Eric Porter Movies

In "The Red-Headed League," an episode of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (an excellent adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle produced in the Britain for Granada), Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett) reprises his excellent portrayal of the famed detective aided by his companion Dr. Watson (David Burke). In this episode, Holmes investigates the suspicious actions of a club where all the members have red hair. This well-done episode, which is impeccably faithful to the original story, will please both fans of Holmes and mystery fans everywhere. Thirteen of the Holmes short stories were adapted in this series, which was followed by The Return of Sherlock Holmes and The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, as well as several TV movie adaptations. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide

The second British miniseries adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist aired over the BBC in 1985. Ben Rodska essays the title character, a much-maligned orphan boy who, unbeknownst to himself, is heir to a vast fortune. Before finding this out, Oliver falls into the clutches of the delightfully wicked pickpocket Fagin (Eric Porter) and the wholly evil outlaw Bill Sikes (Michael Attwell). Other familiar characters include the insouciant street urchin Artful Dodger (David Garlick), the tragic Nancy Sykes (Amanda Harris), benevolent Mr. Brownlow (Frank Middlemass), and the aptly named Bumble the Beadle (Godfrey James). Running for six half-hour episodes, Oliver Twist was later shown in the U.S. as part of the PBS anthology Wonderworks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

As indicated by its title, this British miniseries concentrated on the years between the two world wars, when the eminent Winston Churchill (Robert Hardy) was politically out of favor in his own country. Acutely aware of the danger looming in a newly re-armed Germany, Churchill vainly tried to warn his fellow Britishers that Hitler was not a man to be trusted. It was only after the benighted PM Neville Chamberlain (Eric Porter) saw the promise of "Peace in Our Time" blow up in his face that Churchill was ensconced in his proper position as leader of his nation. First telecast in the U.K. in 1981, Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years aired in the U.S. two years later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Alec Guinness stars as an elderly Brit who takes in his poor New Yorker grandson (Ricky Schroeder) in this made-for-TV modern-day retelling of Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

Made-for-television adaptation of Shakespeare's classic tragedy about the Prince of Denmark's attempts to avenge the murder of his father. ~ Nicole Gagne, All Movie Guide

This 1978 re-remake of The 39 Steps adheres more closely to the source novel by John Buchan than Alfred Hitchcock's better-known original, restoring the pre-World War I time frame of the Buchan story. Hannay (Robert Powell) is an innocent bystander, suspected by enemy agents of having intercepted their secret war plans. Pursued by both the spies and the police, Hannay runs for his life in the company of Alex (Karen Dotrice). The Thirty-Nine Steps ends with a "high and dizzy" sequence on the face of Big Ben, borrowed from the 1942 Will Hay comedy My Learned Friend. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A sensitive old British spy/assassin is accused of getting emotionally involved with his victims and gets a demotion in this drama that is titled The Neutralizer on video. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This documentary is part two of a three-part series on Hitler's twelve years in power in Germany, from 1933 to 1945. Germany at the beginning of the 1930's was a nation struggling with the same economic depression that gripped the world. Gaining popular support through his economic programs under the National Socialism, or Nazi, ideology, Adolf Hitler soon imposed upon the German people his master plan to elevate the Aryan nation to world rulership. This segment deals with the reactions and adaptations of the German people to what lay ahead, as Hitler mobilized the nation against Europe. The film offers an interesting insight into how the German people processed their participation in the massive war effort, the carnage and shame of German aggression, and their ultimate invasion and defeat.

~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide

Volume 1 in this documentary series chronicles life in Nazi Germany. ~ All Movie Guide

Alec Guinness plays against stereotype, imbuing his Adolf Hitler with an introverted solemnity in Ennio De Concini's Hitler: The Last Ten Days. Set almost entirely inside Hitler's Berlin bunker, the film chronicles the dying days of the Third Reich as the Allied armies close in on Berlin. Guinness's Hitler is an enclosed depressive who sinks slowly into madness, depression, and ultimately suicide as his 1,000-Year Reich collapses around him. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

In this involving political thriller, a secret French paramilitary organization plans to assassinate French President Charles De Gaulle (Adrien Cayla-Legrand) because of their disagreement with his policies during the Algerian War. They hire a professional killer, known only as "The Jackal" (Edward Fox). The police learn of the plot from an informer, and police investigator Lebel (Michel Lonsdale) cleverly pieces together the clues to the Jackal's identity. The complicated plot uses parallel editing to cross-cut between the details of the Jackal's preparations for the assassination and Lebel's efforts to find him before it is too late. Fred Zinnemann presents the story, faithfully adapted from the book by Frederick Forsyth, with precise, dramatic flair. Edward Fox is coldly alluring as the Jackal. Well acted and directed, Day of the Jackal is a tense and engrossing political thriller with a surprising ending. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide