway through were it not for the fact that the credits started rolling. I really could not believe that it was finished and I said to my husband - 'What was all that about then?' I really couldn't decide what the point of the film was at all! There had been a couple of storylines that had seemed quite interesting and I thought were going somewhere but they just seemed to peter out! I had been reasonably enjoying the film in a mild way but just felt so cheated by the end.
There also were not any characters that I particularly warmed too either. James was played really well by Tom Wilkinson and he was probably the most sympathetic character but Emily Watson's Anne and Rupert Everett's Bill seemed very two dimensional. There wasn't really anything about them to either like or dislike and I certainly did not feel I understood anything more about them at the end of the film than I did at the beginning. Linda Bassett gave a good performance as Maggie but she behaves in a very strange way at one point in the film when she starts to go along with the lies. This could have been the most interesting point in the film but again this disappeared into nothingness!
So overall this film was a huge disappointment to me - in fact so much so that I really wished I hadn't bothered and spent the time doing the ironing instead!
I'm really writing this as a film only review because I hated it so much that there was no way I wanted to watch anv extras. However if you are interested there is a director commentary (Julian Fellowes) which might enlighten on what the intention of the film was!
This DVD is available on Amazon for £5.97. However, I shall be advertising my copy on www.swapshop.co.uk as I don't think I'll be watching it again!
Advantages: An effective story told in a short running time. Quality performance from Tom Wilkinson Disadvantages: Not one for 'action hungry' viewers
Separate Lies is adapted from the 1951 novel 'A Way Through the Wood' by Nigel Balchin. The film, originally released in 2005, is a directorial debut from writer/actor Julian Fellowes, perhaps best known for his oscar-winning screenplay for Gosford Park. It stars Tom Wilkinson (In The Bedroom, Michael Clayton), Emily Watson (Angela's Ashes, Breaking the Waves), Rupert Everett (To Kill A King, The Comfort of Strangers) and Linda Bassett (East is East, ... ...much built around the lives of the English upper-class. The main couple, James and Anne Manning, played by Tom Wilkinson and Emily Watson, are a successful solicitor and intelligent, but lonely, housewife whose marriage appears successful but, as the story unfolds, has clearly seen better days. Maggie (Linda Bassett) is the housekeeper for the couple. Rupert Everett plays the part of Bill Bule, who becomes the wife's bit-on-the-side. A tragic accident ...
tumblewheel 27.07.2008 (14.08.2008)
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copies in a well-known supermarket at the time and he signed my copy. Were this not to have been the case, I would've been a bit disappointed at having bought the DVD. If it's arguing and good old fights that you're looking for, then there's some in moderation, but there have been far more extreme cases on the show. This doesn't stop it however in my opinion from still being a wholly watchable DVD.
Amongst this there are extra features, which are interviews with Jeremy and Graham (separately), and an insight into how the lie detector works, with a member of the production team carrying out a mock lie detector test.
So to summarise, in my opinion the DVD doesn't offer all that much beyond the show (as the show now regularly offers backstage glimpses itself), and I don't think it warrants a price tag of around £12 to £15. The outside ...
A wealthy and successful couple find their life changed forever following a car crash in which their housekeeper's husband is killed. Lies and deception are rife as the police begin to investigate.
Brilliant, mature, heartbreaking... an astonishing successful directorial debut by Julian Fellowes (Daily Mail, )
DVD Description
A wealthy and successful couple find their life changed forever following a car crash in which their housekeeper's husband is killed. Lies and deception are rife as the police begin to investigate.
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