Admirable film.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

It seems lately that every time I turn on my TV I see either David Tennant or Olivia Colman. I am certainly not complaining though.If you watch The Thirteenth Tale you will certainly need your wits about you to follow this wonderfully written plot with all it's many twists and turns.I doubt you will be able to fully fathom it out until virtually the final scenes.Olivia Colman who played Margaret Lea was her usual impeccable self and Vanessa Redgrave (Vida Winter) never puts in anything less than a perfect performance.I feel a special mention must be made about Madeleine Power who played both parts as young Adeline and young Emmeline, Her performances were immaculate and I am sure we will see a lot more of her.SPOILER BEGINS I am not going to give too much away about this TV Movie because you will have to work it out for yourself, but the story begins with Margaret, a professional biographer being engaged by Vida to write her autobiography. Vida is dying of pancreatic cancer.SPOILER ENDS I have given this production a 10 rating because I feel it rates alongside the tremendous whodunit Broadchurch', which incidentally also starred Olivia Colman.If you have the patience to sit down and watch The Thirteenth Tale uninterrupted I am sure you will not regret it.I would be interested to know how long it takes you to work it out. In my case I solved it just before the full facts were revealed.Just a little piece of useless information. Both Vanessa Redgrave and Olivia Colman were born on the same date, 30th January, but of course in different years.

This BBC psychological thriller drew on most of the established "givens" in what appeared to be a classic ghost story, with a big creepy house, a troubled governess, mysterious deaths, brooding Yorkshire moors, emotionally disturbed children and of course sightings of a ghostly lady in white. In fact, the twist is that it manages to subvert all these clichés and still produce a gripping story which holds the viewer until the end.Perhaps the story had a little too much going on, what with Olivia Colman's character's own big childhood secret ("everyone's got one", as Vanessa Redgrave's dying narrator repeatedly tells her), the romance between the married doctor and the fretful governess and the Agatha Christie-like succession of unexplained and apparently uninvestigated deaths, but with atmospheric direction and fine acting by the two leads in particular, both of whom resist the temptation to ham it up, they successfully draw the viewer into these improbable events.Yes, the twist about the mysterious twin sisters is fairly transparent from early on and it fails to deliver even one "jump out your chair" moment, but the story carefully explains away all the loose ends it throws up by the fiery conclusion. As I said the story's not exactly original, as becomes obvious when Colman twice on her own visits the old haunted house in time-honoured Tippi Hedren fashion, but my eyes were pretty much glued to it throughout, if not quite through my fingers I must say.

A film version of this wonderful book would be difficult to do properly. I found it adequate, but certainly not impressive. The dialog while touching on aspects of key elements from the book fell short of conveying to the viewer important points of the story. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed this film had I not read and enjoyed the book. Many compromises are necessary to transform a novel, but both the screenplay and direction were lacking.At the outset, it is offered as a ghost story and this emphasis is unnecessary. It is a mystery to unravel without ethereal suggestion. The relevance of the book lacking it's final story is brushed aside where it could have easily been developed. The strangeness of Charlie and his sister was introduced belatedly and incompletely. Margaret's wardrobe was not suitable - did she stop by on her way to the gymnasium? An actress who cared about her role might have provided better input on attire. The romantic element between Margaret and the Doctor was implied by weak smiles between them and a parting comment although not particularly important to the plot.Much of this might have been saved with an introductory voice over or even flashback dialog with Margaret's father at the bookshop to set these facts in place. For example: "The reclusive and mysterious Vida Winter's most famous work is one nobody has ever read in a book of thirteen tales containing only twelve." Likewise, a summary, perhaps as dialog between Margaret and the Doctor where she relates the missing tale as Vida's Cinderellian story of the orphan half-sister would have brought more conclusion to the viewers.

Based on a best-selling Gothic novel, THE THIRTEENTH TALE contains all the virtues characteristic of contemporary BBC drama; lavish locations with plenty of exterior shots, ornately decorated interior shots, 'mood' lighting designed to create a spooky atmosphere, and a cast of well- known actors given full opportunity to show off their creative talents. In this particular piece, aging novelist Viola Winter (Vanessa Redgrave) enlists the services of little-known writer Margaret Lea (Olivia Colman) to recount her autobiography, including her Viola's mysterious childhood when her family home (Anglefield House) burned to the ground. However Viola is herself a writer of fiction, so we never quite know whether what she recounts is 'the truth' or not (if the truth exists, of course). Christopher Hampton's screenplay allows for plenty of exchanges between the protagonists, as well as creating a 'hall-of- mirrors' like effect in which nothing is what it seems to be. However the narrative of THE THIRTEENTH TALE does tend to sag; like many BBC dramas, the director James Kent seems too much concerned to create atmosphere through music and location shooting (both interior and exterior), both of which tend to impede the progress of the plot. The denouement, when it comes, is both predictable and un-scary. One is left with the feeling that the story could have been far more effectively recounted in a sixty-minute slot.