R.S.M. Brittain Movies

When the Soviet Prime Minister accepts a beautiful English bulldog as a gift from the British government, he has no idea that the dog has a highly sensitive bug in its stomach. This lively British espionage farce follows what happens after the dog becomes sick. It's a sticky situation, for if a Russian vet examines the creature, he will surely find the device. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Samuel Bronston produced this extravagant blockbuster, shot in Super Technirama 70. Nominally directed by Nicholas Ray (who makes a brief appearance as the U.S. ambassador), Ray was taken off the film and replaced by the more pliable directorial touches of Andrew Marton. Charlton Heston stars as Maj. Matt Lewis, the leader of an army of multinational soldiers who head to Peking during the infamous Boxer Rebellion of 1900. As the film unfolds, the foreign embassies in Peking are being held in a grip of terror as the Boxers set about massacring Christians in an anti-Christian nationalistic fever. Inside the besieged compound, the finicky British ambassador (David Niven) gathers the beleaguered ambassadors into a defensive formation. Included in the group of high-level dignitaries is a sultry Russian Baroness (Ava Gardner) who takes a shine to Lewis upon his arrival at the embassy compound with his group of soldiers. As Lewis and the group conserve food and water and try to save some hungry children, they await the arrival of expected reinforcements, but the tricky Chinese Empress Tzu Hsi (Flora Robson) is, in the meantime, plotting with the Boxers to break the siege at the compound with the aid of Chinese recruits. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

The British The Inspector was released in the U.S. as Lisa. Dolores Hart plays Lisa Held, a Dutch Jewish girl who has survived the horror of Auschwitz. Anxious to leave Holland for Israel, Lisa enlists the aid of Dutch police inspector Stephen Boyd. He does all he can to help Lisa, hoping in this way to atone for his unwillingness to protect Jews from the Nazis during the war. Terrified at the prospect of a barrage of interrogations before being granted a pass, Lisa flees Holland by "illegal" means, travelling from country to country en route to the Holy Land. The Inspector marked the next-to-last film appearance of Dolores Hart before she left Hollywood behind to become a nun. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Directed by American expatriate Joseph Losey, the British The Criminal is a gloom-wallow elevated by superb performances. Top crook Stanley Baker plans a clever bank robbery. It goes off hitchless, but the clerk responsible for "laundering" the stolen money insists upon a bigger percentage of the take, else he'll blow the whistle. Baker hides the money, whereupon he is turned over to the law by his ex-girlfriend, who is in cahoots with the clerk. Baker refuses to reveal the whereabouts of the loot, so his old gang arranges to have him broken out of jail -- and also arranges for Baker's "accidental" demise. Appearing as the greedy clerk in Concrete Jungle is Sam Wanamaker, who like Joseph Losey fled to England as a result of the Hollywood blacklist. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Dorothy and Campbell Christie's witty courtroom comedy/drama Carrington V.C. was given a classy screen treatment by director Anthony Asquith. David Niven stars as Major Carrington, a war hero who is "kicked upstairs" in peacetime. Compelled to use his own money for his expense account, Carrington becomes convinced that he will never see his money again; thus, he takes back the money from his department's funds without permission. For this gaffe in military protocol, Carrington is court-martialed. During the trial, Carrington's shrewish wife (Margaret Leighton) gets even for a wartime affair conducted by her husband by supplying false testimony. Though Carrington is declared guilty, the implication is that he is well rid of both his wife and his dead-end government post. Carrington VC was released in the US as Court Martial. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi