Pauline Collins
- 2003
Ian Sharp's Mrs. Caldicot's Cabbage War concerns itself with Thelma Caldicot (Pauline Collins), whose life changes radically after the death of her husband. After her spouse dies, thanks to an errant cricket ball, Thelma is taken out of her home by her son Derek (Peter Capaldi) and her daughter-in-law Veronica (Anna Wilson-Jones). She is admitted to the Twilight Years Rest Home, which is run by Hawthorne (John Alderton). Upset with the care she and the other patients receive, Thelma leads a revolt. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pauline Collins, Peter Capaldi, (more)
- 2000
Allison Uttley's children's books The Squirrel, The Hare, and (of course) The Little Grey Rabbit served as source material for this animated British series. The Rabbit was the best friend of the Hare, who in turn was the best friend of the Squirrel, who in turn was another best friend of the Rabbit. With this premise, the story possibilities were endless -- or at least they seemed to be when the series' ten-minute installments made their ITV network bow in 2000. Little Grey Rabbit was assembled by the same Cosgrove Hall animation firm responsible for such kiddie classics as Danger Mouse and Count Duckula. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Based on the testimony of survivors, this historical drama recounts the WWII heroism of female prisoners of war. (Glenn Close) stars as Adrienne Partiger, a society doyenne who flees Singapore with other expatriate women, mostly the wives of servicemen, when Japanese forces invade in 1942. When their gunboat is sunk in an air attack, the survivors wash ashore on Japanese-held Sumatra. The women are interned in a grim POW camp where punishments for even minor infractions are extreme. With the help of a missionary (Pauline Collins), Partiger corrals the women, including a tough American (Julianna Margulies), an Australian nurse (Cate Blanchett) and a young wife (Jennifer Ehle) into a musical group. Since singing is not allowed, the a cappella chorus dubs itself "a vocal orchestra" and is tolerated -- if barely -- by their Japanese captors. Though living conditions are squalid, food is scarce, and a thin sliver of soap inspires a shower brawl, the music keeps spirits uplifted and a Jewish-German doctor (Frances McDormand) provides some medical aid. Writer-director Bruce Beresford interviewed real-life participants in similar POW musical groups. Some provided, from memory, sheet music of the pieces they performed, which were used in the film. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Close, Pauline Collins, (more)
This drama, set during WWII, was co-written by acclaimed playwright George Tabori and features the writer as both narrator and an observer during the filming of incidents from his mother's life. Elsa Tabori (Pauline Collins) is a polite and dignified woman who believes that if you do as you're told, things will work out for you. However, she lives in Budapest in the midst of Nazi occupation, and Elsa's optimism hardly seems practical when one is forced to wear a yellow Star of David. When Elsa witnesses the grim fate of Maria (Natalie Morse), a gentile who made the mistake of visiting a Jewish friend as the police were rounding up victims to be shipped to a concentration camp, she discovers that cooperation is no guarantee of safety -- and that she must find a way to save herself before she's sent to her death. Fate, however, soon intercedes in an unexpected display of benevolence. This was director Michael Verhoeven's third film concerning the holocaust in Europe, following Das Schreckliche Madchen and Eine Unheilige Liebe. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pauline Collins, Ulrich Tukur, (more)
In this drama, a wealthy American doctor learns some important lessons about life in one of the poorest cities on Earth. Max Lowe (Patrick Swayze) is a Houston surgeon who has grown weary of the bureaucracy of American medicine. When he loses a patient on the operating table, Max impulsively decides to leave America and travel to India in the hope of "finding himself." Not long after he arrives in Calcutta, Max is attacked by a group of thugs and left without money or a passport. However, a man named Hasari (Om Puri) comes to Max's rescue. Hasari had left his farming community to come to the city, only to be overwhelmed by its dirt, crime, and overcrowding. Despite their poverty, Hasari and his family take Max in and bring him to a medical clinic in the City of Joy, one of the poorest slums in the city. The clinic is run by Joan Bethel (Pauline Collins), an Irish-American nun who urges Max to use his skills to help the people of Calcutta who so desperately need it. Max signs on, and he finds that the experience changes his life. City of Joy was based on a novel by Dominique Lapierre. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Swayze, Pauline Collins, (more)
Since its London and Broadway stage debut, playwright Willy Russell's Shirley Valentine has proven an excellent showcase for any number of talented actresses (Loretta Swit won the 1989 Sarah Siddons Award for her work in the Chicago production). In the film version of Shirley Valentine, Pauline Collins re-creates the role that had previously brought her theatrical fame and a Tony Award. Spending the bulk of the film speaking directly to the audience, the titular Shirley (Collins), a middle-aged Liverpool housewife, reveals her innermost thoughts and fears in a manner that is both insouciant and poignant. Once an incorrigible anti-establishment rebel, Shirley now chafes under the plodding insensitivity of her husband Joe (Bernard Hill). Her life enters a new and exciting phase when, after her best friend Jane (Alison Steadman) wins an all-expenses-paid vacation to Greece, Shirley is given the opportunity to travel to faraway places without her husband. Shirley Valentine represents the second felicitous collaboration between playwright Willy Russell and director Lewis Gilbert; the first was Educating Rita (1983). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pauline Collins, Tom Conti, (more)
Not even a vacation can stop Commander Adam Dalgliesh from ferreting out criminals in this made-for-TV mystery based on the novel by P.D. James. While recuperating after an injury, Dalgliesh (Roy Marsden) decides to take some time off and visit scenic Toynton Grange. But crime knows no holiday, and after three murders and two bizarre suicides rock the quiet village, Dalgliesh puts himself to work, and soon discovers a dark web of blackmail, death, and a secret trapped in a darkened tower near a cliff. The Black Tower also stars Pauline Collins and Art Malik. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Marsden
Thomas and Sarah was the much-heralded spin-off to the long-running British historical drama series Upstairs Downstairs. Antedated to 1911 (Upstairs Downstairs itself had already moved forward to the 1930s), the weekly, 50-minute series focused on Thomas Watkins (John Alderton) and his sweetheart Sarah (Pauline Collins), respectively the former chauffeur and parlormaid of the Bellamy family. Although the hero and heroine were said to have married when spoken of in passing on Upstairs Downstairs, here Thomas and Sarah set up housekeeping without benefit of clergy, as Thomas attempted to make a go of his new auto-garage business. Ultimately the couple ended up broke and back in domestic service, albeit to a different family. Telecast from January 14 to April 8, 1979, on London Weekend Television, the 13-episode Thomas and Sarah proved popular enough to warrant a second season -- which, alas, was permanently scuttled as the result of a network technicians' strike. Unlike Upstairs Downstairs, Thomas and Sarah was never widely broadcast in America. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Alderton, Pauline Collins, (more)
- 1974
Based on the books by Charlotte Bingham, the 1974 Brit-com No, Honestly starred real-life husband and wife John Alderton and Pauline Collins as a witty married couple. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Inasmuch as Season One of the British drama series Upstairs, Downstairs covered the years 1903 to 1909, logic dictates that the second season should have moved on to the second decade of the 20th century. However, the produced decided for the time being to keep the action concentrated in the Edwardian era, thus Season Two was set between 1908 to 1909, necessitating a backward leap within the months occurring between episodes 12 and 13 of Season One. This resulted in a bit of confusion, especially when the focus was on Elizabeth Bellamy (Nicola Pagget) and her troubled relationship with new husband Lawrence Kirbridge (Ian Ogilvy). Proper continuity was restored when the first two seasons of Upstairs, Downstairs were merged into one for American TV play in 1974; unfortunately, in the process 13 of the combined 26 episodes were shelved, not to be seen in the U.S. for several years. Because of a prior theatrical commitment, Simon Williams makes only two appearances this season in the role of the irresponsible James Bellamy--but those appearances prove highly significant to the overall scheme of things, as James is faced with the prospect of illegitimate fatherhood as the result of his backstairs liason with reckless housemaid Sarah (Pauline Collins), and later throws the Bellamy household into turmoil when he returns from India with a new fiancée, Phyllis Kingman (Delia Lindsay), in tow. New to the cast this season are Jenny Tomasin in the comic role of dull-witted scullery maid Ruby; and John Alderton as the Bellamy's chauffeur Thomas Watkins, who after being offered up as a possible romantic interest for head maid Rose (Jean Marsh), ends up leaving 165 Eaton Place to take up housekeeping with the redoubtable Sarah, who is once again "with child" (namely, Thomas'). The futher adventures of this couple will be chronicled in the 1979 spinoff series Thomas and Sarah. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gordon Jackson, Jean Marsh, (more)
