Eric Francis Movies

Little Dorrit was intended as the cinematic equivalent to the mammoth, eight hour Royal Shakespeare Company's staging of Dickens' Nicholas Nickelby. The film was released to theatres in two parts, each running approximately three hours. The first part, subtitled "Nobody's Fault," introduced us to the seamstress title character (Sarah Pickering), who chooses to live in debtor's prison with her father (Alec Guinness). Good samaritan Derek Jacobi endeavors to help both father and daughter. The second part, also known as "Little Dorrit's Story," details Dorrit's escape from penury to lasting happiness. Eschewing the usual 19th century-style British music often heard in Dickensian adaptations, director Christine Edzard creatively-and effectively--opts for the strains of Giuseppe Verdi. Edzard's eye for period detail is also deserving of unbounded praise. Unfortunately, Part Two of Little Dorrit spends nearly half of its running time recapping Part One, utilizing much of the same footage. For those familiar with "Nobody's Fault," "Little Dorrit's Story" is more a redundancy than a continuation. Still, taken together, parts one and two all fully deserving of the enthusiastic critical commentary that greeted them upon their original release-not to mention the multiple Academy Award nominations bestowed upon the project and its participants. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this ribald erotic comedy, brothers team up to promote a rock band. Even though the musicians are remarkably untalented and one of the brothers is an incredible klutz, somehow they manage to succeed. Unfortunately, the band's fall to the bottom is nearly as quick as its rise to the top, for the boys find themselves unable to resist the temptations of several, seductive and large-breasted women. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In Billy Wilder's cinematic homage to the spirit of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, British stage luminary Robert Stephens plays Holmes, while Colin Blakely is his friend and chronicler Dr. Watson. This self-described "hitherto suppressed and thoroughly fascinating" tale concerns Holmes' search for a missing mining engineer -- a case that may have a far-reaching effect on the national security of England. Along the way, Holmes falls in love for the first time in his life, with enigmatic foreign beauty Gabrielle Valladon (Genevieve Page). In this 1970 film, Wilder emphasizes such then-current topics as homosexuality (notably during the film's prologue) and drug addiction. Christopher Lee, a former screen Holmes himself, has a cameo (minus toupee) as Sherlock's brother Mycroft Holmes. Heavily re-edited and rearranged both before and after its release, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes was a box-office disappointment when it came out in 1970. Since that time, its reputation has grown immeasurably, especially among those lucky enough to have seen a complete print. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the fourth episode of the six-part story "The Sensorites," the Doctor manages to emerge triumphant from his latest crisis. This impresses his Sensorite captors, but they are still convinced that the Doctor -- and by extension, all of mankind -- is somehow responsible for the mysterious disease that is rapidly killing off their race. As the episode draws to a close, a new and even more terrible threat to the well-being of the Doctor and his companions appears on the horizon. Written by Peter R. Newman, "A Race Against Death" originally aired on July 18, 1964. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the final episode of the six-part story "The Sensorites," the Doctor (William Hartnell), still trapped in the 28th century, finds out who is really responsible for the disease that has been killing off the telepathic Sensorites. But neither the Doctor nor his companions are out of the woods yet -- nor, for that matter, are the Sensorites, whose planet again faces destruction. With time running out, the Doctor must pull one more trick from his sleeve to set things right. Written by Peter R. Newman, "A Desperate Venture" originally aired on August 1, 1964. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Director Philip Leacock, praised for his handling of child actors, does another excellent job with the two young stars in this story about religious tolerance -- and intolerance. Loretta Parry is Rachel, a seven-year-old Jewish girl whose best friend and playmate Michael (Philip Needs) is exactly the same age. Michael has been raised in an Irish Catholic family, but neither child thinks very much about their religious differences. At least, not until certain biases begin to make their presence known. But Rachel and Michael's friendship is so strong that even when they visit each other's place of worship and are wholly intimidated by the strangeness of it all, they still remain best buddies. Interwoven with threads of wisdom that might be a little forced at times, this family-oriented drama is also enlivened by comic moments and good acting and directing that keep the story from slipping into saccharine clichés. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Adapted by Norman Krasna from his play Kind Sir, Indiscreet stars Ingrid Bergman as a wealthy actress and Cary Grant as an international financial wizard. While Grant is visiting London, Bergman's sister Phyllis Calvert and brother-in-law Cecil Parker introduce Grant to Bergman. Because he feels he has no time for marriage, Grant pretends to be married to avoid romantic tangles. Bergman, however, finds the prospect of an affair with a married man to be quite exhilarating. When she discovers the truth, Bergman gets even with the now-smitten Grant by faking a romance with an ex-boy friend--ordering luckless chauffeur David Kossoff to pose as her beau. A comedy by grownups, about grownups and for grownups (at least by 1958 standards), Indiscreet proved to be far more successful as a film than as a stage play. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While ethnic humor was pretty much avoided by Hollywood in the politically touchy 1950s, Great Britain continued to turn out comedies relying upon accents and gentle stereotypes for laughs. Make Me an Offer stars Peter Finch as a stylish antique dealer who covets a precious vase. Among the many people with whom Finch comes in contact is a Jewish antique specialist (Meier Tzelnicker) who offers the star (and the viewers) several amusing glimpses at the ins and outs of his trade. Based on a novel by Wolf Mankowitz, Make Me an Offer wasn't given much theatrical play in the US, though it showed up with some regularity on TV. In the 1960s, the film became a precious commodity in the rush by local television stations to load up on color product--even second-rate Eastmancolor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide