David Rappaport Movies
Actor David Rappaport worked steadily on television and in feature films. As is typical with many dwarves, Rappaport was most frequently called upon to play small creatures, characters, or mythical figures as he did in Terry Gilliam's Time Bandits (1980). Rappaport launched his film career in Mysteries (1978), but he first appeared on television in the British children's series The Goodies (1970). On American television, Rappaport may best be remembered for starring in the season-long adventure series The Wizard (1986-1987) and for a recurring role on L.A. Law. Rappaport died of possibly self-inflicted gunshot wounds on May 2, 1990. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
A professional poker player whose astounding luck at the table fails to translate into his lonesome love life attempts to win the World Series of Poker while simultaneously earning the affections of a beautiful Las Vegas singer in a high-stakes emotional drama from L.A. Confidential director Curtis Hanson and Munich screenwriter Eric Roth. When his personal problems threaten to distract him from what could be his biggest win ever, seasoned poker pro Huck Cheever (Eric Bana) finds comfort in the company of singer Billie Offer (Drew Barrymore). Upon preparing for the biggest card game in the country, however, Huck soon realizes that his problems have only just begun when he finds that his opponent at the table will be none other than his estranged father, L.C. (Robert Duvall), a poker legend whose mythical reputation makes him a more than worthy opponent for his troubled son. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eric Bana, Drew Barrymore, (more)
- 1989
Peter Gunn was a one-shot TV movie revival of the classic detective series (1958-61) created by Blake Edwards. Edwards wrote and directed this pilot for a potential Gunn revival, with Peter Strauss stepping into Craig Stevens' gumshoes as private eye Peter Gunn. Peter Jurasik assumes Herschel Bernardi's old role as Lt. Jacobi, while Barbara Williams takes over for Lola Albright as saloon singer Edie ("Mother's", the night spot where Edie vocalizes, is operated by "special guest star" Pearl Bailey). The film is not updated to the present time, but is set in 1964. Gunn finds himself between gangsters and rogue cops when he agrees to get to the bottom of a mob hit. A lot more verbose than the old, visually dynamic TV series, Peter Gunn (1989) has the saving grace of Henry Mancini's original progressive-jazz theme song and musical score. Blake Edwards' daughter Jennifer is featured as Gunn's ditsy secretary, a character (thankfully) missing from the earlier series. This actually represented Edwards's second attempt to revive the Peter Gunn character in a movie format; he first did so with the 1967 big-screen feature Gunn. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Strauss, Pearl Bailey, (more)
- 1989
"Luigi" (David Rappaport) is a Cockney immigrant to Australia, whose job as maitre d' in a high-toned Italian restaurant requires that he take on an ethnic monniker and phony accent. Over time, he has become the confidante of a trio of his customer, yuppie women, all of them friends with each other, who have just lost substantial amounts of money during a sudden drop in the stock market in 1987. Each of them is propelled by this into a series of humorous adventures, including a "rebirthing" session, and an attempted murder (using tainted jam), which they recount to Luigi and to each other over the course of the film. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Wendy Hughes, Sandy Gore, (more)
In this update of James Whale's classic The Bride of Frankenstein, pop star Sting furthers his burgeoning film career by portraying cinema's signature mad scientist. Disgusted by his dim-witted and ugly original creation (Clancy Brown), Dr. Frankenstein sets out to animate an improved version. Though lovely on the outside, Eva (Jennifer Beals) begins her new life as little more than an animal. With the help of his trusty housekeeper (Geraldine Page), however, Frankenstein soon grooms the beautiful zombie into a reasonable facsimile of an upper-class debutante. He's unprepared, however, when his ward displays a mind -- and sexual urges -- of her own. Meanwhile, the good doctor's discarded original creation assumes the name of Viktor and takes to the road. Befriended by an enterprising dwarf named Rinaldo (David Rappaport), Viktor becomes a circus performer but continues to pine after his bride. Connected to her psychically, he soon makes his way back to the scene of their mutual creation. There, he finds the girl embroiled in a love triangle between a callow suitor (Cary Elwes) and Frankenstein himself. In addition to its iconic '80s leads, The Bride boasts a famous supporting cast that includes gay memoirist Quentin Crisp and '60s model Veruschka. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sting, Jennifer Beals, (more)
- 1984