The first season of the British drama series Upstairs, Downstairs takes place from November 1903 through June 1909, an era popularly known as "Edwardian" in honor of King Edward VII. Fans of the series will notice that the familiar characters are still in the developmental process during the first 13 episodes--especially the Bellamy's cook Mrs. Bridges (Angela Baddeley), who comes off as a nasty virago and a closet boozer! Penned by novelist Fay Weldon, who won a Writers' Guild Award for her efforts, the opening episode "On Trial" (originally filmed in black and white due to budgetary limitations, but reshot in color for syndication) introduces Pauline Collins as the Bellamy household's troublesome new under-housemaid, who after trying to pass herself off as a Frenchwoman named Clemence is revealed to be a cockney named Sarah (or at least she settles on Sarah!). Forced to leave the house in disgrace after an unpleasant incident involving duplicitous manservant Alfred (George Innes), Sarah ends up living in squalor, a plight that touches her former employers Richard and Marjorie Bellamy (David Langton ,Rachel Gurney) to the extent that she is rehired--which proves in later episodes to be major mistake! In other developments, the Bellamys' rebellious daughter Elizabeth (Nicola Pagett) shocks her family by choosing "progressive" poet Lawrence Kirbridge (Ian Ogilvy) as her fiancée, a decision culminating in marriage at season's end. Meanwhile, Elizabeth's irresponsible brother James plunges into the first of several misbegotten liasons, this one with a flashy actress. The season's best and most famous episode is "I Dies from Love", the story of a tragic "downstairs" romance. When the first season of Upstairs, Downstairs was picked up for American play in January of 1974, it was combined with the series' second season, which takes place in the years 1908-1909. Of the 26 combined episodes, only 13 initially aired in the US, allowing PBS to bill the remaining 13 as "the lost episodes" a few decades later! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gordon Jackson, Jean Marsh, (more)
- 1967
In the fourth episode of the six-part story "The Faceless Ones," Chameleon Tours prepares to transport another load of passengers, who are blissfully unaware that their "hosts" are actually aliens who intend to rob them of their personalities. The Doctor (Patrick Troughton) tries to prevent this, but first he must ascertain the whereabouts of his companions, Ben and Polly (actors Anneke Wills and Michael Craze do not appear in this episode). Written by David Ellis and Malcolm Hulke, "The Faceless Ones, Episode 4" originally aired on April 29, 1967. This episode evidently no longer exists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines, (more)
- 1967
In the fifth episode of the six-part story "The Faceless Ones," the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) again tries to prevent the alien Chameleons from robbing unwary Earthlings of their personalities. Putting his own life on the line, the Doctor makes a last-ditch effort to rescue Ben and Polly, who are still nowhere to be found (actors Anneke Wills and Michael Craze do not appear in this episode). Written by David Ellis and Malcolm Hulke, "The Faceless Ones, Episode 5" originally aired on May 6, 1967. This episode evidently no longer exists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines, (more)
- 1967
In the third episode of the six-part story "The Faceless Ones," the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) has tumbled to the fact that the Chameleon Tours air service is actually controlled by aliens who hope to repopulate their dying planet by stealing the personalities of their customers. Now, of course, the Chameleons have no choice but to kill the Doctor -- and for a brief, horrifying moment, they appear to have done just that. Written by David Ellis and Malcolm Hulke, "The Faceless Ones, Episode 3" originally aired on April 22, 1967. Though this and one other episode exists, the remaining four chapters are apparently lost forever. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines, (more)
- 1967
In the second episode of the six-part story "The Faceless Ones," both Ben (Michael Craze) and Polly (Anneke Wills) mysteriously vanish not long after the TARDIS has landed at Gatwick Airport. While searching for his companions, the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) learns that a phony travel agency is "robbing" the identities of its customers -- and it's all the handiwork of the Chameleons, an alien race on the verge of extinction. Written by David Ellis and Malcolm Hulke, "The Faceless Ones, Episode 2" originally aired on April 15, 1967. This episode evidently no longer exists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Troughton, Annika Wills, (more)
- 1967
In the conclusion of the six-part story "The Faceless Ones," the alien Chameleons continue to repopulate their dying planet by stealing the personalities of unwary Earthlings. With no other tricks up his sleeve, the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) relies upon a desperate bluff to thwart the Chameleons. Anneke Wills and Michael Craze make their final series appearances as the Doctor's companions, Polly and Ben. Written by David Ellis and Malcolm Hulke, "The Faceless Ones, Episode 6" originally aired on May 13, 1967. This episode evidently no longer exists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Troughton, Annika Wills, (more)
This crime drama chronicles the demise of a hapless stripper who ends up gang-raped and killed. The dead woman's best friend, a singer, tells the sordid tale. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
