The Green Man

An excellent and faithful adaptation of the 1960s Kingsley Amis novel ( lacking a green man but all the better for it ). A promiscuous alcoholic hotelier, Maurice Allington, is drawn into the schemes of Dr Underhill, a 16th-century cleric who having survived death with the help of a pre-Columbian silver charm now seeks to summon a demon who lives in the woods nearby. Maurice Allington is the perfect anti-hero who still finds time to run a hotel, set up a lesbian tryst with his own wife and save his daughter from a cruel fate and .. oh yes .. meet God on the way, who incidently has a natty line in linen suits and likes a good Scotch.

Everything that Albert Finney `touches' turns to movie gold and he was the perfect choice for the lead role in this highly original ghost story. The mixing of his alcoholic delusions with the supposedly `objective' presentation of the ghost part gave the whole thing an usual screen credibility. One didn't know half the time what was what, glossing over the delusional to the phantasmagoric. The injection of uniquely English, character based humor, lent an important significance to the otherwise just scary (alebeit very scary) story line. Then there was the contrast of pagan hedonism with the contemporary gloss of civilized, sophisticated hedonism (the elaborate meals and wines all being eagerly consummed by mostly boorsish clients), all this being reflected in the conflicted sexual content of the ghost and his `victims'. One could go on and on about the rich fabric of this jewel. Thank God for the Brits !

We love, Love, LOVE The GREENMAN and would love to have it in our inventory. We've searched high and low and can't find a copy - anyone out there know how/where we can locate one? Yep, we've tried Amazon, etc. to no avail. This is the perfect Halloween movie and we're fast approaching another witching season and would love to see it again. It's a classic "adult" ghost story worth seeing. The mood is dark yet entertaining and the performances of the entire cast are riveting and spell binding. Albert Finney outdoes himself as the owner of an Inn (The Greenman) whose past is filled with secrets, mystery and the unknown. If you like The Fog and the suspicious nature of what's going to happen next, you'll enjoy The Greenman, year after year.

I loved this 3 part series, and have seen it 3 or 4 times over the years. Albert Finney's character, Maurice, does have many unappealing traits. However, Finney makes the character irresistible. Finney plays the anti-hero to perfection. The script is excellent. I loved the scene where Linda Marlow and Sarah Berger (excellent performances both) pull a fast one on the `manipulative' Maurice. Just reading the other reviewers' comments makes me eager to see this British gem again!

A delightful movie with a balanced mix of humor and horror.Some of the scenes are surreal. Well acted all round and Alex Guiness is brilliant in his protrayal of the lecherous alcoholic innkeeper caught between God and the evil inhabiting his country inn. Highly recommended.