Simon Russell Beale Movies
This made-for-TV British comedy begins at the turn of the century, as bumbling ironmonger Alfred Salteena (Jim Broadbent) meets a pretty girl named Ethel Monticue (Lyndsey Marshal) on a train and invites her to his London flat. Hoping to impress the girl, Alfred brags about all the "important" people he knows; swallowing the line whole, the covetous Ethel insists upon meeting Alfred's illustrious acquaintance. Enter Lord Bernard Clark (Hugh Laurie), a seedy nobleman who offers to train Alfred to be a social lion so that he'll be more acceptable to Ethel; what Lord Bernard doesn't tell Alfred is that he intends to keep Ethel for himself. Much of the humor arises from Alfred's experiences at a high-society "boot camp" run by an indigent aristocrat, the Earl of Clincham (Bill Nighy). The Young Visiters was written in 1890 by Daisy Ashford -- who was all of nine years old at the time! The book remained on the shelf until it was published, misspellings and all, in 1919, with a preface by James M. Barrie (whom many reviewers suspected of being the novel's true author). First telecast in the U.K. on December 26, 2003, the film won a BAFTA award for best original music. The Young Visiters premiered in the United States courtesy of the BBC America digital-cable service on November 2, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Broadbent, Hugh Laurie, (more)
The discovery of a strange religious relic may have something to do with the terrible dreams haunting a young woman in this stylish thriller from Great Britain. When a pit opens up in a small English town, the local priest, Luke Fraser (Simon Russell Beale), is startled to discover what appears to be an ancient church lurking beneath. Fraser asks a friend with a background in archeology, Simon Kirkman (Stephen Dillane), to investigate the ruins, and Kirkman is startled to find a series of striking realistic sculptures and an usual portrait of Jesus in which the savior turns away from the church. As Kirkman and his wife, Marion (Kerry Fox), are driving home from the site, they accidentally hit Cassie Grant (Christina Ricci), an American student who is crossing the street. While Cassie isn't seriously injured physically, she has suffered a blow to the head that's left her with a mild case of amnesia; Marion brings Cassie home to recuperate until her memory returns, and in the meantime, Cassie helps keep an eye on Michael, Simon and Marion's young son. Soon, Cassie begins having a series of vivid and disturbing dreams involving the people of the town suffering violent deaths. Kirkman and Fraser begin wondering if the church was buried on purpose (and if so, why) and if Cassie's nightmares are somehow connected to the discovery of the house of worship. Completed in 2002, The Gathering didn't see release until 2004, when it opened in France and Germany. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christina Ricci, Stephen Dillane, (more)
Originally produced for NBC television, this adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic features an impressive cast, including Miranda Richardson, Martin Short, Ben Kingsley, Whoopi Goldberg, Gene Wilder, Peter Ustinov, and George Wendt. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Rowan Atkinson returns to the role of royal scoundrel Edmund Blackadder in this hilariously skewered romp through British history. On the eve of the New Millennium, the latest incarnations of Blackadder and his eternal flunkey Baldrick step into a time machine, purportedly based on a design by Leonardo da Vinci. On a dare, the boys agree to check out a few historical high points -- only to become totally lost in time and space, bouncing back and forth (hence the title) from the Jurassic Period, to the era of Robin Hood, to the reign of Queen Elizabeth, back again to 1999, and back again "forward into the past." Several of the regular performers from the previous Black Adder TV series are once again in attendance, including stars Atkinson and Tony Robinson, Miranda Richardson, Hugh Laurie, and Rik Mayall. Produced for exhibition at England's Millennium Dome on January 1, 2000, Black Adder V: Back and Forth was previewed on December 6, 1999, and subsequently telecast on the Sky TV satellite service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, (more)
Author Anthony Powell's wildly popular series tomes are translated for the small screen in this sweeping miniseries starring Sir John Gielgud and James Purefoy. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
