Lindsay Duncan Movies
All that glitters is not Hollywood gold, Scottish actress Lindsay Duncan believes. Although she could easily command million-dollar paychecks for performing in big-budget American films, she prefers acting in new or vintage stage plays and in screen adaptations of classic novels. So she does Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Henry Fielding, and Oscar Wilde. But her loyalty to literary giants such as these is not without its rewards: She won the 2002 Olivier Award as best actress for her performance in Noël Coward's Private Lives, a 1988 London Evening Standard Award as best actress for her performance in Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and a 1987 Tony nomination as leading actress for her performance in Pierre Cholderlos de Laclos' Les Liaisons Dangereuses. However, she is not averse to accepting an occasional fun role in a major Hollywood film. For example, she was the voice of protocol droid TC-14 in Star Wars, Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. For her ability to bring to life characters of every description, whether futuristic robots or here-and-now reprobates, critics agree that she is one of Britain's most talented actresses.Duncan was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on November 7, 1950. After studying at London's Central School of Drama, she labored in mostly unheralded theater roles before graduating to television productions in the 1980s. These productions included On Approval (1982), Reilly: The Ace of Spies (1983), Dead Head (1985), and Traffik (1989). In the 1990s, well seasoned and ready for limelight drama, Duncan picked herself a bouquet of choice roles that put her on prestigious London stages, in movie theaters from Liverpool to Los Angeles, and in the living rooms of television viewers throughout the English-speaking world. One well-known production that exhibits her talents is the 1999 TV miniseries Oliver Twist, in which she portrays Elizabeth Leeford, a woman so evil that the devil himself would fear her. Duncan also appears in the 1999 film adaptation of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park in dual roles as the heroine's mother and drug-addicted aunt, in the 1997 TV miniseries A History of Tom Jones: A Foundling as Lady Ballaston, in the 1996 film adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream as Hippolyta and Titania, and in the 1993 TV miniseries A Year in Provence as the wife of author Peter Mayle. Her real-life husband, Hilton McRae, is also an actor. They have one son, born in 1990. ~ Mike Cummings, Rovi
When Amanda Price ($Jemima Rooper) discovers a secret passage in her bathroom, she enters the fictional world of her favorite novel, Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice in this comedy from director Dan Zeff. Soon her presence changes the story that she knows so well, and Amanda must correct everything before it's too late. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jemima Rooper, Alex Kingston, (more)
Season Two of the lavish, lusty British historical series Rome begins exactly where Season One left off, with the murder of Julius Caesar on the Ides of March in the year 44 BCE. The power struggle that follows is set in motion when, thanks largely to the machinations of Caesar's scheming niece Atia (Polly Walker), her young and callow son Octavian is announced as heir to the throne--infuriating Caesar's closest ally Marc Antony (James Purefoy). In the war that follows between Antony's "Caesarians" and Octavians "Liberators", there can be only one winner--but it is not until the season concludes in the year 31 BCE that the true winner is revealed. Amidst the intrigues of Rome's high-born power brokers, we never lose sight of the secondary plotline involving two lowly veterans of the Gallic wars, Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson) and Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd). Characteristically, it is the thoroughly hedonistic Pullo who thrives and prospers during this turbulent era, with each stroke of luck advancing his prestigate and wealth. Conversely, Lucius suffers spectacularly throughout season two, beginning with the death of his beloved wife and the distintegration of his family. The ultimate blow will not be dealt to Vorenus until the season finale, but in the meantime much is made of the fact that Gallo has aligned himself with Octavian, and Vorenus casts his lot with Antony. Though scrupulously authentic in its historical detail, Rome continues to successfully pinpoint the most "contemporary" aspects of ancient