James Cossins Movies
Actor James Cossins was one of the ranks of British character players seemingly put on earth to play fussy, officious roles. Cossins' movie work commenced in the mid '60s and embraced such films as Richard Lester's How I Won the War (1968), Hammer's Lost Continent (1968), the Jack Wild vehicle Melody (1970) and the turgid Richard Burton meller Villain (1971). Seldom permitted more than five to ten minutes a film, James Cossins had his best showing in the 1967 picture The Anniversary. He contrived not to blend into the scenery despite the daunting competition of star Bette Davis, here playing a one-eyed, incestuous monster mama. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1992
Religious and personal tensions escalate steadily in this drama, and nearly everyone in it has some sort of extra-sensitive "toes" that get stepped on by others. James Wilby would seem to have a relatively non-controversial job, for a foreigner, since he is a wildlife conservationist, and foreigners are always going on about the environment. Pakistan is, however, a pretty strange place for his Jewish wife Hannah, the daughter of an American senator. The couple are almost deranged with a desire to have a child together, and when they hear about a local shrine which is said to give the blessing of fertility, they think that it sounds harmless enough and go out to see it. In the rest of the world, eunuches are a thing of the past, but in Pakistan and India, they actually have a culture of their own; ironically enough, they run the fertility shrine. When Wilby and Hannah visit the place, they are rendered unconscious with a drugged drink, and a local boy is called in to inseminate Hannah, who does in fact become pregnant. The birth of the child, however, seems to be the trigger for a lot of strange goings-on, beginning with Hannah's conversion to Islam, which strains her marriage nearly to the breaking point. Also, Hannah has discovered that Alistair has been carrying on with a family friend, and in addition, the eunuches seem to be excessively interested in the child she has by now given birth to. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Wilby, Melissa Leo, (more)
- 1987
In this crime comedy, the daughter of a notorious French burglar must follow in her father's illustrious footsteps after he is suddenly killed. She soon finds herself nearly in over her head as she is required to perform a variety of death-defying stunts in order to ply her trade. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Part of the British mystery series based on the books by Agatha Christie, Miss Marple: At Bertram's Hotel was first aired in 1986. Miss Jane Marple (Joan Hickman) takes a holiday at London's prestigious Bertram's Hotel. She senses criminal activity when Lady Bess Sedgwick (Caroline Blakiston) arrives on the scene. When a murder occurs, Miss Marple puts her holiday on hold to pursue another investigation. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Hickson
It was Richard Attenborough's lifelong dream to bring the life story of Indian political and spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi to the screen. When it finally reached fruition in 1982, the 188-minute, Oscar-winning Gandhi was one of the most exhaustively thorough biopics ever made. The film begins in the early part of the 20th century, when Mohandas K. Gandhi (Ben Kingsley), a British-trained lawyer, forsakes all worldly possessions to take up the cause of Indian independence. Faced with armed resistance from the British government, Gandhi adopts a policy of "passive resistance," endeavoring to win freedom for his people without resorting to bloodshed. In the horrendous "slaughter" sequence, more extras appear on screen than in any previous historical epic. The supporting cast includes Candice Bergen as photographer Margaret Bourke-White, Athol Fugard as General Smuts, John Gielgud as Lord Irwin, John Mills as the viceroy, Martin Sheen as Walker, Trevor Howard as Judge Broomfield, and, in a tiny part as a street bully, star-to-be Daniel Day-Lewis. Gandhi won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Kingsley, Candice Bergen, (more)
- 1981
- PG
After a string of hits that included Planet of the Apes (1968), Patton (1970), Papillon (1973), and The Boys from Brazil (1978), director Franklin J. Schaffner stumbled badly with this expensive wannabe cousin to Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Based on a novel by author Robin Cook, this romance-adventure stars Lesley-Anne Down as Erica Baron, a female archaeologist who is searching for a lost Egyptian tomb, hoping that she will be responsible for the next discovery along the lines of King Tut's Tomb. Erica witnesses the murder of a native, Abdu Hamdi (John Gielgud doing his best Alec Guinness impersonation) and when she attempts to solve the crime, she becomes the target of a campaign to kill her using a variety of creative methods, including bats and entombment. In the course of her adventures, Erica also falls in love with a handsome Egyptologist, Ahmed Khazzan (Frank Langella). Sphinx (1981) was a box office disaster from which Schaffner never recovered, directing only three more pictures. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lesley-Anne Down, Frank Langella, (more)
