Lalla Ward Movies
A poor commoner and a young prince each find out how the other half lives in this adventure story based on the classic tale by Mark Twain. Tom Canty (Mark Lester) is a young man from a laboring family who bears a striking resemblance to Prince Edward (also played by Lester), the son of King Henry VIII (Charlton Heston) and heir to his throne. Tom and Edward meet by chance, and they decide to exchange places briefly as a lark; Edward will get to live as an ordinary boy, and Tom will be able to enjoy the perks of royalty. But the two are separated before they can let everyone in on the joke, and Tom discovers as he pretends to be Price Edward that the castle is awash in corruption. Originally released as Crossed Swords, The Prince and the Pauper also features Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch, George C. Scott, and Rex Harrison. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch, (more)
Based on a novel by Joan Hemingway and Paul Bonnecarrere, Rosebud opens with five young women vacationing aboard a luxurious yacht called the Rosebud. All five of the women are the daughters of wealthy and powerful men; one of them is the daughter of an influential American senator. Their vacation is shortlived, however, as the Rosebud has been targeted by a group of Middle Eastern terrorists who kidnap the girls and hold them as hostages until their demands are met. Quickly alerted to the situation is reporter Larry Martin (Peter O'Toole), who it turns out is really an agent for the CIA. Martin enlists the aid of agents from Israel and West Germany, as well as a strange Islamic Englishman who, as he is working to destroy Israel, would seem to be on the side of the terrorists. Martin has his work cut out for him, as he must rescue the hostages quickly and with no injury coming to any of them. Adapted by Eric Lee Preminger for his father, director Otto Preminger, Rosebud was initially set to star Robert Mitchum, who left or was fired after experiencing one of the director's customary heated confrontations. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter O'Toole, Richard Attenborough, (more)
In this British drama, a young socialite begins to have doubts about her upcoming marriage to a young nobleman after she encounters a sexually free woman and a spirited American traveler who provide her with a broader view of the world. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Based on a novel by Graham Greene that uses the rise of Nazi Germany as its backdrop, this drama stars Michael York as Anthony Farrant, an idealistic young British businessman. On his way home after a trip to the Far East, Anthony takes a friend up on her advice and makes a stop in Germany, where he calls upon Erich Krogh (Peter Finch), a highly successful financier. While Anthony was taught to value fairness and decency, he soon falls under Erich's spell, in which opportunism, corruption, and decadence hold sway. England Made Me was filmed in Yugoslavia, doubling for both Germany and France; Tony Wollard's art direction was nominated for a British BAFTA Award. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Finch, Michael York, (more)
Though not as widely known as Hammer's popular Dracula and Frankenstein series, this is one of the studio's more stylish and intelligent projects. The tale is set in 17th century Serbia in the tiny burg of Stettel, whose residents live in fear of an encroaching plague. The frightened villagers welcome the arrival of a colorful traveling troupe dubbed "Circus of Nights," unaware that the visiting entertainers pose a far more deadly threat: the entire company is composed of shape-shifting vampires capable of transforming themselves into animals to stalk their prey. The group's leader, the most powerful monster of the bunch, has returned to the village to exact revenge on those who murdered his cousin one hundred years earlier. Less a standard Hammer monster melodrama than a surreal journey through dark fantasy (reminiscent of Jean Rollin's erotic vampire series), with an unexpected (but not entirely inappropriate) surplus of nudity and bloodletting. The film's creepy highlights include the chilling extended prologue and scenes of vampire trapeze performers transforming into bats in mid-leap. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide











