Barbara Chilcott Movies
David Cronenberg's cinematic intensity eviscerates this adaptation of David Henry Hwang's passionate stage production. Based on a true incident involving a French diplomat who carried on an affair for 18 years with a man the diplomat thought was a woman, M. Butterfly begins in 1964 Beijing when French foreign service employee Rene Gallimard (Jeremy Irons) becomes smitten with Chinese opera performer Song Liling (John Lone). Before long, Gallimard is enamored with Song, and they begin an inflamed affair -- bracketed by the stipulation that Gallimard will never be allowed to look upon her in a state of complete undress. Gallimard agrees to the rules, but, as he climbs up the diplomatic ladder, the communist government gets involved, corralling Song to become an informer for the government. When, at last, Gallimard's passion demands nudity, Song flees the relationship. Gallimard, pining for his lost love, then becomes a physical and mental wreck. He leaves China and accepts a two-bit diplomatic position, but then Song appears once again to Gallimard. At that point, Gallimard is arrested and, during the subsequent sensational trial for treason, his affair is exposed for the sham that it is. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeremy Irons, John Lone, (more)
- 1975
- PG
Growing up in 1920s Montreal is no picnic for Orthodox Jewish boy Jeffrey Lynas. His grandfather, wizened old junk dealer Yossi Yadin, is the only person who plays attention to the lonely Lynas. He is also the only adult who treats Lynas like a friend and equal instead of a nuisance. This sensitive, perceptive drama obviously meant more than a mere residual check to scriptwriter Ted Allen, who also appears in the film. Jeffrey Lynas' parents are played by Len Birman and Marilyn Lighthouse, two of Canada's cartoon voiceover artists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yossi Yadin, Len Birman, (more)
- 1966
Every ten years or so, the all-purpose title The Trap is applied to a film about psychological rather than physical entrapment. This 1966 British/Canadian coproduction stars Oliver Reed as a roughhewn fur trapper of the 1890s. He has missed the annual "wife auction" due to inclement weather, and must settle for what's left: a timorous mute girl, played by Rita Tushingham. Though she lives in mortal terror of her husband, Tushingham nurses Reed through a near-fatal illness. The awe-inspiring location photography of The Trap frequently upstages the strenuous dramatics of its stars. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rita Tushingham, Oliver Reed, (more)
- 1961
In this heavy drama, a race car driver suffers a head injury on his wedding day and becomes a mental case. The couple puts off their honeymoon while he is treated by a psychiatrist. Later when they make love, he tries to strangle her. This behavior becomes a habit, for every time they are romantic he becomes insanely angry with her. He thinks he has really gone 'round the bend until he sees his new bride and the shrink together. He goes to the doctor and confronts him. In turn, the shrink tries to make the man believe that he is hallucinating. A chase ensues between the men. The frightened doctor tries to flee in a cable car and ends up having a fatal fall. The married couple then continues their honeymoon. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claude Dauphin, Diane Cilento, (more)
- 1958
Brady is approached by Raphael Constantine (Dennis Price), a man with a horribly disfigured face. His voice choking with anguish, Constantine claims to be seeking a method to hide his ugliness, and asks Brady to render him invisble. Little does our transparent hero realize that he is being duped into creating an invisible assassin, for the purpose of murdering the visiting ruler of a South American nation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
