John Charlesworth Movies

In this drama, an American journalist goes to England and winds up assisting a prominent lawyer's nephew after he is falsely accused of murdering a girl. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this crime drama, an impoverished but enamored bank clerk joins his brother's gang of bank robbers so he can afford to marry his sweetheart. Unfortunately, their latest caper fails and the bank clerk accidentally gets involved in a murder leaving him to take a hard look at the life he has chosen. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Adventures of Hal 5 was aimed directly at the British kiddie-matinee trade. The title "character" is an automobile owned by a middle-class family. A crooked garage owner tries to swipe the vehicle, but the kids in the family are too fast for the thief. Lots of "wacky" car chases here, but you probably caught on to that. The film was based on Henry Donald's book Hal 5 and the Haywards. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The mental breakdown of a guilt-ridden man provides the drama in this fascinating psychological profile that stars Richard Attenborough as a scientist who can't live with himself after he accidentally kills the brother of his fiancee. In order to escape the pain, Attenborough changes his name and begins living in a ramshackle Victorian boarding house where he slowly begins losing his mind. Eventually the police show up and begin taking statements from the bewildered, frightened tenants. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Mary Hilton (Diana Dors) is a young salesgirl in the cosmetics department of a major London store, who chances to meet -- and fall hopelessly in love with -- Jim Lancaster (Michael Craig), a young would-be professional musician. She is attracted to him sufficiently to leave her own, neglectful husband (Harry Locke). But Jim's interest in her, although also sincere, is deflected by his attraction to Lucy Carpenter (Mercia Shaw), a much wealthier and older woman, who seems to be able to offer him the security that he's always lacked. That's difficult enough for Mary to take, but when Jim's relationship with Lucy takes a tragic turn, she snaps -- her love for Jim is transformed into a murderous hatred for her rival, resulting in murder, and a death sentence. Mary's story is told entirely in flashbacks, as she awaits her final sentencing or possible reprieve, and attempts to tie up the loose ends in her life involving her mother, brother, and husband. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

In this British drama set in the 18th-century, a 14-year-old boy works in a carnival medicine booth. He believes the man he works for is his father, but he finds himself mistaken when his abducted by an avaricious uncle who informs him that he has inherited an important title. The uncle himself desires the title and plans to kill the lad who fortunately escapes. For vengeance the uncle starts a fire and immolates the boy's mentor. The carnies, lead by the strongman, attempt to exact their own revenge against the evil uncle. The whole mess goes to court where the boy's true lineage is revealed. He receives his rightful title. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The Magic Box was the English film industry's contribution to the 1951 Festival of Britain. Its all-star cast generously forsook their usual salaries for the privilege of paying tribute to that unsung pioneer of cinema, William Friese-Greene, here played by Robert Donat. Adapted by Eric Ambler from the controversial biography by Ray Allister, Magic Box contends that Friese-Greene was the true father of motion pictures, and not such upstarts as W. K. L. Dickson and Thomas Edison. Told in flashback, the film details Friese-Greene's tireless experiments with the "moving image," leading inexorably to a series of failures and disappoints, as others hog the credit for the protagonist's discoveries. The huge cast includes such British film luminaries as Joyce Grenfell, Miles Malleson, Michael Redgrave, Eric Portman, Emlyn Williams, Richard Attenborough, Peter Ustinov, Cecil Parker, Kay Walsh, and, best of all, Laurence Olivier as the confused bobby who witnesses Friese-Greene's first motion picture demonstration. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Widely considered to be the definitive of the many film versions of Charles Dickens' classic novel is this 1951 British adaptation, starring Alastair Sim (entitled "Scrooge" in its U.K. release). Sim plays Ebenezer Scrooge, a London miser who, despite his wealth, refuses to make charitable contributions and treats his sole employee, Bob Cratchit, as an indentured servant. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his late business partner, Jacob Marley, who was as selfish as Scrooge in life and has been condemned to an eternity of wandering the Earth in shackles. Marley informs Scrooge that he's to receive a trio of spirits that night who will take him on a journey through Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come. As Scrooge encounters each apparition, he is taken on a tour of his life and realizes what a wretch he is, transformed by greed from an idealistic youth into an embittered ogre. Infused with a new, cheery outlook, Scrooge sets about earning his redemption. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide