Carla Challoner Movies
- 1971
- PG
Jean Simmons is a housewife on a brief shopping trip to London. A young, unemployed lout (Leonard Whiting) who, seeing her on the inbound train, sets his sights on her, and tries to get a response from her as he chases her all over town. At one point desperate, he steals her purse so that he will be the one chased. Eventually, he breaks down her reserve and they are able to meet properly, converse, and get to know one another. A romantic energy has developed in their relationship as the unlikely twosome joins together briefly. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Jack Sheppard (Tommy Steele) is the locksmith's apprentice who is forced into highway robbery when he is betrayed by Jonathan Wild (Stanley Baker). Jack runs for his life and takes to a life of crime. He is captured but breaks out of jail, quickly becoming the subject of lore, legend and song. The arrogant and popular Jack ends up heading for the gallows after taunting the King, the Lord Chancellor and a harridan aristocratic dowager. Wild tries to track down the elusive robber and collect on the reward like he has done so many times before in this dramatic adventure biography. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Steele, Stanley Baker, (more)
Sidney Poitier, who in 1955 played a student in a tough inner-city high school, portrays a teacher assigned to a similar institution in To Sir, With Love. Unable to find work as an engineer, Poitier accepts a teaching post in London's East End slums. To reach his sullen, rebellious students, Poitier throws away his textbooks and endeavors to reach them as human beings--and as the adults they're going to become. It's an uphill climb, but gradually the students are won over. They begin referring to Poitier as "Sir," not out of blind obedience but as a gesture of genuine affection. Not that there aren't obstacles to overcome: in addition to trying to get through to hardcase student Christian Roberts, Poitier must face down the resistance and hostility of his fellow teachers. The sweetly sentimental finale amply displays the vocal talents of Lulu, who trills the title song. Based on the novel by E. R. Brainwaite, To Sir, With Love was one of the biggest moneyspinners of 1967 (with this film, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and In the Heat of the Night, Sidney Poitier had quite a year). In 1996, a belated made-for-TV sequel was produced, briefly reuniting To Sir with Love co-stars Sidney Poiter, Lulu and Judy Geason, none of whom looked a day older. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sidney Poitier, Christian Roberts, (more)
One of a small cluster of creepy films to come from England's Amalgamated Studios in the late '60s, this lesser entry details the twisted practices of a deranged German plastic surgeon (Anton Diffring) who hides out in France after mutilating a patient and begins his work anew under an assumed name. Staying mobile by traveling with a circus troupe, Diffring offers his services to disfigured female criminals, who pay him for his services by joining the circus as performers -- and by catering to his perverse whims. Naturally, it's not long before the ladies' gratitude begins to wear thin, and they begin to plan their escape... only to meet horrible ends in carefully-orchestrated catastrophes while performing. Viewers may find themselves haunted by Gary Mills's "Look for a Star" several days afterward like a cloying advertising jingle; the performance of a rug-topped Donald Pleasence (as the show's former owner, who meets with a sticky end) is a nice touch. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anton Diffring, Erika Remberg, (more)
- 1958
In this youthful drama set in London, two rival gangs, the Battersea Bats and the Victoria Victors, feverishly prepare for the big soapbox derby. The former group has come up with an exceptional design that is rumored to be unbeatable and so the Vics set out to steal it. They engineer the heist so that it looks as if the car's designer swiped it from his own group. Fortunately, the Bats learn the truth, get their car back, and win the race. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Under the stress of wartime privations, a young Austrian boy is beaten by his Father, who threatens to sell his dog, a St. Bernard, to the butcher to help pay for food for the family. A kindly veterinarian and spinster finally take a hand in rectifying the situation. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Anna Neagle steps down from her expensive musical extravaganzas to play a recognizable human being in No Time for Tears. She plays the dedicated director of a busy children's hospital, battling red tape, family hassles and public indifference. A large and stellar cast appears in this episodic tale, dramatizing the triumphs and tragedies of pediatrics. An unfortunately predictable happy ending sends the filmgoers home without trauma. No Time for Tears came close to the end of Anna Neagle's starring career; she would appear in two more films, and produce two additional features, before returning to the stage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Neagle, Anthony Quayle, (more)
- 1953
This adventure, targeted for children, follows the exploits of two children on the Rock of Gibraltar who save the island's ape population and British naval ships from saboteurs. One of the kids is a sea cadet whose visit to the island is his reward for rescuing a pilot from a burning plane. The other is island resident Banda, whose father is stationed there. After they discover the terrible plot of the saboteurs the children report it. The trouble is, no one believes them. The ingenious children somehow steal the plans from the scheming rebels and show them to the authorities who at last believe them and thwart the plots. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
