Peter Green Movies
Part of The Blues documentary film series on PBS, Red, White & Blues is directed by British filmmaker Mike Figgis. This installment explores the impact of black American blues music on mostly white audiences in the U.K., who then reintroduced the style to mainstream America during the British invasion of the early '60s. Kids from London, Birmingham, Manchester, and other parts of England were heavily influenced by the "race music" that middle-class white America largely ignored. Figgis himself was involved in the British blues music scene in one of Bryan Ferry's early bands. Tom Jones, Jeff Beck, Van Morrison, and Lulu come together for a live improvised recording session at Abbey Road Studios. Eric Clapton, John Mayall, Mick Fleetwood, and Steve Winwood offer commentary in interview segments. Red, White & Blues was originally broadcast by PBS on October 3, 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- 1999
Director Robert Mugge created this documentary about Robert Johnson, one of the most enigmatic pioneers in American music. Created as part of a week-long tribute to the legendary bluesman at Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the film sorts through the numerous myths about Johnson -- most notably that he sold his soul to the devil to become a blues maestro -- and the few extant facts about his life. How he died or where his body is located is simply not known. What does remain from this shadowy figure is a collection of songs that have influenced several generations of artists. Eric Clapton and Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir are just two of the sundry rock and blues musicians that appear in this documentary extolling Johnson's wizardry, which was screened at the 1999 Mills Valley Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bob Weir, Rob Wasserman, (more)
- 1990
Ollie Rennie (Garry McDonald) really has no business running a caretaking institution of any kind, much less one for the mentally handicapped; he's an alcoholic, has no respect for other people, and persistently tries to put the make on an unwilling social worker. All the same, he runs an institution of just that kind, with the unappealing name of "Saltmarsh." Things at the school get considerably livelier when a new man comes onto the scene. Pat (Brian Vriends) was doing just fine as a physical education instructor at a school for "normal" kids, but one day he went on a rampage against junk food, destroying the school snack bar in the process, and was quickly fired. Despite his recent reversal, he is upbeat about his new job. He decides to engage these hopelessly uncoordinated kids in soccer matches. They compete against themselves and against regular kids. Needless to say, they lose against the regular kids, but one day one of their number actually manages to score against one of them, and there are celebrations all round. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Garry McDonald, Catherine McClements, (more)
- 1987
Two detectives decide to take the law into their own hands after they determine the court system has failed to serve justice. Ian Scott and James Clayden play the cops who want to permanently press the mob kingpin known as The Laundryman (Peter Green) into unemployment. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ian Scott, James Clayden, (more)
- 1977
Sgt. Billy Tyler (Henry Brown), a former college football star, loses the will to live when Hawkeye (Alan Alda) and B.J. (Mike Farrell) are forced to amputate his leg. Can the hero-worshipping Radar (Gary Burghoff) save Tyler from being overwhelmed by his own melancholia? Elsewhere, greedy Frank (Larry Linville) turns boxing promoter, arranging a grudge match between Klinger (Jamie Farr) and Zale (Johnny Haymer). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1977
Britain's Confessions series, like the Carry On films, were episodic slapstickfests with emphasis on questionable taste. Based on an autobiographical novel by Timothy Lea, the film stars Robin Askwith as a feckless driving teacher named...Tom Lea. His customers range from inept to dangerous. Their "victims" include golfing dowagers, violinists and boy hikers. Somehow or other, a group of former borstal boys (reform school students) gets mixed up with Lea and his reckless charges. Chronologically, Confessions of a Driving Instructor was wedged between Confessions of a Window Cleaner (one of the few series entries to get an American release) and Confessions of Holiday Camp. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
