Alan Browning Movies
Except for the omission of several passages in the original play, this 1970 adaptation of Julius Caesar faithfully retells Shakespeare's account of events surrounding the assassination of Caesar in 44 B.C. The film begins when Caesar John Gielgud is at the height of his power after conquering Pompey "the Great" in a civil war. Important senators worry that Caesar means to become king, diminish their power, and abolish their beloved Roman republic. Two senators, Cassius Richard Johnson and Brutus Jason Robards, hatch an assassination plot involving other disenchanted Roman citizens. Although a soothsayer warns Caesar of trouble ("Beware the ides of March") and his own wife reports ominous signs ("A lioness hath whelped in the streets; and graves have yawn'd, and yielded up their dead"), Caesar decides to go to the senate on the ides (March 15). Upon arrival, the conspirators greet him with daggers. In his funeral oration, Mark Antony Charlton Heston extols Caesar and incites the citizens against Brutus and the other conspirators. Brutus and Cassius flee Rome with their armies, but Antony and two other sympathizers track them down with their armies. When the tide turns against the conspirators, Brutus and Cassius commit suicide. As does Shakespeare's play, the film leaves the discerning viewer wondering who was the real villain -- Caesar, because of his ambition for power, or Brutus, because of his underhanded plot to maintain the status quo. ~ Mike Cummings, Rovi
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Jason Robards, Jr., (more)
- 1969
Tara is accused of being in cahoots with an enemy agent. Given 24 hours to clear her of all charges, Steed runs up against one dead end after another. Meanwhile, the instigators of Tara's frame-up prepare to nuke London back to the stone age. Written by frequent Avengers guest star Jeremy Burnham, "Who Was That Man I Saw You With?" made its American TV debut on March 3, 1969, and was first seen in England 16 days later. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1968
This three-part British miniseries took place in Northern England during WWII. Title character Darkie Pilbeam (Trevor Bannister), a none too successful petty crook, managed to rise to the top of his profession by running a profitable black-market operation. Inevitably, Pilbeam's world crashed and burned, but it was fun while it lasted. As much an anthology as a series (each episode was self-contained), The War of Darkie Pilbeam first aired in Britain from July 12 to 26, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Trevor Bannister, Alan Browning, (more)
Richard Attenborough stars as a stalwart sergeant-major, stationed in British colony in Africa. When the colony declares its independence, Attenborough is assigned to keep the peace during the governmental transition. Trouble begins when an insurgent African officer (Errol John) attempts to overthrow the new, British-approved rulers. As the political situation becomes more and complex, Attenborough finds that his deeply entrenched values and beliefs are no longer valid. Based on a novel by Robert Holles, Guns at Batasi is what used to be called a "thinking man's adventure film." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Attenborough, Jack Hawkins, (more)
- 1962
Wounded during a robbery, a two-bit thief awakens in Steed's apartment. After intense interrogation, the thief lets slip that he is a small cog in a huge world-wide crime syndicate. In order to infiltrate the villains' headquarters, Cathy poses as German criminal Hilda Stern, who at present is safely behind bars. . .or is she? The principal heavy is played by Kenneth J. Warren, who later played the demented movie producer in the Diana Rigg episode "Epic." Written by Terrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke, "Intercrime" made its British TV premiere on January 5, 1963, and its American TV bow on February 14, 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
