Derek Marlowe Movies
British author Derek Marlowe is best remembered for his premiere novel A Dandy in the Aspic. The book was made into a film in 1968. Marlowe adapted his book Echoes of Celandine in the film The Disappearance (1977). He won an Emmy for penning the BBC miniseries The Search for the Nile. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1997
Three years after the cancellation of her popular series Murder She Wrote, Angela Lansbury returns for the first of several TV-movie followups to that selfsame series. Once again, Lansbury is cast as Jessica Fletcher, best-selling mystery writer and amateur sleuth. As indicated by the film's title, Hitchcock references abound in the plotline, beginning when a lady vanishes on the train that Jessica is taking to El Paso to deliver a lecture. Helpful Jessica accepts a message for the mystery woman, whereupon she is attacked by an assailant in search of "it." Our heroine is rescued by a journalist who may not be a journalist, then when attempting to ascertain the missing woman's whereabouts Jessica is warned to mind her own business by a guy identifying himself as an FBI agent. Inasmuch as such warnings have never stopped Jessica in the past, she follows the trail of clues to the desert town of Agua Verde, Arizona, adopting a few aliases alng the way. The climax is an echo of Hitch's The 39 Steps, wherein Jessica not only solves the mystery but also unmasks the Least Likely Suspect (or in this case, Least Likely Suspects). Produced and directed by Angela Lansbury's sons, Murder She Wrote: South by Southwest first aired November 2, 1997 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
A made for TV, two-part series, this is the story of a Southern attorney who suddenly finds himself embroiled in politics, a particularly controversial murder trial and a public battle with a vindictive journalist -- all at the same time. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corbin Bernsen, Mel Harris, (more)
- 1987
Claudette Colbert made her first screen appearance in 25 years in the 2-part TV movie The Two Mrs. Grenvilles. The story involves social-climbing actress (read: "chorus girl") Ann-Margret, who marries American-aristocrat naval ensign Stephen Collins, the son of Ms. Colbert (the two female stars, you see, are the "two Mrs. Grenvilles"). Try as she might, Ann-Margret can neither assimilate herself to her husband's lifestyle, nor overcome the animosity of her mother-in-law. Collins starts cheating on his new wife....and before long, Ann-Margret is standing trial for the fatal shooting of her husband. Marvin Hamlisch wrote the music for the sumptuously stylish The Two Mrs. Grenvilles, which was based on novelist Dominick Dunne's a clef rehashing of the 1955 murder of Long Island millionaire William Woodward Jr. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Adapted from the best-selling novel by British author and former politician Jeffrey Archer, the ten-part television series First Among Equals spans twenty years in the lives of four members of Parliament who are each intent on becoming Prime Minster. As the years pass and the rivalries intensify, the viewer gets a tantalizing glimpse into the wood paneled clubs and well-appointed drawing rooms where careers are made and broken in a series of highly clandestine back-room deals. James Faulkner, Tom Wilkinson, Jeremy Child, and David Robb star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1985
In "The Resident Patient," an episode of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (an excellent adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and produced in Britain for Granada TV), Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett), aided by his companion Dr. Watson (David Burke), investigates the suspicious disappearance of a father and son. This exciting series, which is impeccably faithful to the original stories, will please even the most critical of Holmes fans because of its accurate dramatization of Victorian England. This series was followed by The Return, The Casebook, and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, as well as several feature-length TV movie adaptations. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeremy Brett, David Burke, (more)
- 1985
"The Greek Interpreter" is an episode of the television series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, an excellent adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories, produced in Britain for Granada TV. In this episode directed by Alan Grint,Jeremy Brett portrays the famed detective, aided by his companion Dr. Watson (David Burke). Holmes is also aided by his brother, Mycroft (Charles Gray), in his investigation. This episode, written by Derek Marlow, is a faithful adaptation of the original story first published in the Strand Magazine during the late 19th century. This series was followed by several sequels, as well as four feature-length TV movie adaptations. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeremy Brett, David Burke, (more)
- 1984
Jeremy Brett stars as Conan Doyle's immortal consulting detective Sherlock Holmes in this television mystery series. Originally telecast on the BBC, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes made its American premiere in 1984 as part of PBS' Mystery anthology series. David Burke costars as Dr. Watson, while Rosalie Williams occasionally pops in as Holmes' housekeeper Mrs. Hudson. Series one and two ran in 1984 and 1985 as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, series three and four in 1986 and 1987 as The Return of Sherlock Holmes, series five and six in 1991 and 1992 as The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, and the seventh series in 1994 as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeremy Brett
Anthony Hopkins essayed the title role in the four-part British miniseries A Married Man. During his annual holiday, contentedly married barrister John Strickland (Hopkins) found himself casually entering into a brief extramarital affair. As noted by author Piers Paul Read, upon whose novel the miniseries was based, to fully understand the disastrous events following Strickland's indiscretion, one must have a basic knowledge of the English Legal Profession. By the time the story had ended, there was nary a viewer who didn't possess that knowledge. Co-produced by Channel 4 and London Weekend Television, A Married Man first aired in 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Hopkins, Ciaran Madden, (more)
- 1983
This made-for-TV remake of the Alfred Hitchcock adventure stars Patrick McGoohan as the head of a crew of smugglers; Jane Seymour plays his niece, who discovers the secret history of the title inn. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1982
The life and times of Britain's first female Member of Parliament are dramatically chronicled in this British miniseries. Lisa Harrow stars as Virginia-born Nancy Langhorne, who married into American aristocracy when she became the wife of the wealthy, influential, and chronically unfaithful Robert Gould Shaw (Pierce Brosnan). Although this union, and her later marriage to William Waldorf Astor (James Fox), could have easily permitted her to live the life of a pampered dowager, Nancy chose instead to follow her second husband's lead by entering politics, championing causes that were "unpopular" with her own social set, but which endeared her to the poor, downtrodden, and disenfranchised. Highlights of this nine-part miniseries included Lady Astor's ongoing prickly relationships with such political foes as Winston Churchill, her personal travails with her bibulous son, Bobby (Nigel Havers), and her famous query to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin: "When are you going to stop killing people?" First broadcast by BBC2 from February 10 to April 7, 1982, Nancy Astor subsequently aired in America (this time as an eight-parter) as a component of the PBS anthology Masterpiece Theatre beginning April 15, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Following up 1975's Golden Bear-winning Overlord, director Stuart Cooper delivered this 1977 psychological thriller starring Donald Sutherland as contract killer Jay Mallory. When his wife goes missing, Mallory finds that his distress is starting to affect his work. The plot thickens when he begins to suspect that his latest assignment is connected to her disappearance. With a supporting cast headed up by Christopher Plummer and John Hurt, The Disappearance was written by Paul Mayersberg who would go on to pen the screenplay for Mike Hodges' critically acclaimed Croupier. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 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)
