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The Dark Angel
Every night is dark and stormy in The Dark Angel, a lavish adaptation of Sheridan le Fanu's Victorian thriller, Uncle Silas. Peter O'Toole gives a delightfully depraved performance as the mysterious Silas in a story of dark family secrets, madness, and murder. Sheltered heiress Maud Ruthyn's troubles begin when her father hires a new governess. Madame De La Rougierre (played with considerable relish by Jane Lapotaire) is a cruel, brandy-swigging schemer with an unhealthy interest in Maud's inheritance and an approach to childcare that would make Mary Poppins faint. When Maud's father dies she has no choice but to live with her wicked uncle Silas, who will inherit the family fortune if Maud should happen to die. This is not a recipe for domestic bliss and soon it seems that everyone but Maud is either bad, mad, or both. With its gothic horrors and bizarre characters, The Dark Angel is both chilling and silly--perfect entertainment for a stormy winter night. --Simon Leake
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