In this made-for-television mystery (adapted from a novel by Agatha Christie) a man dying on a beach utters the question "Why didn't they ask Evans?" Amateur detectives Frankie and Bobby subsequently begin digging for an explanation for the enigmatic query, which leads them to an utterly surprising conclusion. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Not a remake of the landmark 1903 Edwin S. Porter film, The Great Train Robbery is a dramatization of the famous first hold-up of a moving train in 1855 England. The conspirators in this undertaking are Edward Pierce (Sean Connery), Agar (Donald Sutherland) and Clean Willy (Wayne Sleep). Pierce is the brains, Clean Willy the brawn, and safecracker Agar provides the finesse. The scheme involves stealing a shipment of gold bars intended to be used in the payroll for the Army in the Crimean War. Lesley Anne Down co-stars as Miriam, the woman on the outside who arranges Connery's getaway. When released in England, this film was titled The First Great Train Robbery, so as not to be confused with Britain's embarrassing 1963 railroad heist. Director Michael Crichton adapted the story from his own, more-clinical novel on the same subject. Filmed in Ireland, The Great Train Robbery was dedicated to the memory of its director of photography, Geoffrey Unsworth, who died shortly after the production wrapped. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland, (more)
- 1975
In this children's drama, a London boy is struck upon the head. When he regains consciousness, he discovers that he can foretell crimes before they are committed. With this gift he is able to lead the police to arrest a notorious criminal mastermind who is also a prominent, well-respected businessman. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry White
The Man With the Golden Gun, Roger Moore's second outing as James Bond (Live and Let Die was the first), whisks our hero off to Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, and then the South China Sea in search of a solar energy weapon. His opponent is Scaramanga (Christopher Lee), who rules the roost on a well-fortified island. Scaramanga's aide-de-camp is Nick Nack, played by future Fantasy Island co-star Herve Villechaize. Britt Ekland plays the bikinied Mary Goodnight, whose clumsy efforts to help Bond thwart Scaramanga are almost as destructive as the elusive solar device. The Man With the Golden Gun was adapted by Richard Maibaum and Tom Mankiewicz from Ian Fleming's last James Bond novel, which had to be published posthumously in "rough draft" form. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roger Moore, Christopher Lee, (more)
Gary Sherman's Death Line is one of those little-seen, long-forgotten 1970s horror films that's still championed by its core of fans. When the film was shown as part of a horror series at Lincoln Center in 2002, director Guillermo Del Toro (The Devil's Backbone) pronounced it one of his all-time favorites. In the film, Patricia (Sharon Gurney) and her American boyfriend, Alex (David Ladd, son of actor/producer Alan Ladd), find an important government official apparently unconscious on the stairs of a London Underground station. By the time they locate a cop to investigate, the body is gone. The sarcastically cynical Inspector Calhoun (Donald Pleasence) and his right-hand man, Rogers (Norman Rossington), take on the case. The culprit turns out to be a deranged man (Hugh Armstrong), the descendent of tunnel workers who were trapped in a cave-in and abandoned by the government at the turn of the century. "The Man" lives in the abandoned tunnel with his mate, "the Woman" (June Turner), and ventures into the Underground proper only to find hapless human victims and bring them back to their decrepit lair for food. When his mate dies, the Man goes in search of another. Put-off by Alex's lack of compassion, Patricia splits up with him, venturing into a train station alone, and before long, she finds herself in the underground hellhole. Christopher Lee makes a cameo appearance as an officious, meddlesome MI5. Much to Sherman's chagrin, his film was re-edited by the producers and released to American grind houses under the title Raw Meat. It was shown in Britain in its original form, under its original title. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 1973
In this horror movie, the new occupants of a British manor suffer several strange experiences that causes them to believe that the home is haunted by evil spirits. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1973
- PG
Alec Guinness plays against stereotype, imbuing his Adolf Hitler with an introverted solemnity in Ennio De Concini's Hitler: The Last Ten Days. Set almost entirely inside Hitler's Berlin bunker, the film chronicles the dying days of the Third Reich as the Allied armies close in on Berlin. Guinness's Hitler is an enclosed depressive who sinks slowly into madness, depression, and ultimately suicide as his 1,000-Year Reich collapses around him. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alec Guinness, Simon Ward, (more)
