Synopsis
Mr Corbett is a cruel employer to Ben Partridge. One night on New Years Eve Ben is sent out to deliver some medicine. Along the way he wishes his master was dead, little knowing that the man he is delivering to is the Collector of Souls.
1987 Directed by Danny Huston
Mr Corbett is a cruel employer to Ben Partridge. One night on New Years Eve Ben is sent out to deliver some medicine. Along the way he wishes his master was dead, little knowing that the man he is delivering to is the Collector of Souls.
Paul Scofield John Huston Burgess Meredith Mark Farmer Lill Roughley Kenneth Gilbert Alexei Sayle Ted Burnett Veronica Clifford Mark Lewis Micky O' Donoughue Clark Flanagan Wayne Norman David Nunn Granville Saxton Jools Holland John Dair Andrew Paul Elaine Lordan Tom Robb Ben Robb David Parfitt Amy Shindler Marilyn Gothard Tania Landau Honey Walker Joseph Matthews Amy Wetmore Reg Prince Show All…
People who have worked retail during the holidays can be forgiven for the murderous thoughts they mutter about their bosses under their breath.
Or can they?
That’s an interesting place to start a story.
It’s one of several reasons to seek out this underseen production from 1987.
Another is that Mister Corbett’s Ghost was both the first feature directed by Danny Huston and the last film in which his father John Huston appeared as an actor. It also features a fairly rare film appearance by the great Paul Scofield, who apparently accepted the role as a favor to his friend John.
Although it was a student project of the younger Huston, who was just 23 at the time it was…
Johnny Jarvis star Mark Farmer stars as a disgruntled apprentice to Paul Scofield's titular cold and officious apothecary Mr Corbett in this 18th century set festive ghost story from Black Jack author Leon Garfield and director Danny Huston.
Irritated at being made to work late and run errands on New Year's Eve, whilst his friends and family are celebrating, Farmer's Ben Partridge begins to wish his employer dead - a wish he finds can come true when delivering the apothecary's mixture to a mysterious old gentleman played by the director's father, John Huston. It soon transpires that the old man is a collector of souls and a Faustian pact - Mr Corbett's soul for a quarter of Ben's life earnings…
Utterly charming period set ghost story. Best watched with a log fire around Christmas time. Directed by actor Danny Huston (son of John Huston, who appears as a main character). Just lovely and deserves to be more widely seen!
Old Victorian Christmas ghost story. Would have been improved by viewing with a pipe and slippers.
An apothecary's apprentice wishes his harsh boss dead, but soon comes to regret it. Mildly amusing, candlelit Dickensian ghost story.