Billy Holland Movies
- 1946
Derrick de Marnay stars as a Parisian sculptor who enters into a deadly menage a trois. The girl in the case (Joan Greenwood) is a bit all right; alas, her husband is off his trolley. When he discovers the illicit affair, Hubby, a sculptor in his own right, bumps off his wife and conceals her body in a very clever and (for him) characteristic manner. DeMarnay must resort to the occult to determine the location of his lost love; had he but consulted the movie audience, his problem would have been solved. No relation to the later Hitchcock film of the same title, Frenzy was based on the play L'Angoisse by Pierre Mills and C. Vylars. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Derrick de Marney, Frederick [Fritz] Valk, (more)
- 1942
Released worldwide by 20th Century Fox, Carol Reed's The Young Mr. Pitt is a static but sincere filmed biography of 19th century British prime minister William Pitt Jr., here played by Robert Donat. Appointed to his office at the tender age of 24, Mr. Pitt spends most of his time in Parliament alerting his countrymen of the dangers posed by France's Emperor Napoleon (Herbert Lom, in his first English-speaking role). The Frank Launder-Sidney Gilliat screenplay works overtime drawing parallels between the Pitt-Napoleon conflict and the present crisis involving Great Britain and Nazi Germany. Various historical personages are impersonated by the likes of Phyllis Calvert, John Mills, and Robert Morley, with Morley stealing the show hands down. Like its thematic "twin" Penn of Pennsylvania, Young Mr. Pitt is lavishly produced, but suffers from pedantic speechifying and substandard special effects. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Donat, Robert Morley, (more)
- 1941
Filmed in England at Warner Bros.' Teddington Studios facilities, This Was Paris stars American actors (and current British residents) Ann Dvorak and Ben Lyon. She is cast as Ann Morgan, a female ambulance driver in the early days of WWII. He is cast as bibulous American newspaperman Butch, who likes to throw his weight around Paris because he knows he can get away with it. As the clouds of war gather all over Europe, Ann finds romance in the form of British Intelligence agent Bill Hamilton, while Butch sobers up and begins taking his responsibilities seriously. Oddly enough, This Was Paris didn't receive an American release until several years after its production. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ann Dvorak, Ben Lyon, (more)
- 1938
Tom Burke essays the title role in the Irish-made Father O'Flynn. Like many Hibernian films of the era, the story is allegedly based on the popular title song. Father O'Flynn's ward Macushia (Jean Adrienne) falls in love with local boy Nigel (Robert Chisholm), but her long-missing father (Denis O'Neil) reappears to gum up the works. The plot hinges on the audience's acceptance that the feisty, independent Macushia would willingly allow herself to become the virtual prisoner of her wayward father. All this is forgotten in the final scenes, when the hero settles the villain's hash with a good old donnybrook. Not surprisingly, the film is an inventory of sentimental Irish ballads, performed with verve by stars Burke and Adrienne. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tom Burke, Jean Adrienne, (more)
- 1937
In this comedy, a mild-mannered shipping clerk and his wife get into deep trouble after they are mistaken for jewel thieves by gangsters who want them to steal some valuable jewels. Despite the couple's protest, the crooks force them into pulling off the job during a ritzy party. While there, they realize that the real jewel thieves are also in attendance. The two ingeniously engineer the capture of the crooks and bring them to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- ZaSu Pitts, Claude Dampier, (more)
- 1937
In this British comedy set in 1879, a village smithy becomes a sensation when he invents a new kind of bicycle in his spare time. Later he and his slightly strange friend Septimus Earwicker enter the race and actually win, much to the surprise of local skeptics. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
In this espionage drama, a Secret Service agent must discover who has been smuggling British arms into China. The prime suspect is a prosperous Chinese merchant-philanthropist and the agent thinks the merchant is working with the notorious Chinese guerrilla warlord General Ling. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
- Starring:
- Griffith Jones, Valery Inkijinoff, (more)
- 1936
- Add Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street to QueueAdd Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street to top of Queue
A bone-chiller that still manages to inject humor, this movie was based on an actual event and even spawned Stephen Sondheim's hit play "Sweeney Todd" in 1978. Slaughter portrays a mad barber who has a deal with a baker to provide fillings for his meat pies. Unfortunately for the barber's customers, their visit to his basement makes them an integral part of that deal. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tod Slaughter, Eve Lister, (more)
- 1936
The troubles of two brothers living in a tiny English village are chronicled in this family drama. The trouble begins when a single mother and her newborn begin staying in their home. One of the brothers gets involved with a gold-digger who succeeds in absconding with much of the brother's money. Fortunately, the other brother comes to his rescue. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1935
In this British working-class drama, a worker gets fired for voicing his opinions on labor-saving technology. He is too ashamed to tell his family, and also fears throwing them into a panic until after his daughter is married. Just after the wedding, his daughter's husband suffers a terrible accident, and now the father is terribly depressed until his daughter gives birth to a grandson who gives him a little hope for the future. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1935
In this British mystery, a man is killed in a rural village. There are plenty of suspects, as he was hated by almost everyone. Unfortunately for the investigator, all of the suspects seem to have airtight alibis. This doesn't stop the detective from solving the mystery though. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
