Am I Missing Something?

A different way of telling a story

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Like many Antony I Ginnane productions this one boasts some minor league international 'name' actors (Broderick Crawford, David Hemmings), along with some Australian TV celebrities known for soap opera acting roles (Carmen Duncan, Mark Spain, Alyson Best, Sean Myers, Julia Moody, Bevan Lee, John Frawley) and late night commercials spruiking land deals in Mt Evelyn, Victoria (Gus Mercurio). And as with most Ginnane productions, the story involves mystery, intrigue, and some low-budget supernatural events.Unfortunately it is one of the more muddled outputs of the Ginnane stable. The script seems clunky with a Harold Holt style disappearance, a Rasputin type healer, political intrigue, and a Damien Thorne type diabolical tyke. The story never really seems to come together and the various elements seem confusing.Robert Powell is great to watch and he sports some fab costumes. Sadly with the murky story the viewer soon becomes engrossed in spotting things like the costumes and makeup, former (and future - Jeremy Sims) screen stars, Carmen Duncan's range of hairdos, and the décor and views of the mansion in which much of the action takes place. Not a good sign.The score by Brian May seems incongruous and heavy handed.

Harlequin is set in Australia where deputy governor Eli Steele (Jack Ferrari) disappears while snorkeling in the sea, a rescue team is dispatched within minutes but no trace of the governor is found. 4 year old Alex (Mark Spain) is the son of Senator Nick Rast (David Hemmings) who is next in line for Eli's high powered job, Alex has leukaemia & is no longer responding to treatment. One night the Rast's family home is visited by Gregory Wolfe (Robert Powell) who claims he can cure Alex, after just a few minutes with him Alex seems so much better. As Wolfe manages to work his way into Senator Rast's life & sleeps with his wife Sandra (Carmen Duncan) it becomes clear he has more on his agenda than just curing his son...This Australian production was directed by Simon Wincer & is an odd film which is sort of hard to categorize, I thought it was watchable but nothing particularly special. The script by Everett De Roche takes itself extremely seriously & is a uneasy mix of mild horror, fantasy, thriller, drama & political satire. There are two basic stories here, one concerning the mysterious Wolfe & one revolving around the back stabbing world of politics where it seems sinister unseen people other than those who stand in front of the cameras & give speeches run things. I think Harlequin is a film where the filmmakers want to leave entirely up to the audiences own interpretation as to whether you believe the supernatural angle or whether it's all a magic con trick although there are scenes which seem to suggest there are magical forces at work because there is no other explanation for them. I think the magic vs science plot here doesn't sit together that well & they don't compliment each other, in fact I think they take something away from each other. Just my opinion but overall I don't think Harlequin works that well & ends up being confusing.Director Wincer does OK but it has little style, the special effects won't impress anyone these days & it's just a bit on the dull side. Nothing that exciting happens, it's not scary, it has no tension & lacks any atmosphere. I don't know maybe I'm missing something here but Harlequin just didn't really do anything for me, it's watchable I suppose but I'll have totally forgotten about it by the end of the week. This film has helped me in one sense though, it has taught me not to keep acid in the bathroom, not to keep acid in the bathroom next to the shampoo & definitely not to keep acid in the bathroom next to the shampoo in exactly the same style bottle as the shampoo because that would just be silly wouldn't it?Technically the film is OK, some of the special effects look dated but it's reasonably well made for what it is. The acting isn't the best, Powell does alright but no ones going to win any awards.Harlequin is an odd film & one I'm not entirely sure who it's meant to appeal to, it's perfectly watchable & tells a story but it's forgettable & nothing special. Not really my cup of tea to be honest.

Despite a potentially rich premise and the presence of David Hemmings (a personal favorite of mine) , this was a rather disappointing and overly confusing film. The plot more or less is a bizarre re-working of the Rasputin legend and revolves on a charismatic magician who infiltrates in a political family to cure the son of his leukemia, but then continues with interfering in the husband's career as a replacement-senator. This terrifically mystic idea is pretty much ruined by a bad script, a whole lot of supernatural mumbo-jumbo and a wooden performance by Robert Powell. I was hoping to see some exciting horror effects and eerie make up but "Harlequin" is very tame and lifeless. David Hemmings is okay, and so is the young actor Mark Spain. Especially after his cure, he turns into a spooky and mysterious little brat. In short: this easily could have been one of the most ingenious fantasy-tales of the eighties but it became a failure instead. Director Wincer went on directing less ambitious and more comic movies such as "Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man", "Free Willy" and "Crocodile Dundee in LA".

As a long-time fan of Robert Powell, I have to say he was fantastic in this little known film, which I saw under the title "Dark Forces." The actor's ability is far under rated -why, I'll never know. This tale of a mysterious being entering the lives of a family was curiously spiritual as well as supernatural. I even found Powell quoting a line from his masterpiece "Jesus of Nazareth." There were some unanswered questions in the film, but I wasn't bothered by this. After all, the supernatural leaves a lot of gaps for us to dwell on and come up with our own conclusions.