Dandelion Dead
In an English Country Garden Murder Should Come as No Surprise. Based On A True Story.
Dandelion Dead is based on actual events, recreating one of the most controversial crimes in English legal history, filmed on location at the scene of the crime in Hay-on-Wye.
England 1921. The serenity of a small country town is about to be shattered by a shocking revelation about one of its leading citizens. A family will be ruined. A private matter will become a case of great public interest.
Life seems good for Major Herbert Armstrong. He is a respected solicitor with a country estate, the love of his three children and devout pride in both his life and his garden. But every landscape has it challenges- and so does life.
In Herbert's otherwise pristine garden it's a bad case of dandelions. In his life, the problems are twofold. Firstly there's his wife. Katherine has become bad tempered and domineering, not in the least afraid to embarrass Herbert in public. Then there's the business. A series of unfortunate financial arrangements and the arrival in town of Oswald Martin, a young, ambitious rival, has turned Henry's good fortune upside down.
The solution to the dandelion problem is straightforward: small delicately placed servings of Arsenic will see an end to them. But what is Herbert to do about his nagging wife and the upstart Oswald....
Member Reviews
em says it all .... - piph
Yes, the acting and the set design are wonderful. And it's always a great temptation to watch a film based on true life events - especially when they take a mysterious and gruesome twist. Unfortunately, the writers have been bogged down by details and it showed in the final product, which drags on and on. Was like listening to the telling of a great antecdote at a dinner party and the teller gets far too wrapped up in words and forgets to engage the listeners.Absorbing murder story - Crumit
I admit I rented this movies solely for the reason that it stars Michael Kitchen, an excellent actor who is rarely (apart from Foyle) featured in starring roles. I was not disappointed. Based on a true crime from the Twenties, Dandelion Dead is an wonderful character study told with pathos, humor, and suspense. David Thewlis does an excellent job as the shell-shocked attorney who sets up shop in competition with Michael Kitchen. Mike Hodges, who made Croupier, directs.
For Michael Kitchen enthusiasts, Caught on a Train is also a very good film made by the BBC in the late seventies.Great acting - action drags - em--
The acting and the sets are beautiful in Dandelion Dead. There's no problem with the realism or the believability here. Unfortunately, it seems too real because while it's based on a true crime story, the 200-minute production needs to include every bit of waiting and pausing that was in the real life. The actors are fabulous, but they do struggle with a crawling plot. Michael Kitchen is excellent and we see sides of him, humour, silliness, that we haven't seen before; Sarah Miles seems one-dimensional though. This is a great period piece, post World War I, in Britain's town of Hay. At 200 minutes (a mini-series?) it should have been edited down to 150.
Member Reviews
Read All...
em says it all .... - piph
Yes, the acting and the set design are wonderful. And it's always a great temptation to watch a film based on true life events - especially when they take a mysterious and gruesome twist. Unfortunately, the writers have been bogged down by details and it ...Absorbing murder story - Crumit
I admit I rented this movies solely for the reason that it stars Michael Kitchen, an excellent actor who is rarely (apart from Foyle) featured in starring roles. I was not disappointed. Based on a true crime from the Twenties, Dandelion Dead is an wonderful ...Great acting - action drags - em--
The acting and the sets are beautiful in Dandelion Dead. There's no problem with the realism or the believability here. Unfortunately, it seems too real because while it's based on a true crime story, the 200-minute production needs to include every bit of ...