David P. Dawson Movies
- 2009
- NR
Juliet Stevenson (Truly, Madly, Deeply) narrates this straightforward documentary account of the life of composer Ludwig von Beethoven, covering all the major highlights from his birth in 1770 through his death in 1827. Writer-director Phil Grabsky skirts around the option of dramatic period reenactments, and instead opts for an impressionistic approach. He builds much of the film around the basic foundational material of interviews and studio performances of the great man's work by artists including Ronald Brautigam, Emanuel Ax, and The Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Grabsky also offsets Stevenson's traditional chronicle of Beethoven's life with letters from the composer, read by David Dawson, that unveil an intense and almost belligerent side to the musical giant, leavened with offbeat humor. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Juliet Stevenson, David P. Dawson, (more)
In Eran Palatnik's The Rook, Martin Donovan plays John Abbott, a religious detective investigating the murder of a young woman named Wain Shepard. He travels to the village of Sutheridge in a horse-drawn carriage and meets Police Chief Bob Brice (John A. MacKay), who shows him the body. There is sand under her nails, she's bald, and her stomach bears an odd design, a spiral with crosses. In her room, there is a picture of Abbott himself, with another note, "Beware, beware, the circle in the square." The rest of the film is rife with codes, ambiguous messages, and cryptograms, each more puzzling than the last. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Donovan, John A. MacKay, (more)
- 1989
Premiering on NBC in 1989 and continuing for five seasons, Quantum Leap gained a cult following for its ability to balance the qualities of science fiction with the hour-long television drama format. Each episode features a different adventure as Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) leaps through time, into different bodies, hoping to someday leap home. Along the way, Sam rights wrongs of the past with help from his hologram companion, Al (Dean Stockwell). In Quantum Leap: Pilot - 1956 viewers are able to see where it all began. Despite the fact that it isn't ready to be tested, Sam chooses to try out the accelerator and leaps into the body of a test pilot with little of his memory intact. After saving the pilot's family, Sam leaps, but rather than leaping back into the accelerator, he finds himself inhabiting the body of a minor league baseball player in 1968 with the task of winning the last game of the season. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Bakula, Dean Stockwell, (more)
- 1984
Jane Fonda stars in this made-for-TV movie, which uses the backdrop of World War II and urbanization to tell the story of one woman's fight to keep her family together. Gertie Nevels (Fonda), the wife of a Kentucky sharecropper, wants nothing more than to one day own her own farm. Thriftily hiding her savings from husband Clovis (Levon Helm), she prepares to make her dream come true -- until Clovis summons her to come join him in Detroit, where he's gone to work in a factory to help with the war effort. Arriving with her children in tow, Gertie finds Clovis all settled into a tenement-like block house and living the life of a union man. Soon, though, the downside of urban life -- from monstrous neighbors and repressive schools to the pitfalls of the industrial landscape itself -- threaten Gertie's family both individually and as a whole. Despite Clovis' freewheeling way with money and his propensity to blame her for the family's problems, Gertie continues to save money. A lifelong whittler, she begins selling hand-crafted wooden dolls, and when the union goes on strike, Gertie finds herself supporting the family. Adapted from Harriet Arnow's novel by Hume Cronyn and Susan Cooper, who would go on to collaborate on the similarly themed Foxfire in 1987, The Dollmaker was directed by feature and TV veteran Daniel Petrie. It debuted on ABC on May 13, 1984, and earned Fonda an Emmy for her work. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
