Hotel Splendide

Toni Collette, after her breakthrough but before she became a very visible and recognizable international star. Daniel Craig, before he became James Bond. Stephen Tompkinson, fresh off of 'Ballykissangel' and his celebrated role as Father Clifford. All that's to say nothing of some other notable names and faces, including Toby Jones and Peter Vaughan, and these alone make 'Hotel Splendide' a bit of a curiosity. Then there's the production design and art direction - and even the sharp, eye-catching, flavorful costume design, hair, makeup, effects, and cinematography - by which one could easily enough mistake this as the work of Jean-Pierre Jeunet ('Delicatessen,' 'The city of lost children'), or depending on your frame of reference, possibly Tim Burton or Wes Anderson. 'Hotel Splendide' is wry and kooky as a dark comedy, but it also boasts a playful, offbeat whimsy in telling of an isolated, decaying health spa (further bearing notes of 'The road to Wellville'), the family that operates it, and the upset that follows the return of a past employee. With the actors all joyfully embracing the peculiar fancy of the production and of their characters, even as I don't entirely know what to make of this film, I'd be lying if I said it weren't marvelously enjoyable.

Even composer Mark Tschanz takes the overarching tenor and just runs with it, providing an original score that's often jaunty and peppy like a traveling carnival sideshow. The outcome is a feature that is outwardly just half a heartbeat away from fantasy, sci-fi, or even horror, while nevertheless ostensibly taking place in "the real world." The sheer amount of brilliant detail that's poured into every element is kind of exhilarating. I'm not exactly familiar with filmmaker Terence Gross, and he doesn't seem to have a lot of credits to his name, but I'm quite taken with this minor gem that he created. The characterizations alone, the quirks and personalities that he bestowed on these figures, are rich and tantalizing; Gross could have put them in any setting and it would be a joy to watch the fireworks fly. Factor in the isolation, and the very nature of "health resorts" (or whatever one may call them) as something more than a little on the fringe of society, and the whole is ripe with potential.

For my part, I think we see that potential deftly realized through individual scenes and ideas that capitalize on the strange, sometimes almost surreal splendor of the concoction. It's maybe not realized entirely as much through the narrative that draws it all together. The return of individualist Kath is a shock to the system that shakes the foundations of a family, and a hotel, that is effectively, ominously ruled over by the family matriarch even in death, and the tumult upends both the stale, persisting routines and beliefs of the people involved, and the treatment regime that is decidedly less beneficial than advertised - all quite by the design of that same late matriarch, and moreover executed through her True Believer son, Dezmond. The plot is there, but it's not completely as solid and sure-footed as everything else that greets us; I think the connective tissue of the story just isn't as fully developed, even as soft but definitively relevant themes emerge of the cruel hypocrisy and decadence of those in power who would demand austerity of their subjects. Thankfully, though this strikes me as the relative weak point of the picture, the rest is certainly strong enough to help shore it up. That absolutely includes the cast, and though I dare not discount anyone else, I wonder if it's not the case that Tompkinson steals the show with the severe yet frayed, nervous energy he carries as Dezmond.

It's very weird, and imperfect, with the often ingenious thoughts not always coming out so clearly and cogently in the end product. Superb and highly entertaining as this movie mostly is, any perceived faults come down to Gross' writing as much as his direction - a reflection not perhaps of abject failure, but simply of how Gross stood to still grow and develop in his skills. No matter how we scrutinize the particulars, though, I don't think there's much arguing how creative and original this is, and it remains far better than not, with lasting value far outshining any lesser aspects. Everything looks and sounds incredible, representing high production standards that frankly outpace some new releases of twenty-five years later. It won't appeal to all comers, but for those who are receptive to all t he wide, wacky possibilities of cinema, 'Hotel Splendide' is an off-kilter gem that is well worth checking out. Enter with an open mind and just enjoy the ride; I'm happy to give this my warm recommendation.

Watched this on DVD. Never even heard of it until now. I always loved those weird British movies from the sixties and seventies which seem to have disappeared as a genre - until Hotel Splendide. It's astonishing, like a whole world that just appeared out of nowhere. It's a story about how families destroy each other and how you have to break away from your childish attitudes and dependency to be free. But, mostly it's just this completely charming and unpredictable look at a place and a group of people who seem completely real, but couldn't possibly exist.

The movie it most reminded me of was Harold and Maude, though the story and characters are completely unrelated. Just something about the atmosphere and the humour.

Can't stop thinking about it. A must see

I don't quite share the enthusiasm of the reviewers claiming that the movie is a must-see, but it is not trash either. It's actually a black-humored comedy and rather good for a change. I disagree about wasting 98 minutes of your life, because if you don't find the movie attractive in the first 10 minutes, then stop watching it - it's not your kind of a show. I wouldn't compare it to the Addams Family, one of my all-time favorites, but something in the setting, darkness, characters, and pace makes the two somehow alike. Though, indeed, I, too, would prefer less toilet and bowel movement humor, but it relates to the major part of the plot, the health efficiency theory of the masterful mother-former owner of the hotel who used to run (and seem to still run) it, so not much complaining there.

My opinion - give it a try, chances are that you'll be entertained. But if it doesn't work for you - well, the "Off" button is still on your remote.

Just watched the film and certainly haven't seen anything like it in a long time. Sort of a weird cross between an Ealing comedy and a Gothic horror. Loved the texture and atmosphere but didn't get that engaged with the story, which is is at times comic and at other moments disturbing or just plain strange, though the characters are beautifully drawn and very memorable, especially Stanley, the neurotic virgin, and the sister, Cora.

People seem to either love or hate this one - maybe because it's so different from the run of the mill Brit film. It seems to draw on an earlier period in cinema for its style and references, which I thought was refreshing. At the end I had the feeling that it might have begun as an even darker and stranger story that has had some element or other removed, maybe to make it more accessible. It does have some really haunting images and a great sound effects track. Definitely worth watching, for its atmosphere alone.

See if only for the plumbing and the music. I can't think of anything more ghastly than spending time at an English spa treating digestive disorders. This is exactly what I would imagine it would be like. On a remote, rainy and rocky little spit of crab dung sits the Hotel Splendide run by the by the Blanche family who seem to have come there at some better time, maybe before ferry service was cut to once a month. There isn't a plot exactly: its more of a scripted hysteria. Very fine cast with Daniel Craig, Toni Collette, and particularly the late Katrin Cartlidge as a character who has wandered in from Black Narcissus. There is also an unusual performance by Stephen Tompkinson that'a unlike anything you are likely to see anywhere else. The cinematography also owes something to Jack Cardiff and the heyday of the Archers and their use of color. Toby Jones and Peter Vaughan round out, with young Hugh O'Connor, an excellent group of lost bowel obsessives existing mostly on various eel dishes. Try it.