At least the 22nd time William Shakespeare's most famous tragedy has been brought to the screen, Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation of Hamlet was the first to preserve Shakespeare's entire text, uncut and unabridged. Moving the action into the 19th century, Branagh cast himself in the title role and, as in his adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing, assembled an eclectic group of actors that mixed veteran Shakespearean performers (including John Mills, Judi Dench, John Gielgud, and Derek Jacobi) with Hollywood stars not known for interpreting the Bard's work (among them Robin Williams, Charlton Heston, Billy Crystal, and Jack Lemmon). However, unlike most interpretations, it's the women who really carry the show, with the two best performances delivered by Kate Winslet as Ophelia and Julie Christie as Gertrude. As usual, Hamlet finds himself torn over what to do after the death of his father and his mother's hasty remarriage. Branagh's version of Hamlet was also notable on a technical level, as it was filmed in the 70-mm format for increased visual clarity and detail. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Attenborough, Kenneth Branagh, (more)
Adapted from what is arguably Jane Austen's most mature and subtlest novel, Persuasion is somewhat more nuanced and restrained than the more frequently adapted Emma and Pride and Prejudice. The protagonist, Anne (Amanda Root), is, by the conventions of society, considered an old maid when she remains unmarried at 27. However, a second chance arrives when her former love, Captain Wentworth (Ciaran Hinds), returns from the Napoleonic Wars. The pair, who hardly speak throughout, are surrounded by the usual assortment of family members, friends, acquaintances, and distant relations, many of them what pass for stock characters in Austen novels. There's the social-climbing parent, the dour upper aristocrat, the scatterbrained younger relatives, and, of course, the apparently suitable suitor who turns out to be all wrong. Of course, Austen's protagonists are never dumb, but Anne, being somewhat older, is also a good deal wiser, and the characters around her accordingly take on greater dimension and subtlety. Naturally, this being an Austen story, all ends well, but the path is somewhat less straightforward than in other films adapted from her work. ~ Genevieve Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amanda Root, Ciarán Hinds, (more)
Independent filmmaker Sally Potter's gender-bending epic, which views four centuries of sexual politics through the eyes of a sex-switching main character, is based on the 1928 novel by Virginia Woolf. The androgynous title character is played with delicate quietude by Tilda Swinton. The story begins during the reign of the aging Queen Elizabeth I (Quentin Crisp, in a droll turn recalling his The Naked Civil Servant). Queen Elizabeth takes a shine to the attractive young Orlando and seeks out his sexual favors. In return, Elizabeth grants him a large estate, commanding him, "Do not fade, do not wither, do not grow old." Orlando takes the queen at her word and doesn't. When Elizabeth dies, Orlando becomes attracted to Sasha (Charlotte Valandrey), the daughter of a Russian diplomat, but she rebuffs his advances. Crushed, Orlando accepts an ambassadorship to Constantinople. After witnessing the killing of a man in battle, Orlando undergoes a change of sex, becoming a woman and returning to England, where she hobnobs with 18th-century geniuses like Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope, and John Addison. Walking through a garden labyrinth, the time frame shifts to the 19th century, and Orlando falls in love with a handsome American (Billy Zane). Now in the 20th century, Orlando gives birth to his child and continues on. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tilda Swinton, Billy Zane, (more)
- Add The Double Life of Franz Schubert: An Exploration of His Life and Work to QueueAdd The Double Life of Franz Schubert: An Exploration of His Life and Work to top of Queue
Like Tchaikovsky and other classical geniuses, Franz Schubert buried a dark and somewhat disturbing lifestyle beneath a myriad of extraordinary musical accomplishments. A notorious rake, Schubert contracted such a severe case of syphilis that he endured a forced hospitalization, yet his difficult recuperation and physical suffering reportedly inspired some of his most glorious works. The documentary The Double Life of Franz Schubert: An Exploration of His Life and Work unflinchingly hones in on this period of development and growth in Schubert's life. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Simon Russell Beale, Jason Flemyng, (more)
