David Hemmings Movies
When the film version of the Broadway musical Camelot was released in 1967, critics had a jolly old time lambasting director Joshua Logan for casting non-singers in the leading roles. While it's certainly true that Lynn Redgrave, Richard Harris and Franco Nero seemed to suffer from Tin-Ear Syndrome, the critics were most unfair in picking on the fellow who played Mordred: David Hemmings. The son of a cookie merchant, Hemmings was a successful touring boy soprano at age nine, performing with the English Opera Group. He briefly left the musical world when his voice changed, studying painting at the Epsom School of Art and staging his first exhibition at 15. He returned to singing in his early 20s, first in nightclubs, then on the musical stage. Easing into acting, Hemmings appeared as misunderstood youths and belligerent "Teddy Boys" in a number of British programmers before attaining international stardom as the existential fashion photographer "hero"of Antonioni's Blow-Up (1966). With 1971's Running Scared, the indefatigable Hemmings began yet another new career as director; he has since helmed theatrical and made-for-TV films in England, Australia and Canada. With business partner John Daly, Hemmings formed the Hemdale Corporation for the express purpose of allowing the actor to do pretty much what he pleased both before and behind the cameras. In later years, he added novel writing to his considerable list of accomplishments. David Hemmings was the former husband of American actress Gayle Hunnicutt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1968
In this somber drama set during WWII, John (David Hemmings), Cliff (Tony Beckley), and Tom (Tom Bell) are three British soldiers trapped in German territory while waiting for their commanding officer to rescue them. John detests war, Cliff revels in it with a perverse enthusiasm, and Tom is simply weary of the whole business. While trying to avoid capture, the three find a German officer, Helmut (Alan Dobie), and take him prisoner. While they consider executing him on the spot, Helmut pleads with the Britons that if they'll let him live, he'll guide them to his commanders. They agree, but while Helmut proves good to his word, they're too late -- to the shock of all four, they discover that the German general has been murdered, leaving the Englishmen and their captive to find their own way behind enemy lines. The Long Day's Dying won awards at the 1968 Cannes and San Sebastian International Film Festivals for its director, Peter Collinson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Hemmings, Tom Bell, (more)
- 1968
Richard Attenborough, David Hemmings and Alexandra Stewart play three con artists planning a big-time scam. The object is to sell ammunition to a group of African militants -- or at least to pretend to. The trick is to keep at least one step ahead of the militants, lest the tricksters end up full of holes. A serviceable Len Deighton espionage novel was the source for Only When I Larf, which hooked up the material with "mod" gags about '60s fads and foibles. In the same spirit, the usually straightforward director Basil Dearden makes like Richard Lester, with a multitude of jump cuts, zoom-ins and hand-held shots. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Attenborough, David Hemmings, (more)
Joshua Logan directs this lavish version of the Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe Broadway success with Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, and Franco Nero in the lead roles originally portrayed on Broadway by Richard Burton, Julie Andrews, and Robert Goulet. The musical, based on T.H. White's The Once and Future King, chronicles the legend of King Arthur (Richard Harris) and his tortured love affair with his queen Guenevere (Vanessa Redgrave). Arthur first encounters Guenevere, on the day of their wedding, in the enchanted forest surrounding Camelot. After the wedding, Arthur's bliss at his marriage to the lovely Guenevere prompts him to establish the Knights of the Round Table, a lofty order of chivalry in which all the member knights are bound by a desire the help the oppressed, keeping faith with trust and honor. Such is the fame of the Knights of the Round Table that a young French knight, Lancelot Du Lac (Franco Nero), seeks to join the order. Lancelot quickly becomes the most celebrated of all the knights, and Guenevere, aloof at first, falls in love with him. Although both have a deep love for Arthur, their passion knows no bounds, and they begin an illicit love affair behind Arthur's back. Arthur ignores the rumors circling around him, but when his illegitimate son, Mordred (David Hemmings) arrives at Camelot, he exposes Lancelot and Guenevere during a tryst. Lancelot escapes, but Guenevere is sentenced to be burned at the stake. Lancelot rescues her at the last minute, and Arthur prepares for battle, his dreams of an idealistic Camelot shattered. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, (more)
- 1967
A fine cast distinguishes this unusual supernatural thriller. When London-based vintner Phillippe de Montfaucon (David Niven) receives the bad news that dry weather is expected to destroy crops in his vineyard in France for the third year in a row, he immediately leaves for his castle on the continent, Bellenac, instructing his wife Catherine (Deborah Kerr) to stay behind with their children. However, Catherine's curiosity gets the better of her and she arrives at Bellenac to discover that the villagers who tend the grapes and watch the castle are members of a pagan cult, and that they believe the death of Marquis may be required for the future health of the crops. While pre-release editing left its narrative a bit fragmented, Eye of the Devil is certainly notable for its cast, which includes Donald Pleasance, Edward Mulhare, David Hemmings, and Sharon Tate. Kim Novak was originally cast as Catherine, but was forced to bow out midway through shooting due to an injury. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Deborah Kerr, David Niven, (more)
Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni's first English-language production was also his only box office hit, widely considered one of the seminal films of the 1960s. Thomas (David Hemmings) is a nihilistic, wealthy fashion photographer in mod "Swinging London." Filled with ennui, bored with his "fab" but oddly-lifeless existence of casual sex and drug use, Thomas comes alive when he wanders through a park, stops to take pictures of a couple embracing, and upon developing the images, believes that he has photographed a murder. Pursued by Jane (Vanessa Redgrave), the woman who is in the photos, Thomas pretends to give her the pictures, but in reality, he passes off a different roll of film to her. Thomas returns to the park and discovers that there is, indeed, a dead body lying in the shrubbery: the gray-haired man who was embracing Jane. Has she murdered him, or does Thomas' photo reveal a man with a gun hiding nearby? Antonioni's thriller is a puzzling, existential, adroitly-assembled masterpiece. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, (more)
- 1966
The System is a "Swinging London" comedy with an unsettling undercurrent of bitterness and cynicism. Oliver Reed plays a girlie-magazine photographer, the self-appointed leader of a group of handsome but unscrupulous bachelors who hang out in a British seaside resort. Their avowed goal is to seduce and abandon as many wealthy young girls as possible. One of the group, jealous of Reed's success, uses their "system" to hoist the leader on his own petard. Michael Winner solidified his reputation as a "mod" director in The System--and also displayed his utter contempt for the pretty young people he depicts. The film was released to the US under the more bankable title The Girl Getters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Oliver Reed, Jane Merrow, (more)
- 1965
This suspenseful crime drama features cameo appearances by some of Great Britain's more popular pop groups of the mid-1960s as it tells the tale of an ex-crook who finds success managing several of the groups. The trouble begins when a master jewel thief blackmails him into becoming a gem smuggler. Together, they set sail across the Channel to get a fortune in diamonds safely to Amsterdam. They are pursued by two determined detectives. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Lucas, Kenneth Cope, (more)
- 1965
Dave Martin (David Hemmings) and his mates once again find themselves dealing with the tricky side of the music business in this sequel to the British pop musical Live It Up. Dave has become interested in writing, and has a lead on a job with a newspaper in the seaside community of Brighton. As luck would have it, his parents Herbert (Ivor Salter) and Margaret (Diana King) are also moving to Brighton, having inherited a guest house there that they've decided to take over as the family business. En route to Brighton, Dave meets Erica (Andrea Monet), a pretty girl from the United States who is going to Brighton to audition for a job as a dancer. She is lacking accommodations, so Dave offers to put her up at the family's new guest house, though Herbert and Margaret at first believe their son has less than honorable intentions. When Erica's audition falls through, she opts to stay on in Brighton, and she's soon joined by Dave's old pals Phil (John Pike) and Ricky (Stephen Marriot), who were his partners in the beat group the Smart Alecks. Publicity friendly impresario Hilton Bass (David Healy) arrives in town looking for "the Brighton Sound," which he's convinced will be the next big thing after the success of Merseybeat. Dave asks his pals to re-form the Smart Alecks to enter the talent competition Bass is staging, but he's disqualified when he learns the paper he's working for is helping to sponsor the contest. However, Dave thinks he may have struck upon a story when he uncovers evidence that suggests Bass has rigged the contest to favor a group he's already signed to a deal. Be My Guest features guest appearances from Jerry Lee Lewis and the Nashville Teens (the latter of whom also serve as Lewis' backing band), as well as lesser known beat groups the Nightshades, Kenny and the Wranglers, and the Zephyrs. Noted British rock producer Shel Talmy coordinated the film's musical score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Hemmings, Steve Marriott, (more)
- 1965
A British sex farce, this movie stars Nyree Dawn Porter as a flirtatious young waitress, Eileen. Her seductive ways so arouse a young customer, Alan Crabbe (Michael Crawford), that he tries to seduce her. But he is so inept that she becomes bored and ditches him. Eileen goes off to a nightclub to find more experienced men. Alan hooks up with a shop clerk named Beth Crowley (Julia Foster). At a wedding of another friend, Alan sees Eileen and is again smitten with her, so much so that he gets into a fight with her boyfriend. The film is based on a coming-of-age novel, In My Solitude, by David Stuart Leslie. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Crawford, Nyree Dawn Porter, (more)
- 1963
A handful of teenage rock and rollers are looking for their big break and they need it fast in this British pop-musical, which offers a look at the U.K. rock music scene in the days before the Beatles took it international. Dave Martin (David Hemmings) and his pals Phil (John Pike), Ron (Heinz Burt), and Ricky (Stephen Marriot) work as delivery boys for the post office during the day, but in their spare time they're members of a beat group called the Smart Alecks who are looking to get ahead. Dave's mother Margaret (Joan Newell) is supportive of Dave's interest in music, but his father Herbert (Ed Deveraux) thinks his son is wasting his time and money, especially after the band blows its savings cutting a demo tape of their best original song, "Live It Up." Herbert gives Dave one month to get his foot in the door of the music business, or else he'll force him to go look for a real job. Dave is sure the tape will score the Smart Alecks a record deal, especially after an accident at a movie studio while he's on a delivery puts his name in the papers, but as fate would have it, Dave misplaces the tape. As the Smart Alecks look for a new way to get the attention of a music biz bigwig, Jill (Jennifer Moss), Dave's girlfriend, thinks she might be able to use her job as a taxi dispatcher to help. Originally released in the United Kingdom as Live It Up, Sing and Swing features a brief appearance by first generation rock icon Gene Vincent, who sings the song "Temptation Baby" in a television studio, while legendarily eccentric producer Joe Meek coordinated the movie's musical score. Future Deep Purple and Rainbow guitarist Ritchie Blackmore can be spotted sitting in with the group the Outlaws, while Stephen Marriot would soon shorten his first name to Stevie and become a pop star as a member of the Small Faces. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Hemmings, John Pike, (more)
