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The House Of The Spirits [1994]Snagging.org In association with Amazon.co.ukOnline Shop | Property Guides | Kitchen & Home | Garden Tools | Power Tools | Consumer Electronics Get the Snagging Checklist Here! The House Of The Spirits [1994] starring: Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close, Winona Ryder, Antonio Banderas ![: The House Of The Spirits [1994]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Q64YMJ1EL._SL160_.jpg) Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 5024165479957 Format: PAL Label: Entertainment in Video Languages: Manufacturer: Entertainment in Video Number Of Discs: 1 Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Entertainment in Video Release Date: January 25, 1995 Running Time: 132 minutes Studio: Entertainment in Video Theatrical Release Date: April 01, 1994 Related Items: Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Twenty Minutes of Storyline and Two Hours of TediumFirst of all, I must admit that I've never read the book. To be honest, I didn't even know that this film was an adaptation until I read the other reviews on Amazon. But whilst I can imagine the rolling landscapes and the charged emotions being sensuously described in a novel, a film cannot do this. And so whilst the occasional and seemingly random occurrences do eventually come together at the end, I spent the whole time waiting for something to happen, and then just breathed a sigh of relief when the whole thing was finally over. As well as those few plot points that tied together of course, there were several blind alleys which (in my opinion) added absolutely nothing to the story. And so whilst the coup near the end of the film, Jeremy Iron's revelation that his greed and prejudice were wrong and his ensuing change of heart was interesting to watch, the path that the film took to get there was simply FAR too long. By far the best scene in the film was Winona Ryder's `Interrogation' at the hands of Vincent Gallow, Iron's illegitimate son. After being raised in poverty and utterly ignored by his father, Gallow relishes his chance to take out his frustration on his half-sister, the woman who received the love and attention that he feels he was denied. Before this scene however, Gallow only appeared three times in the film for less than a minute each time. For me, this was the perfect example of how the film wanders aimlessly for more than two hours, only touching on the important plot points every now and again. And so whilst anyone who has read the novel will be able to `Fill in the Blanks,' remembering the author's sensuous narration as the story just drifts along, I'm afraid that I can only recommend this film to the emotional wanderers; those people who thoroughly enjoy the journey but who never expect to arrive. Rating: - Astringent Saga in South AmericaThis excellently-made saga of one influential family in an unspecified part of South America has great acting, interesting locations well-filmed and an unusual story which keeps the interest throughout. The country involved, although unnamed, might be Chile, where the writer of the book upon which this is based originated. The more formal Army uniforms are similar, though the more brutally repressive officers and men look more like Central Americans than the mainly European Chilean officers. Isabel Allende, who wrote the book, is or was the ultimate champagne socialist, along with, at one time and far less seriously, Bianca Jagger, perhaps. Her husband was the socialist leader elected in Chile in the 1970's and overthrown in General Pinochet's military coup. It must have stuck in her craw badly that Pinochet (whose policies were actually far closer to Mrs Thatcher's than those of Adolf Hitler --as his detractors claimed--) lived on to not only rule Chile for over a decade, but to bring considerable prosperity to the country and eventually voluntarily give up power to a later, properly elected, "Centre-Right" administration. As for Mrs Allende, she, I believe, preferred and prefers to spend her time in California, London and the French Riviera. The film here does really show only one side of the argument. The red-flag-wavers are all good people, the existing establishment and the military all as evil as they come. Despite the story keeping the interest to the end, it peters out rather poorly at the very end, I felt. A lot of loose ends were never really tied up, just as in Life itself. Rating:  - The house of the spiritsI think this is a masterpiece, beautiful story and the music of Hans Zimmer makes this film very special. Outstanding cast. I would advise this film to anyone who enjoys film that have a moral and a meaning. I haven't read the book but I definately will now. Rating: - Excellent AdaptationWhether or not you have read Isabelle Allende's original, this is a great movie with a great cast and some awesome acting. Jeremy, Antonio, Meryl, Wynona are all excellent throughout, and the story-telling definitely does justice to the book. There's a bit of everything for everyone - love, war, betrayal, revenge, a touch of the supernatural - get this movie if you like a good, believable yarn. Five stars. Rating: - better than the book by a long shotI didn't enjoy the novel "House of Spirits" but this film really brought the story to life.There are many good performances from famous actors (Vanessa Redgrave,Jeremy Irons,Meryl Streep,Antonio Banderas,Winona Ryder) and the direction and photography are of a very high standard.I would say this is one of the most interesting and memorable movies I have seen in my life.It should be better known than it is.  Try searching the Internet for "The House Of The Spirits [1994]" or Ebay for "The House Of The Spirits [1994]". You might also be interested in the following great products:
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