The Wyvern Mystery

Starring:Naomi Watts, Derek Jacobi, Iain Glen, James Doherty (III), Jack Davenport, Aisling O'Sullivan, Elaine Collins, Ellie Haddington, Marston Bloom, Tim Preece, Raymond Sawyer, John Peters (XI), Anita Carey, Ursula Holden Gill, Mark Hadfield, Rachel Sanders, Lobo Chan, Andrea Edwards, Andrew Hilton, Tamara Harvey
Director: Alex Pillai
Studio: Bfs Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Good But not Great Gothic Tale
Victorian Gothic
The Wyvern Mystery
Victorian Gothic Thriller Starring Naomi Watts (in Costume)
Chilling Period drama

The Wyvern Mystery
Starring: Naomi Watts , Derek Jacobi , James Doherty (III) , Iain Glen , and Jack Davenport
Director: Alex Pillai
Manufacturer: Bfs Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Miniseries | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00009WVM5
Release Date: 2003-10-07

Customer Reviews:

Good But not Great Gothic Tale.......2007-06-12

This gothic horror tale has more plot twists, many unexplained, than the maze at Hampton Court. There is much promised, but sadly little delivery of what could have been a well above average story. Some of the tale is implied in fevered flash-backs. At times it is not only hard to tell who is having them, but whether they represent real or imagined events. The answer to both is a definite: maybe.
The costuming and atmospheric setting is worth seeing. The cast is stellar. Naomi Watts, looking like a Nicole Kidman clone; the ever dependable Derek Jacobi; and the always facinating Iain Glen; and newcomer Jack Davenport; all give exceptional performances in spite of a convoluted and confusing script. I read the book in an attempt to tie up the loose ends of the story. The movie and the book are quite similar until the last one third. Though it did explain some of the subtext and started out as a fascinating and eerie tale, it never lived up to its potential. A wonderfully evil and vengeful "bump in the night", is dispatched half way through and the story meanders to its somewhat predictable conclusion over 11 years. They tightened the ending of the movie to four years and gave a small sense of redemption for the squire (Jacobi.) Maybe it lost its umph in the editing room. There are two continuity errors that bothered me. Two blue eyed parents cannot have a brown eyed child (that's genetics) how does the penniless Alice afford to keep her lady's maid?? But I pick nits. See it if you love great acting, beautiful scenery, plot twists and eerie gothic tales. (Anyone who saw Painted Lady with Helen Mirren and Iain Glen will recognize the lovely house that stands in for "Carwell Grange" as the same one.)

Victorian Gothic.......2005-10-23

Irish/French writer J. Sheridan Lefanu's novel "Carmilla" about a female vampire is his most famous work but he wrote a number of captivating Gothic novels dealing with ghosts and mystery. The Wyvern Mystery is a long and complicated work of psychological female fear, especially regarding losing children to a "monster" both within the woman herself or from a powerful "other". Naomi Watts - in Victorian garb- stars as the quintessentially Gothic heroine. She is somewhat naive about the world at first but develops into a mature and valiant woman who protects her family. All the elements of Gothic novels are present in this film brought to life by evocative cinematography and visuals. Fog, mist, eerie moonlight, strange noises, secrets, suspense, Gothic mansions and of course blood. Discover the Wyvern Mystery on this DVD edition. It first aired in the UK via the BBC and was featured in PBS's Mystery! hosted by veteran British star Vanessa Redgrave.

True. This formulaic and mainstream horror/mystery film is nothing like the longer and more psychologically chilling LeFanu novel. There have been many alterations which actually weaken the writer's intentions. LeFanu wrote not only supernatural thrillers involving vampires, ghosts and people behaving monstrously but was writing about repressed sexualities and fears of the unknown. In the 19th century, Gothic novels and romances were highly popular, especially among women. However, while romance was the biggest factor in the novels at first, it later became novels of darker themes. If you like this movie and you looked the book, you should read other LeFanu novels as well as such early Gothic novels as "The Castle of Otranto" and "The Monk". Both of these novels would make awesome horror films.

The Wyvern Mystery.......2004-09-11

I had just finished the book by J.S. La Fanu and inserted the DVD,wondering how close the DVD would follow the book. What a sad disappointment. In no way did the dvd even come close to the book, in fact I so surprised to see how they distorted the story line, which was very interesting in the printed word.
The screen writer should be ashamed in knowingly substituting an isipid story line in place of a well written plot.

I cannot say how a viewer would react when viewing the DVD without reading the book.

Personally this DVD was a disaster and J.S. La Fanu would be justified in rolling in his grave.

Robert Lyons
Reno, Nevada

Victorian Gothic Thriller Starring Naomi Watts (in Costume).......2004-06-20

"The Wyvern Mystery" is from the PBS "Mystery!" series, based on J. Sheridan Le Fanu's gothic novel of the same title published 1869. It stars Derek Jacobi, Naomi Watts, Jack Davenport, and Iain Glen.

The story is aptly convoluted (but changed to suit the running time, especially the latter half of the film). Being orphaned, Alice Maybell (Watts) is brought to the mansion of austere Squire, Henry Fairfield (Jacobi), who locks up her in the dreary wing. Grown-up Alice is wooed by the Squire, but finds a new and secret love in one of the Squire's son, Captain Charles Fairfield (Glen). They find a new home in Carwell Grange, bleak house where no one visits except Charles's brother Harry (Davenport), but there is another secret hiding in this place, which sooner or later Alice is to find out behind the wall of her secluded room.

Le Fanu's original story is so complex particularly in the last one-third of the novel, so the film changed the whole story into more conventional form. That works to some extent, even though the spooky touch of this Irish writer, who really led a hermit-like life in his country, is somehow missing from the result. But the good acting from the leads, and the effective costumes and locations help us to be enticed to the gothic world, where the heroine is gradually threatened by weird things and the mental depression as their consequences. And Naomi Watts looks splendid in costume. Her fans should not miss it.

Le Fanu's most famous (and best) novel will be "Uncle Silas" which was also filmed (under the title of "The Dark Angel", not to be confused with Jessica Alva TV) early in the 1990s starring Peter O'Tool.

Chilling Period drama.......2003-10-16

This is an excellent and most intruiging period drama. It has a chilling twist to it that has left me captivated ever since I saw it on television in England when first shown (spring of 2000). I have eagerly awaited it's coming out on DVD and can't wait to get it home and share it's wonderful, disturbing contents with my loved ones....

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