Jonathan Coy Movies
- 1999
Originally telecast by the BBC in 1999, Trial by Fire served as the unofficial pilot film for the Helen West mystery series, based on the novels by Frances Fyfield. Moving from London to the supposed tranquility of the suburbs, prosecutor Helen West (Juliet Stevenson) and her police-chief boyfriend, Geoffrey Bailey (Jim Carter), don't find very much peace and quiet. In fact, things are almost as bad as in the big city, what with spousal abuse, kleptomania, and murder running amok. Much against her will, Helen is drawn into the intrigues of her new murder -- and by extension, so is Geoffrey, who totally disagrees with Helen's deductions. Trial by Fire aired in the U.S. as an episode of the PBS Mystery! anthology on February 24, 2000; in the subsequent Helen West series, the roles of Helen and Geoffrey were respectively played by Amanda Burton and Conor Mullen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Juliet Stevenson, Jim Carter, (more)
The wife of a kind but uninteresting preacher is scorned by her community for supplementing the family income by taking a job at the local grocery store in this drama starring Lindsay Duncan and based on the book by Joanna Trollope. Anna Bouverie's husband has been passed over for a job promotion, leaving her family financially destitute. Concerned that they will not be able to survive on the humble preacher's meager income, Anna decides to alleviate both the money issue and her personal boredom by accepting a position as a shelf stocker at the local grocery store. Largely mocked by the traditional-minded community for her benign act of independence, Anna soon begins to attract the attention of Cotswald Village's male population. Now, as the men in the small village begin falling in love with the beautiful married woman, Anna finds herself forced to choose between not only two men, but her commitments to her family and her own independence as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lindsay Duncan, Stephen Dillane, (more)
Nathaniel Parker plays Desmond Thane, a young journalist in 1939 London. Much against his will, the wide-eyed Thane becomes embroiled in a murder case. Though the constabulary insists that everything is under control, Thane can't shake the feeling that something bigger is at stake. He suspicions are confirmed when several strangers with foreign accents and short tempers express an interest in the diary he has in his possession. Originally telecast on British television in 1989, Never Come Back premiered in the US over the A&E cable network on December 13, 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Stuart Orme directed this charming children's adventure-fantasy based on the book by Joan Aiken. Set during the imaginary reign of King James III, sometime in the last century, the story takes place in the snowbound and wolf-infested North Yorkshire countryside in England. The tale centers upon two children -- Bonnie (Emily Hudson) and Sylvia (Aleks Darowska) -- and how they attempt to foil a sinister plot by their evil governess Slighcarp (Stephanie Beacham). ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephanie Beacham, Mel Smith, (more)
Northanger Abbey was filmed in England and first telecast in the U.S. on December 2, 1987. This 90-minute adaptation of Jane Austen's 1818 novel incorporates the author's usual interconnecting themes of true love and acquisition of wealth, and tosses in a little Gothic mystery for good measure. Katherine Schlesinger stars as the 17-year-old heroine, who has been encouraged to seek out a suitably rich husband while on holiday in Bath. She finds the love of her life, and also more excitement than she ever dreamt possible. Veteran British movie personality Googie Withers is cast as a mercenary matron. Northanger Abbey was PBS' second Masterpiece Theatre presentation of the 1987-88 season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Katherine Schlesinger, Peter Firth, (more)
- 1986
The romantic drama Maschenka is a loose adaptation of a novel by Vladimir Nabokov done in a style reminiscent of a Merchant-Ivory production. Ganin (Cary Elwes) is a Russian refugee fleeing the 1917 Revolution who, at his Berlin boardinghouse, recalls his love for the beautiful Maschenka (Irina Brook). He soon leans what has become of her: she has married Alfyrov, a boarder at the same Berlin residence Ganin is staying at, and she is on her way to rejoin her husband. This knowledge, and the incessant recitation of his memories of old Russia by another boarder (Freddie Jones) send him into a state of reverie. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cary Elwes, Irina Brook, (more)
This TV adaptation of George Elliot's 1861 novel Silas Marner was one of the rare single-episode presentations of PBS' Masterpiece Theatre. Ben Kingsley plays Silas Marner, who after being falsely accused of a crime and banished from his own town, becomes a miserly recluse in the small British community of Raveloe. When his precious cache of money is stolen by the town wastrel (Jonathan Coy) Silas can see no reason for going on with life. He is transformed from misanthrope to rehabilitated human being through the love of Eppie, an orphaned child left in his care. Patsy Kensit is featured as the grown-up Eppie. Originally taped in 1985 for the BBC, Silas Marner was first shown in the US on March 15, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Kingsley, Jenny Agutter, (more)
