A Ghost in Monte Carlo (1990)
I discovered a load of given away with newspapers films the other day. Must have been around fifty of them hidden under the stairs gathering dust. They range from classics like The Eagle Has Landed to romantic adaptations of Catherine Cookson novels.
Deciding not to simply throw them away i thought i'd give them all a watch over time.
A period drama set in 1875, A Ghost in Monte Carlo is based on the novel of the same name by Barbara Cartland. It tells of an ageing courtesan (Sara Miles) who relocates to Monte Carlo and manipulates her niece in a deadly game of revenge aimed at the aristocrats she blames for her sister's death.
Produced by Lew Grade (Raise the Titanic, Saturn 3) and directed by John Hough (Twins of Evil) this is a lavish made for tv production with gorgeous Monte Carlo locations. It's really not a bad film with plenty going on from romance to a remarkably graphic murder murder with lots of aristocratic machinations in between. However it wasn't the story that drew me to this it was the fantastic cast. Who wouldn't find curiosity in a film starring Sara Miles, Lysette Anthony, Oliver Reed, Christopher Plummer, Samantha Eggar, Fiona Fullerton, Gareth Hunt, Lewis Collins, Joanna Lumley, Ron Moody and Marcus Gilbert who i remembered well from Doctor Who: Battlefield and Raimi's Army of Darkness.
This goes for silly money on dvd. The film looks and sounds very good so i'm happy to have it in my collection despite the crappy cardboard sleeve and also pleased to have actually enjoyed it.
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