Peter Cushing took time off from his Frankenstein and Dracula duties to star in the standard-issue melodrama Fear in the Night. Cushing plays Michael Carmichael, the headmaster of a private school, where Robert Heller (Ralph Bates) is engaged as an instructor. Heller also indulges in extracurricular activities of an amorous nature with Carmichael's wanton wife, Molly (Joan Collins). Teacher and errant wife plot to drive Heller's wife (Judy Geeson) insane and thus induce her to kill Carmichael, thereby removing all roadblocks to Molly's happiness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
This historical drama is an account of the early life of Winston Churchill (Simon Ward), including his childhood years, his time as a war correspondent in Africa, and culminating with his first election to Parliament. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Simon Ward, Robert Shaw, (more)
- 1971
- PG
Jean Simmons is a housewife on a brief shopping trip to London. A young, unemployed lout (Leonard Whiting) who, seeing her on the inbound train, sets his sights on her, and tries to get a response from her as he chases her all over town. At one point desperate, he steals her purse so that he will be the one chased. Eventually, he breaks down her reserve and they are able to meet properly, converse, and get to know one another. A romantic energy has developed in their relationship as the unlikely twosome joins together briefly. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1971
- R
This melodramatic crime drama tells the story of homosexual gang leader Vic Dakin (Richard Burton), who likes a bit of rough sex with his petty criminal pal Wolfe (Ian McShane). Aside from payroll robberies, his gang is not above blackmailing sexually deviant members of Parliament. A Scotland Yard Police Inspector, played by Nigel Davenport, has been after his gang for years and does everything in his power to close it down. When one of the gang members, Frank (Joss Ackland), winds up hospitalized for an ulcer and looks likely to spill the beans to the police, some complicated shenanigans take place. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Burton, Ian McShane, (more)
The swan song for director Seth Holt (who died shortly before filming was completed), this stylish Hammer production transcends its low budget thanks to lush photography, a stylish look, and fine performances from the leads. The plot, adapted from Bram Stoker's novel The Jewel of the Seven Stars, involves an expedition led by Professor Fuchs (Andrew Keir) to find the cursed tomb of an evil Egyptian princess. Upon discovery of her sarcophagus, Fuchs finds her perfectly preserved, still-bleeding severed hand -- which also sports a dazzling ruby ring. Several years later, Fuchs gives the pilfered ring to his voluptuous young daughter Margaret (Valerie Leon), whereupon she slowly begins to take on the malevolent traits of its original wearer, seeking revenge for the defilement of her tomb. Though Christopher Wicking's adaptation of Stoker's obscure novel is a bit uneven, it still provides ample suspense and the production has an overall richness that captures the flavor of Hammer's other mummy projects. Remade eight years later (with less effective results) as The Awakening; traces of the same story can also be found in Universal's 1999 mega-budget version The Mummy. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andrew Keir, Valerie Leon, (more)
- 1971
An excellent musical score by the Bee Gees adds appeal to this curious little movie about two ten-year olds, Daniel and Melody (Mark Lester and Tracy Hyde) who are completely taken with each other and announce to their parents, in all seriousness, that they plan to get married. This marriage is not planned for the distant future, but as soon as possible. The uproar that is caused when their seriousness becomes clear is not too surprising. Their best friend Ornshaw (Jack Wild) is not too thrilled with their plan either. What makes the film work is that the entire story is told from the children's point of view in which the grownups' objections, since they have no relation to the truth of what the children are feeling, come across as silly or inconsequential. This film is a reunion of sorts for Oscar-winning Oliver! co-stars Mark Lester and Jack Wild ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Wild, Mark Lester, (more)
- 1970
- R
Like Socrates of ancient Athens, Michael Rimmer (Peter Cook) of modern England believes the key to success is to ask the right questions. Lots of questions. So he gets a job with an advertising agency that conducts polls, rises swiftly through the ranks, and eventually runs the agency. Then he bombards England with questions. His ingenious system enables him to predict the outcome of a general election. (Every voter in England had received a questionnaire.) So accomplished is Rimmer at asking questions that he finds his future wife through market research. To insure that he gets the right answers, Rimmer is not above manipulating the polls. For example, when he asks residents of Coventry their religion, 95 percent identify themselves as Buddhists, thanks to an influx of Rimmer stooges. Then he enters politics. In a short time, he gets himself elected to Parliament, becomes a cabinet minister and eventually moves into Ten Downing Street as prime minister after pushing the incumbent prime minister off an oil platform. By this time, every eligible voter in Britain can cast ballots with a television remote control. Alas, the electorate tires of the endless referendum questions that they must answer as part of their daily routine. This development serves only to catapult Rimmer to further success, for the people decide to place all decisions in his hands as dictator of England. So Rimmer keeps rising and rising and rising. And asking questions. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Cook, Denholm Elliott, (more)