- 1963
In this crime drama, a con-artist's mark finds himself in deep trouble after he gets drunk, goes to the apartment of an attractive grifter and discovers that her partner has been slain (something that shocked her too!). The real trouble begins when the fellow accidentally touches the murder weapon belonging to the leader of a Soho gang, and then allows the woman to con him into taking care of the corpse. His actions catch the watchful eyes of the cops; he is soon arrested. Things look bleak for the hapless fellow until his fiancee and friends rally together, catch the con-woman, call the cops and get him acquitted. In the end, the con-woman is killed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1962
More of a corny propaganda film for a British social engineering policy program of the 1960s than a serious attempt to tackle an issue, this youth drama is notable chiefly because it features an early performance by David Hemmings, four years before he rose to prominence in Blow-Up (1966). Bert (Hemmings), Bill (David Andrews), and Johnnie (Ray Brooks) are a trio of juvenile delinquents in Bristol who lose their driver's licenses after a 100 mile-per-hour accident on their motorcycles. Bored without their speed machines and alienated in their economically-depressed factory town, they assemble a rock band with the aid and encouragement of Smith (Kenneth More), the choir director of a local church who offers his facilities for rehearsal space. The band becomes involved with a youth awards program devised as a community outreach vehicle by the Duke of Edinburgh and the British government, and despite some lingering moments of dissension, they begin to turn their lives around, encouraged all the while by a hopeful adult community. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenneth More, Ray Brooks, (more)
- 1961
In this crime drama a teenager gets in over his head when he joins a violent street gang that beats a black person to death. When a gang member knifes the lad's sister, the youth reconsiders his actions, leaves them and reforms. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1960
An unfortunate sailor (Tony Wright) gets implicated in a murder he never committed in this confusing drama by David Eady. After a bookie is murdered, the sailor is caught in an ever-tightening vice that would trap him as the killer unless he can clear himself. Along the way to struggling free and tracking down the real culprits, several unsavory characters cross his path as well as a rather interesting woman (Shirley Eaton) who sets romantic sparks flying. Although director Eady and the cast have done their best with the story, it is too thin to survive even the short running time of 69 minutes. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Wright, Shirley Eaton, (more)
- 1958
In direct contrast to his later lush-budgeted international epics, director J. Lee Thompson turns his lenses towards the London slums in the sincere but saccharine No Trees in the Street. Based on the play by Ted Willis, the film is set in the years just before World War II, when England hadn't completely dug itself out of the worldwide depression. Melvyn Hayes is featured as an aimless teenager, who tries to escape his squalid surroundings by entering a life of crime. He falls in with local hoodlum Herbert Lom, who holds the rest of the slum citizens in the grip of fear--including Hayes' own family. No Trees in the Street chronicles Hayes' sordid progress from nickel-and-dime thefts to murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Syms, Herbert Lom, (more)
- 1957
Prejudice is a main theme in this crime drama that follows the case of a West Indian man accused of a murder because of his dark skin. A lawyer helps the boy avoid arrest until the true murderer is revealed. The killer is discovered after the lawyer saves the boy who was captured by him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1957
- NR
After an extensive talent search, producer-director Otto Preminger selected a 17-year-old unknown from Iowa, Jean Seberg, to play Joan of Arc, a role traditionally portrayed by actresses twice to three times Seberg's age. Seberg is cast opposite such venerable pros as Richard Todd (as Dunois), Anton Walbrook (the Bishop of Beauvais), John Gielgud (Earl of Warwick) and Felix Aylmer (The Inquisitor). Cast as the vacillating Dauphin is Richard Widmark. Graham Greene's screenplay refashions the original Shaw text in the form of a flashback. Seberg eventually became an accomplished actress by virtue of her appearances in such nouvelle vague films as Breathless, but it was too late to salvage Saint Joan, which was figuratively burned at the stake by critics and filmgoers alike. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Seberg, Richard Widmark, (more)
- 1954
Horseracing provides the framework of this British drama. The story begins as a former champion jockey Sam Lilley is barred from racing. Although he himself can no longer race, the jockey decides to live his dreams through Georgie Crain, who becomes his youthful protege. Sam teaches George all he knows, and also insists that he keep his morals high. But when Georgie's mother encounters financial disaster, the lad and his mentor decide they have no choice but to throw a race for a gang of criminals. Unfortunately, this leads to even more ethical problems. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Morley, Kay Walsh, (more)
