The Wyvern Mystery
Tags: insanity, revenge, gothic, murder, plot twist

Plot synopsis:
The story opens with the child Alice, newly orphaned and taken under the wing of Squire Fairfield unaware that he is the man responsible for her father's death. As she grows up to be a beautiful woman, Squire lusts after her and desires her to be his bride, but she is attracted to his older son, Charles. No sooner does he propose than the gallant Charles spirits Alice to a church for preemptory nuptials. Charles' brother, Harry, assists. The couple hide out in a family house Carwell Grange from Squire who pursues them, where life is bliss-notwithstanding the dispirited housekeeper, the wing with rooms painted entirely in black, and Charles' increasingly strange behavior and frequent reference to "old soldier" in whispered conversations with Harry. Soon Alice is pregnant and although fed up with having to hide away she is very much in love with her husband and she discovers and hidden and neglected part of the house with signs of a recent inhabitant, she becomes embroiled in the family's dark past and afflicted with nightmares. These become terrifying real one night when a madwoman bursts through the wall, threatens Alice with a knife, and then stabs Charles while claiming she is his wife.Alice, shocked into labor by the incident with the deranged Vrau, delivers a boy and takes him to the dying Charles to strengthen his will to live. A doctor advises that he be sent out of the house as Charles has developed a infectious fever, against Alice's protests. Harry arranged for his friend Claire Shaw to look after the baby and Alice nurses Charles, who unfortunately dies. At the same time she receive the devastating news that her baby has also died of an infection. At the time of the funeral Squire indicates to Harry that he regrets the death of his son and what has happened, Harry told Alice that his father was no friend to her father, but rather hastened his death, Alice turns on Squire when he tries to be reconciled and offer her a home, Alice is devastated, and, following a blistering confrontation with Squire, cuts off all ties with Wyvern Manor.Five years later, Alice quietly pays her annual visit to her baby's grave. Stopping briefly at her childhood home, she encounters Squire, a visibly broken man, murmuring incoherently. Shaken, she meets Harry, who now controls the family estates. She also encounters Claire Shaw and her suspicions are aroused when she and Harry deny that Claire ever had a child of her own, which they told her when she first met Claire. Alice does some investigating into Claire and into her son's death and suspects Harry of having murdered him. She find out more from the mad Vrau who is chained up and looked after in the house still. Vrau reveals that the boy is alive and lures Alice into unlocking her chains. Alice traces her son to the Archdales who been looking after the boy for payment. She runs off with him and confronts Harry, who mocks and sneers at her claims, but almost immediately after he is murderd by Vrau who has killed her keeper and escaped. Alice's son inherits Wyvern, which they let out and go to live in her first childhood home nearby.

Review: Gothic goosebumps. She's young, she's blonde, she's beautiful, she's embroiled in the kind of eerieness only an English manor with a grim, tight-lipped housemistress and a deep, dark secret can muster. If you want romance, mystery, twisted plots and equally twisted people--not to mention one of the best reasons ever filmed for not placing one's bed against a wall--this will not disappoint. Grand performances all around; definitely not for the younger kiddies.. Hell hath no fury like a squire scorned. Although this films aspire to Gothic horror, the villains are quite human and operate with some quite human motives in The Wyvern Mystery. It's the tale of a young girl taken in by the local squire Derek Jacobi, treated well enough, but knowing she's not at the same level as his two blood kin sons Iain Glen and Jack Davenport. As she grows up and turns into the beautiful Naomi Watts, she falls for Glen and they marry and arouse Jacobi's ire. In fact her father was Jacobi's enemy in life and his idea of revenge was to wed and bed her and not out of love. That his own son has upset his plans makes him turn on Glen as well.Hell hath no fury like a squire scorned. They have to flee and after that tragedy follows them around. And it's not all of Jacobi's making.This Victorian story first turned up on British TV and later in America on Public Television's Mystery. The performances are first rate and the outstanding one is Naomi Watts who grows in strength and character throughout an ordeal of a life.. Does It Matter If You Put Too Many Plot Points Into a Movie?. This is a movie that is a serious case for a rewrite. Too many plot points, yet jumping around too much made for a movie that just couldn't settle into its mood. Imagine taking the original Godfather novel and putting ALL of it into just one film. Part of what made the Godfather movies so enjoyable was the easy pace that allowed wonderful character development.The Wyvern Mystery screenwriter couldn't decide between editing out choices and what to leave in, resulting in both too much detail and too many plot points occupying the time, leaving out real character development. At the same time, instead of wise choices for plot points, too few at critical times were left out, resulting in leaving out situational development. For example, at the beginning of the film, you see very young Alice Fairchild and then abruptly, you see the adult Alice. This left out not only her growth, but the growth in relationship between her and her guardian, the Squire. A richer establishment of their relationship would have added texture and resonance to what follows in the film. Yet, this relationship was almost totally missing other than the superficial aspects of it.The cast performances are fine. The music and some of the shots are over the top, coming from a Masterpiece Theatre feeling to suddenly horror, Friday the 13th style. They might have worked if the film's tensions had been established better, but as over the top (for a BBC film, that is) as those terror sequences are here, they are unsupported by the writing.Too bad. I really wanted to like this more. This leaves me wanting to read the book. Apparently, Charlotte Bronte, who penned Jane Eyre, was inspired by the author of the novel upon which this movie is based.. Fine Adaptation Of The Gothic Novel. J. Sheridan LeFanu was a French Gothic novelist who wrote some pretty chilling stuff in the 19th century. He is most famous for his "Carmilla" about a woman vampire. In this film adaptation from his novel "The Wyvern Mystery" Naomi Watts stars as Alice, a pretty and proper Englishwoman who has just married the man of her dreams and is a very enviable position. She is soon the mistress of a large manor complete with servants. The cast includes veteran British actor Derek Jacobi in a fantastic performance. Watts is convincing as a woman who is initially naive but matures into a strong and valiant woman who defends her family from the threat of the terrible secret the manor contains. Excellent visuals/cinematography which evoke Gothic romance/horror. It's all here- the Gothic mansion, eerie moonlight, creepy noises, a dangerous wild woman in a prison, fears of losing an infant, blood, sex and a little gore. The most impressive image for me was the candelabra dripping with blood instead of wax. This film aired in London on the BBC and appeared on American television via KCET/PBS'Mystery! hosted by the legendary British actress Vanessa Redgrave. This is a must see movie for fans of Gothic horror.