Alexander Baron Movies
- 1987
Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray's once-controversial novel about the ambitious and amoral country lass Becky Sharp, has been adapted for British television on a number of occasions. This version, telecast by the BBC in 1987, was the most ambitious to date, running a full 16 half-hour episodes. Eve Matheson starred as the bewitching Becky, who rose to prominence in British society during the Napoleonic wars, only to crash and burn as a result of her own machinations and her predilection for loving neither wisely nor well. The 1987 Vanity Fair was later broadcast in America courtesy of the A&E cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eve Matheson
- 1985
"A Scandal in Bohemia" is the title of the first of a series of episodes of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes -- an excellent adaptation of a Sherlock Holmes mystery story, produced in Britain for Granada TV. In this episode, Jeremy Brett portrays the famed detective who, with the help of his companion Dr. Watson (David Burke), aids the King of Bohemia in recovering letters written to his mistress, the beautiful Irene Adler (Gayle Hunnicutt). This episode is unusual because Holmes shows considerable romantic interest in the intriguing Irene. This historically accurate series re-created the adventures of Conan Doyle's Victorian detective with impeccable faithfulness to the original story, sometimes to the extent of re-creating the illustrations which accompanied the original story publication in the Strand Magazine during the late 19th century. 13 of the Holmes short stories were adapted in this series, which was followed by two sequels, The Return of Sherlock Holmes and The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, as well as several TV movie adaptations. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jeremy Brett, David Burke, (more)
The second British miniseries adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist aired over the BBC in 1985. Ben Rodska essays the title character, a much-maligned orphan boy who, unbeknownst to himself, is heir to a vast fortune. Before finding this out, Oliver falls into the clutches of the delightfully wicked pickpocket Fagin (Eric Porter) and the wholly evil outlaw Bill Sikes (Michael Attwell). Other familiar characters include the insouciant street urchin Artful Dodger (David Garlick), the tragic Nancy Sykes (Amanda Harris), benevolent Mr. Brownlow (Frank Middlemass), and the aptly named Bumble the Beadle (Godfrey James). Running for six half-hour episodes, Oliver Twist was later shown in the U.S. as part of the PBS anthology Wonderworks. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Jane Eyre is yet another cinematic dramatization of Charlotte Bronte's classic 19th century romantic novel -- and at 239 minutes, the longest and most thorough. The familiar storyline traces the life of Jane Eyre from her miserable childhood in a bleak orphan's home to her assumption of a governess' post at the home of the mysterious Edward Rochester. Jane and Rochester fall in love, but their plans for marriage are blighted by the Terrible Secret hidden away in his attic. Only when total, devastating disaster befalls Rochester does he consider himself worthy of Jane's love. This 1983 multipart BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre stars Zelah Clarke in the title role and future James Bond Timothy Dalton as Rochester. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Timothy Dalton, Zelah Clarke, (more)
Ten years before Jane Austen's novel Sense and Sensibility was transformed into a lavish theatrical feature by director Ang Lee, the property was adapted as a rather less lavish but no less entertaining British TV miniseries. Irene Richard and Tracy Childs starred as Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, two attractive sisters from a prominent British family. When the Dashwoods go broke after the death of their father, the flighty Marianne and the more reserved (and, need we add, more intelligent) Elinor go on an exhaustive search for proper, and properly wealthy, husbands. Sense and Sensibility was served up in three 60-minute portions by the BBC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tracey Childs, Irene Richard, (more)
- 1967
Joseph Conrad's pioneering espionage novel The Secret Agent is perhaps best known to modern audiences via Alfred Hitchcock's 1936 film adaptation Sabotage. A less colorful but more faithful-to-the-text version of the Conrad novel was telecast in two 45-minute installments by Britain's BBC2 on July 8 and 15, 1967. Nigel Green starred as Verloc, a seemingly harmless London merchant who sidelined as an anarchist and a double agent for both the British and the Russians. Also in the cast was Rosemary Hill as Verloc's long-suffering wife, Vinnie, who was moved to a terrible vengeance when her husband's clandestine activities resulted in the accidental death of her mentally impaired younger brother. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1963
An epic and unusual anti-war drama about WWII, writer-director Carl Foreman's heavily ironic saga is loosely based on the novel The Human Kind by Alexander Baron. It follows the adventures of an American infantry platoon based in Sicily that participates in the invasion of France, marches into Germany, and remains there for the Allied post-war occupation. Interspersed during the nearly three-hour film are vignettes of silly newsreel scenes from the home front. These are contrasted with disturbing incidents from the war. George Peppard plays Corporal Chase, who has an affair with a woman who wants him to desert to help her run a black market business. He visits the wounded Sergeant Craig (Eli Wallach) in the hospital and finds that most of his face has been blown away. Sgt. Trower (George Hamilton) takes up with a woman who turns out to be a prostitute The plot is highly episodic, with characters coming and going. Originally released at 175 minutes, the picture was withdrawn from distribution and edited down to 156 minutes to place greater emphasis on onscreen action. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi
- Starring:
- George Hamilton, George Peppard, (more)
- 1960
A real-life incident became the basis for this highly fictionalized drama about a January 1911 confrontation between political anarchists and London police in that city's Whitechapel district that resulted in an infamous, blazing gun battle. Sara (Nicole Berger) is an orphaned Russian girl who works as a singer in a nightclub. There she meets Peter (Peter Wyngarde), anarchist leader of expatriate Latvians agitating for the independence of their home country following the failed revolt of 1905. At first, Sara is sympathetic to Peter and his cause, but she soon discovers that the rebels are using whatever means necessary, including robbery and murder, to raise money for their crusade, and that Peter himself has an overly pragmatic, callous attitude toward the taking of innocent life. The group's nefarious activities have attracted the attention of London police, and an inspector, Mannering (Donald Sinden) goes undercover with the anarchists in order to help bring them to justice. Mannering feels sympathy for Sara and befriends her, coming to understand her lonely attraction to Peter. The gang's violent onslaught continues unabated and results in a raid that pits gang members against hundreds of armed police. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Donald Sinden, Nicole Maurey, (more)
- 1957
One of several feature film versions of the late 19th century novel by Rolf Boldrewood, this frontier adventure is set not in the Wild West of the U.S., but in the equally untamed Australian Outback of the same era. Two brothers, Jim (David McCallum) and Dick Marsten (Ronald Lewis) follow in their father's footsteps by leaving home to seek adventure as gunfighters. They become outlaws in the roving band led by stylish Captain Starlight (Peter Finch), who leads them on a series of escapades robbing banks and rustling cattle. Though they find the excitement and romance they craved, the Marstens soon become disillusioned with a life on the run and begin to wish that they could resume the mantle of honest, hard-working citizens. Unfortunately, events transpire to put the entire Starlight gang out of operation before the brothers can recommence their formerly law-abiding ways. Produced by Britain's Rank Organization, Robbery Under Arms (1957) was followed by a television series remake in 1985 and a handful of other films set against the colorful backdrop of the Australian frontier, including The Man from Snowy River (1982) and Quigley Down Under (1990). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Finch, Ronald Lewis, (more)
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