A Severed Head

This is a mystery not a comedy.How can the film makers make such a mess of anything written by Irish Murdoch and J.B.Priestley.If that wasn't bad enough to lumber it with such a dreadful title.No wonder the distributors put this on the shelf for a couple of years.Shameful waste of all the talent involved.No doubt Blooms top less scene was included to boost the box office.

British humor for a movie that more than a comedy assimilates to a tragedy.

Strange alliances and betrayals are mixed within a group of people in which no one speaks openly about their feelings but hides behind a semblance of civilization.

There is something not quite right here. I didn't see the stage play and it is many, many years since I read the book but it seems that perhaps director Dick Clement didn't really have a tight enough grip on this. I appreciate that because of the title some mistakenly expect a horror film and I have seen some describe this as an hilarious farce. Well, it is not very funny despite the odd amusing, if rather predictable, dig at the English middle class. Certainly this is not played as a farce, although Lee Remick seems to have this notion and plays it to the hilt wit much repetition of line and (over) action. Everybody seems to go their own way as if they are giving a solo performance, unrelated to anybody else and it is left to Jennie Linden to play it as it seems it should be played. Apparently her part was originally conceived as being for Julie Christie and I would have thought that then she would have stuck out even more. Claire Bloom's performance is a brave one but she seems just as much in her own bubble as Attenborough, Holm and Remick. Interesting idea that deserved a better cast and a more seasoned director.

One of my favorite movies ever, largely due to the fact that Iris Murdoch is my favorite author of all time. I saw this as a fairly young child, and it stuck in my head for years. Two of the best actresses ever, Claire Bloom and Lee Remick. Claire was perfect as Honor, like a tightly wound spring. The relationship between Honor and her brother is pure Iris Murdoch, whose characters always had complicated and sometimes quite twisted relationships. Very funny movie, as well, as is also typical of Ms. Murdoch's works.

I would highly recommend this movie to young adult audiences who like alternative and artistic, literary movies.

Focussed on Ian Holmes wine merchant, a group of bored middle class professionals fill their lives by having a series of doomed affairs with each other.

Time has not been kind to this 'satire' based on Iris Murdoch's book. The characters are pretty much all detestable or plain daft and although Holmes brings the occasional smile to the face, the other characters particularly Attenborough and Remick are so unrealistic it's impossible to buy into what was presumably supposed to be sharp and biting.

Firmer direction might have helped - overall, sloppy.