This romantic drama concerns two star-crossed lovers who are half-brother and sister to each other. Catherine (Anna Calder-Marshall) is the daughter of the lord of the manor who falls for the brooding stable boy Heathcliff (Timothy Dalton). When Heathcliff leaves to seek his fortune, he returns to find Catherine has married the local magistrate Edgar (Ian Ogilvy). The story is told by the beautiful blonde servant girl Nellie (Judy Cornwell), who narrates at the beginning to set the stage for the picture. Hindley (Julian Glover) is Catherine's older brother who tries to take over the house and land after the death of their father (Harry Andrews). When his own wife and child dies, a drunken Hindley gambles away the family holdings to the opportunistic Heathcliffe. Filmed in England, the scenery is spectacular but this version lacks the foreboding, shadowy drama of the 1939 original starring Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Calder-Marshall, Timothy Dalton, (more)
- 1969
While visiting an antique shop, Tara is waylaid and chloroformed. Upon awakening, she finds that she has gone back in time to 1915, and that her name is Pandora (hence the episode's title). It is all part of a scheme hatched by a pair of avaricious nephews to discover the hidden location of their rich uncle's vast fortune. In the course of events, John Steed harks back to previous adventures with his former partners Cathy Gale and Emma Peel. Written by Robert Fuest, "Pandora" first aired in America on March 10, 1969, and in England the following April 30th. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
- PG
Gerald Arthur Otley (Tom Courtenay) is a British secret agent called in to investigate the murder of a suspected influence pedlar and document smuggler. He trails double agents and double martinis at a posh cocktail party before discovering the villains have the cooperation of top government officials in Parliament. Otley is pegged to masquerade as a possible defector to oust the criminal mastermind who plans to sell some stolen documents vital to national security to any enemy agent with the most money. Murder, blackmail and auto chases dominate the action as the femme fatale Imogen (Romy Schneider) first has Otley beaten up by her thugs before combining forces to go after the real villains in this confusing and sometimes funny spy yarn. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Courtenay, Romy Schneider, (more)
Bette Davis plays a wealthy one-eyed widow (complete with designer eye patch) who gathers her sons together once a year to celebrate the death of the husband she detested. Mama Davis couldn't be more castrating if her last name was Bobbitt: Her grown sons (it's been 10 years since daddy died) are essentially weaklings who seem to secretly covet the emotional stranglehold she has over them. When she can't exert her authority of her sons by normal means, Davis blackmails them with her knowledge of the skeletons in their closets -- and in the case of her eldest son, the women's undies in his dresser drawers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bette Davis, Sheila Hancock, (more)
- 1968
Director Anthony Mann's final film (Mann died during the filming, and the production was completed by the film's star, Laurence Harvey) is a kitchen-sink espionage drama with Harvey as Eberlin, a Russian spy and double-agent, homesick and pining for the Russian steppes. It is in this risky mood that Eberlin falls in love with the emaciated Caroline (Mia Farrow). Complications arise when he is directed to kill a Russian spy -- but the Russian spy happens to be himself. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laurence Harvey, Tom Courtenay, (more)
The Lost Continent is a crazy-quilt of a film, with chunks of several unrelated plotlines sewn together willy nilly. Eric Porter plays Lansen, the captain of a tramp steamer who has agreed to deliver contraband dynamite for a hefty price. His passengers are a polyglot of the good, the bad and the worse. Shipwrecked on an mysterious isle in the Sargasso Sea, Lansen and party find themselves prisoners of a bizarre inbred colony still governed by the long-abandoned edicts of the Spanish Inquisition. The film is no more coherent than the original Dennis Wheatley novel Uncharted Seas, but that doesn't detract from its endearing wackiness. To their credit, the cast members of Lost Continent play the script straight, which merely adds to the kinky fun. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Porter, Suzanna Leigh, (more)