Vacillating between the suspense of a thriller and the absurdity of a farce, this uneven story about a demonized telephone company intent on controlling everyone's lives ends up in cinematic limbo -- neither farce nor thriller. When Mavis (Julie Walters) leaves her gay husband to go live in an apartment with her daughter, she receives a call from him saying he is about to come over for a visit. Nothing happens. Then the telephone does other strange things, and as she sets out to discover why, the people she meets are as odd as her phone. She comes across a dwarf with a giant libido and an expert in conspiracy theories who holds his own views (not created jointly with others). The woman would have been better off getting an answering machine, much needed to resolve the plot holes in this story. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Julie Walters, David Rappaport, (more)
In this uneven dramatization of a legendary sword-and-sorcery tale, the Green Knight (Sean Connery) is a magician who appears at King Arthur's court brandishing an axe and challenging anyone to do battle with him. When no one responds, King Arthur himself steps into the breach -- but is turned back when Gawain (Miles O'Keeffe) takes up his axe to stand in for the king -- and promptly decapitates the Green Knight. But lo-and-behold, the Knight's magic is so great that he puts head and body back together again and then further challenges Gawain with a riddle that must be solved within the next 12 months or Gawain is dead. Lucky for Gawain, the riddle involves several rescues of the charming Princess Linet (Cyrielle Claire) -- but how will he manage to outfox the Green Knight and the evil Morgan La Fay (Emma Sutton)? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Miles O'Keeffe, Cyrielle Claire, (more)
A young boy joins a group of renegade dwarves on an unpredictable journey through time in this humorous fantasy. Monty Python animator Terry Gilliam mostly achieves a tricky balancing act in his second feature as sole director, creating a dark, irreverent comedy disguised as a family adventure. Particularly amusing are the boy's encounters with various historical figures, including an entertainment-starved Napoleon (Ian Holm), a powerful Agamemnon (Sean Connery), and a surprisingly stuffy Robin Hood, embodied by Gilliam's Python cohort John Cleese. Episodic by nature, the film is less successful when dealing with the larger narrative, which concerns the pursuit of the dwarves and their time-traveling map by the Supreme Being. However, the combination of Gilliam's visual exuberance and the witty script (by Gilliam and Michael Palin) ensures an entertaining, if erratic, journey. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Cleese, Sean Connery, (more)
In director Richard Lester's Cuba, Sean Connery plays British soldier-of-fortune Robert Dapes, sent to Havana during the last days of the Batista regime. He is supposed to train Batista's soldiers for their upcoming confrontations with Castro's followers. As Dapes becomes increasingly sympathetic towards the rebel cause, he takes a few precious moments to renew his romance with Alexandra Pulido (Brooke Adams), who is now married to Juan Pulido (Chris Sarandon). The basic thrust of the film is that unchecked capitalism is perfectly capable of collapsing under its own weight -- and that lofty idealism can be easily forgotten once absolute power is within one's grasp. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sean Connery, Brooke Adams, (more)
Set in a remote seaside village somewhere in the Netherlands, this drama centers on the increasingly bizarre behavior of a tourist who has become romantically obsessed by a local beauty. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rutger Hauer, Sylvia Kristel, (more)
- 1979
- R
Some of the biggest and brightest stars in British comedy appear in this performance film, which documents a revue staged by John Cleese of Monty Python as a benefit for the human rights group Amnesty International. In addition to Cleese and fellow Python members Michael Palin and Terry Jones (who reprise skits from the Python show as well as its lesser-known predecessor At Last The 1948 Show), The Secret Policeman's Ball includes sketches featuring Rowan Atkinson (shortly before his breakthrough success on the UK television series Not The Nine O'Clock News), Peter Cook (who performs classic material from the show Beyond The Fringe), Eleanor Bron, Clive James and The Kevin Campbell Road Show. The show also includes acoustic musical performances from Pete Townshend of the Who, classical guitarist John Williams (who joins Townshend for a version of "Won't Get Fooled Again") and activist singer/songwriter Tom Robinson. The Secret Policeman's Ball was the third in a series of benefits shows organized by Cleese for Amnesty International, and the name was recycled for several filmed stage shows that followed. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Cleese, Peter Cook, (more)
