Gabrielle Drake Movies
- 2002
Directed by Jeroen Berkvens, this documentary traces the life of British rocker Nick Drake, who, after a successful musical career during the late '60s and early '70s, died of a possibly accidental overdose of prescription antidepressants in his parents' home in 1974. Berkvens takes a chronological view of Drake's life, beginning with his youth in Burma, where his father was stationed as an engineer, to Cambridge, where he was able to emerge as a musician, to London, the birthplace of his three acclaimed albums, and ultimately to his parents' home, where he eventually succumbed to his long-term battle with depression. The 48-minute documentary includes musical clips, photographs, footage of his various home environments, and interviews with his surviving family, friends, and associates. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gabrielle Drake, Joe Boyd, (more)
- 1995
- NR
In this comic British caper film, an LA computer whiz finds herself recruited by an eccentric British lawyer who wants her to use her skills to defraud a powerful London bank that has been using its money to exploit a Third World country for tourism. She accepts his offer and mayhem ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alfred Molina, Helen Slater, (more)
- 1977
Season two of The New Avengers begins with another revenge-motivated episode. Ten years ago, John Steed (Patrick MacNee) was forced to shoot down his old friend and fellow agent Mark (Clive Revill), who had defected to the East. Since that time, Mark has been slowly dying from his wound, as the bullet works its way towards his heart. But before he cashes it in, Mark intends to wreak vengeance by destroying everyone and everything that Steed holds near and dear--and, of course, Purdey (Joanna Lumley) falls into this category. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Macnee, Gareth Hunt, (more)
- 1975
David Daker and Susan Hampshire star in this taped, 90-minute British TV movie. Daker plays a bank robber who has never revealed the hiding place of his stolen loot. Upon his release, he plays it cool, waiting for the right time to dig up his ill-gotten gains. He is pursued by his ex-partners, who plan to use Daker's girl friend Hampshire as a bargaining chip. Kill Two Birds premiered in the US on October 28, 1975, as part of the ABC Wide World Mystery late-night anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
British director Derek Ford returns to the helm for this saucy sequel to his 1972 hit Suburban Wives. Whereas the first installment focused on the sexual exploits of bored British housewives, this sexual, told in six episodes, shows that ladies aren't the only ones looking for a little extramarital stimulation. Featuring Gabrielle Drake and Nicola Austin. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1974
As indicated by the title, the main setting for this British anthology series was a village hall somewhere in the farm region. The cast remained the same from week to week, but their characters changed and the stories themselves were set in different time periods. Among the prominent playwrights contributing their talents to this ambitious project were Kenneth Cope and Willis Hall. The first of the 14 hour-long episodes of Village Hall was broadcast on July 16, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Veronica Doran, Gabrielle Drake, (more)
- 1974
Not long after making his film debut in 1973's National Health, Bob Hoskins popped up in the British made-for-TV quickie Cry Terror. Top billing went to the more firmly-established Susan Hampshire, playing one of two young women held hostage by criminal Hoskins and his cohort. Within its budgetary limits, the film manages to build up a satisfactory amount of suspense. Cry Terror was an American-British co-production, designed for small-screen release in both countries. The film made its US premiere on very late-night television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Val Guest, veteran director of many interesting British films covering a multitude of subjects, joined the nudie-cutie bandwagon of the 1970s with The Au Pair Girls. Anyone who's taken first-year French will probably know that the title refers to young foreign girls living in England who perform domestic chores in exchange for room and board and the opportunity to learn the English language. In this film, the girls' "services" range far beyond mere light dusting. It's the 1972 equivalent to those old stag reels of the 1950s with titles like Lucky Pierre Goes Fishing. Among the au pair girls in this R-rated effort are Gabrielle Drake, Astrid Frank, and Me Me Lai. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Astrid Frank, Gabrielle Drake, (more)
Written and directed by Derek Ford, the British Suburban Wives is a spicy satire of modern manners and mores. Newspaperwoman Eve Whishaw relates the separate stories of eight married couples. The husbands are satisfied with their lot, but the wives are bored, bored, bored. The manner in which the ladies add a little fun to their lives originally earned this film an X rating. Current prints of Suburban Wives have been toned down to a hard "R". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
This melodrama explores the relationship between tenants in a boarding house. Included are a street musician, an ex-school teacher, and an angry young man who brings chaos to their quiet lives. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
The television host of a popular cooking show, Robert Danvers (Peter Sellers) has a real penchant for women. After one episode, he finds Marion (Goldie Hawn) changing from a wedding dress to street clothes. Instantly deciding to get to her and "take over" before the groom, Jimmy (Nicky Henson) has another opportunity, Robert invites her to his bachelor pad, a specially designed command center for his romantic adventures. He turns on the English gentleman's charm, only to have Marion laugh and suggest forthright that they sleep together. She moves in the following day and the two vacation in France on the Riviera and tour the wine country before returning to London. Upon their return, Robert proposes to %Marion; she rejects him in favor of Jimmy, however, who has sworn faithfulness to her and given up cheating forever. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Sellers, Goldie Hawn, (more)
Though Roger Moore was born in England and established himself as star of the British TV series The Saint, Crossplot represents Moore's very first British theatrical film. He stars as an advertising executive swept up in a plot to murder a visiting African statesman. Lensed in "swinging" London, the film is "mod" to an almost depressing degree, obscuring what is at base a solid espionage thriller. Moore ultimately thwarts the villains by decoding a message secreted in a crossword puzzle -- hence the film's title. A climactic shootout in Hyde Park tops this dry run for Roger Moore's subsequent stint as James Bond. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roger Moore, Martha Hyer, (more)
- 1968
Bill McLean (Van Heflin) is a former CIA agent living in London. He had been fired when he stuck up for one of the men in his command who turned out to be branded a Russian defector. The embittered ex-agent combines forces with another operative to deliver a top Russian secret police official for a price. Before he can deliver the Russian, a trail of corpses and double crosses changes his plans. When his partner who concocted the scheme is murdered, McLean returns the check to the CIA. They offer him his old job back, but the proud man refuses in this suspenseful spy yarn with plenty of intriguing twists and turns. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Van Heflin, Heidelinde Weis, (more)
- 1967
Steed and Emma are summoned to investigate when several businessmen and a few prize bulls are found mauled to death. The culprit would seem to be a "big cat" of some sort, obliging Steed to go on a safari to find the answers. But it is Emma who finds herself in the thick of it, thanks to a curious organization called the Philanthropic Union for the Rescue, Relief and Recuperation of Cats (or PURRR). Ronnie Barker, of Two Ronnies fame, is among the guest stars. Written by Philip Levene, "The Hidden Tiger" was first seen in England on March 4, 1967, and in America 13 days later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diana Rigg
