I don't assign many films a "10" as such should be awarded only the truly great ones that come around a few times a decade; e.g., CITIZEN KANE, THE GODFATHER, MIDNIGHT COWBOY, etc. But DEAN SPANLEY is so emotionally enjoyable (at the same time avoiding the "deep" movie genre) that it must be given something to distinguish it from the tearjerker weepy slop that shamelessly tug at one's heart stings; e.g., TERMS OF ENDEARMENT, DRIVING MISS DAISY, MOONSTRUCK, etc. True, the first half of DS not only gives no indication whatsoever of where it is headed but appears intentionally disparate in approach. For such reason a viewer might almost lose interest - as I came close to doing. But the character performances, Neil and O'Toole in particular - mildly comic - eventually turn captivating. Like other COMMENTERs herein, given commercial concerns and what passes for entertainment these day, I'm amazed that this film even got made. I'd forgotten that a movie could do something for me like DS did. Imagine a film being both reverent and irreverent at the same time. The result is relevance. And marvelous. I gush. Watch the movie.

Despite some belief to the contrary, "Venus" last year was absolutely not this great actor's last Oscar bid. I hope he gets it this year with "Dean Spanley". If not, he will return.Despite the title role which was wonderfully performed by Sam Neill, "Dean Spanley" is O'Toole's film. Structurally, it is akin to a male choral quartet, but O'Toole is "the soul of the film" as the TIFF program aptly puts it.You could call this a period piece but the story is so universal that it could have taken place anywhere, any time. O'Toole portrays a desolate old man Fisk who has lost his younger son in the Boer War and his wife grieving her son. His good-natured elder son Fisk Jr. (Jeremy Northam) visits him every Thursday trying to bring some spark back into his life, with no avails. Upper lip at it stiffest, Fisk responds to his club's attendant's consoling words with fierce stare and: "Our lost? He is the one that got killed".This film, however, is a comedy, the kind of comedy with pathos that brings the entire theatre to a complete silence and then tears, after rounds of hearty laughs. The laughs are mainly British subtlety and can at times be also outlandishly funny. The fun comes mainly from Spanley, a somewhat eccentric character shrouded in a whiff of mystery. Attracted initially by Spanley's fascination with reincarnation, Fisk Jr. courts his friendship by offering to provide the exquisite Tokay wine while giving a dinner invitation. He does not have any. "It's not a lie; just deferred truth", Fisk Jr. says to himself, and proceeds to try to procure the rare prize he promised, which leads him to earthy, ever resourceful Wrather (Byran Brown) who completes the quartet.The pleasure of this simple, affecting and eventually wonderfully heart-warming film is best left to be discovered by the audience. The cast is marvelous, including, in addition to the four men, Judy Parfitt who plays Fisk's housekeeper Mrs Brimley so lovingly. But in the end, it's Peter O'Toole.

Admittedly, this won't be a film for everyone. Though it has a bit of a quirky premise and the dialog is cleverly humorous at times, the pacing is slower than what most viewers would expect from their movie fare. I got the biggest kick out of Peter O'Toole's character, Horatio Fiske. All you had to do was look at him; his facial expression throughout most of the picture was one of priceless quandary, often trying to make some semblance of sense of the efforts of his son and cohorts for the better part of the picture. Yet the payoff comes as Dean Spanley's life as a dog is brought home to reconcile the old man's feelings of loss over his son in the Boer War, followed by that of his grieving wife. If it's true, as the Swami Prash declares, that a dog amplifies Man's estimation of himself, then the story of Wag and his canine companion finally brings some measure of relief to a man whose heart had not yet hardened beyond repair.

Like a fine wine this film moves its way around the palette. Roles are superbly under-played; silence replaces explosion, wry smile for laughter, lingering looks without raised eyebrows. This is a play of manners, a perfectly pitched study in to the calm veil that shields all from underlying raw emotions.What's it about? Well it has men, women, dogs and wine; it is set in Edwardian England, and if having watched it you think its about man's best friend, then please avoid having children, let your genes stop with you. To me Dean Spanley was like one of those magic eye pictures; where you may stare for a long time before the mind relaxes and lets you realise what you are looking at - and in this case it is a real work of art.Be warned this is a deceptively powerful story - take tissues.