Mark Hadfield Movies
- 2009
This release from the Stage to Screen series, offering classic plays staged specifically for the High Definition camera, captures a performance of Volpone by Ben Jonson, recorded at the award winning Greenwich Theatre in London. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Bremmer, Mark Hadfield, (more)
- 2009
This release from the Wienerworld series, offering classic plays staged specifically for the camera, captures a performance of The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster, set in the early 15th century Italy, recorded at the award winning Greenwich Theatre in London. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Bankolé, Edmund Kingsley, (more)
This two-part British miniseries was based on a classic gothic novel by Sheridan J. LeFanu. Having inadvertently caused the death of one of his tenants, wicked Squire Fairfield (Derek Jacobi) adopted the dead man's daughter Alice (Naomi Watts). No sooner had Alice grown to womanhood that the satyr-like squire attempted to "have his way" with her. Escaping the Squire's clutches, Alice eloped with Fairfield's virtuous son Charles (Iain Glen) -- but she was not quite out of the wood yet, thanks to a series of disturbing nightmares, a wraithlike mystery woman, and the machinations of Charles' diabolical brother Harry (Jack Davenport). The Wyvern Mystery originally aired on March 5 and 12, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Naomi Watts, Derek Jacobi, (more)
- 1995
- R
When his professional career hits a lull, an actor attempts to revitalize his career by staging a production of Hamlet, directed by and starring himself. Director and star Kenneth Branagh would in fact release his own film version of Shakespeare's classic play a year later, but this comedy provides his fictional counterpart with far less in terms of production value. Lacking money and time, he recruits a rather motley group of drunks, incompetents, and oddballs, including a middle-aged female impersonator in the crucial role of Queen Gertrude. Given only three weeks of rehearsal, and an abandoned church in a remote town in the English countryside, this unlikely group nevertheless struggles valiantly to make theatrical magic. The film attempts to pay loving tribute to the madness that surrounds the staging of a play, with all of the backstage dramas, inevitable disasters, and unexpected triumphs, but the end result is often less amusing than it ought to be. The film was released in the United States under the title A Midwinter's Tale. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Maloney, Richard Briers, (more)
Director Kenneth Branagh's interpretation of Mary Shelley's classic horror novel stars Robert DeNiro as a terrifying monster created in an obsessive attempt to defeat death and stretch the limits of medicine in the early 19th century. With the use of flashback, a dying Dr. Viktor Frankenstein (Kenneth Branagh) divulges a tale of gruesome terror to a sea captain (Aidan Quinn): As a medical student, the rebellious Frankenstein elaborates on the work of a brilliant scientist (John Cleese), successfully bringing to life a "man" assembled from the body parts of corpses. Upon realizing the destructive consequences of his experiment, Dr. Frankenstein abandons the creature and attempts to return to a normal life with his medical partner, Henry (Tom Hulce), and his fiancée (and adopted sister), Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter). In the meantime, the nameless creature struggles with loneliness and rejection from society until he sets out to track down his creator in search of one of two things: a bride to keep him company or revenge. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) was produced by Francis Ford Coppola, who previously directed and produced monster-drama Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). ~ Lisa Kropiewnicki, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Kenneth Branagh, (more)
- 1993
- R
Set near the end of 1899, as a new century is due to arrive and many people struggle to keep up with an era in flux, this drama follows the goings-on at a medical clinic operated by Professor Mandry (Charles Dance). Mandry appears somewhat progressive to his top student and right-hand man, Paul Reisner (Clive Owen), given his willingness to hire women and blacks - but Reisner's unchecked enthusiasm for Mandry soon fades when he discovers Mandry's hesitancy to acknowledge the importance of Felix's work on diabetic disorders, and his willingness to propagate eugenics via the enforced sterlization of impoverished British women. Eventually, their disagreements lead to the younger man's suspension; Paul then turns to Clara (Miranda Richardson), a free-thinking young woman working at the clinic who shows tremendous professional and emotional support to him. Soon they become lovers, but have disagreements of their own regarding medical ethics. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Charles Dance, Miranda Richardson, (more)
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