History. Especially notable this season is the series' depiction of Rome's small but ever-growing Jewish community, and the emergence of "Crip and Blood"-style gang warfare in the treacherous Aventine Collegium district. In a similar vein, after Marc Antony suffers his humiliating defeat at Actium, he retreats to the palace of his Egyptian lover Queen Cleopatra (Lyndsley Marshal), where the two lost souls wallow in debauchery--reminding more than one observer of the equally foredoomed punk-rockers Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Academy-award-winning actor Jim Broadbent portrays controversial British campaigner Lord Longford in this biopic that details the former government minister and then-House of Lords leader's notorious encounter with infamous Moors Murderer Myra Hindley (Samantha Morton). A lifelong Christian who approaches every person he meets with the goodness and innocence of a child, Frank Packenham (aka Lord Longford) receives a letter from convicted child killer Myra Hindley requesting that he drop by her prison cell for a visit. Despite the vehement disapproval of his wife, Longford casually accepts the invitation and forms an unexpected bond with the woman due in large to their mutual Catholic upbringing. When his established notions about Hindley are challenged during a subsequent visit with her demonically manipulative partner-in-crime Ian Brady (Andy Serkis), the humble social campaigner finds his faith put to the ultimate test as public outcry mounts as a direct result of his meeting with the despised couple. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jim Broadbent, Samantha Morton, (more)
- 2005
A fellow veteran, Mascius (Michael Nardone) approaches Vorenus (Kevin McKidd), now a magistrate, about severance for the 13th Legion. They are supposed to be receiving land. Vorenus asks Caesar (Ciarán Hinds) to act. Caesar, unwilling to give the veterans land in Italy, offers land in Pelonia. Told that this won't be acceptable, and eager to keep the former soldiers on his side, Caesar discreetly suggests that Vorenus bribe Mascius to persuade his comrades to accept the offer. Mascius reluctantly agrees. Caesar also invites Vorenus and Niobe (Indira Varma) to a dinner at Atia's (Polly Walker) home. When Vorenus responds nervously, Caesar tells him, "You shall get used to good society." The walls of Rome are filled with graffiti depicting Brutus (Tobias Menzies) murdering Caesar, and Cassius (Guy Henry) tries to convince Brutus to claim his family's legacy of fighting tyranny. Brutus initially refuses to betray his friend, but has second thoughts when Caesar, well aware of whispers and the power of Brutus' family name, suggests that Brutus rule over far-off Macedonia. Pullo (Ray Stevenson), now miserable and friendless, has found work as an assassin, but his lack of discretion gets him arrested for murder. At Atia's dinner, Octavian (Max Pirkis) suggests that Vorenus or Caesar himself do something to save Pullo, but Caesar points out the political implications such action would cause. Octavian acts on his own, sending Timon (Lee Boardman) to find Pullo a lawyer, but at Pullo's public trial, the crowd demands the brazen killer's head, and Pullo is sentenced to death in the arena. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lorcan Cranitch, Anna Francolini, (more)
The first season of the lush, lavish and frequently lewd and lascivious British historical drama Rome covers the years 52 to 44BCE, beginning with the return of Julius Caesar (Ciaran Hinds) from the Gallic wars and ending with the fateful "Ides of March". Though returning to a hero's welcome, Caesar realizes that he's stepping into a snake pit of deceit and corruption. The Patrician ruling class, worried that Caesar will make himself emperor and abolish the Republic, intend to strip him of his power. His scheming niece Atia (Polly Walker) is already undercutting her uncle by forcing her daughter Octavia (Kerry Condon) to marry Caesar's most influential nemesis, the aging Pompey (Kenneth Cranham). Playing one side against the other to keep Caesar at bay, Pompey proves so effective that Caesar must ask his friend Marc Antony (James Purefoy) to help him vanquish his foes, even if it means all-out civil war. Meanwhile, a pair of humble soldier, the virtuous family man Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and the hedonistic Pullo (Ray Stevenson), simply try to stay out of everyone's way and survive--but instead find themselves at Ground Zero of virtually every major historical turning point during the series' turbulent eight-year timespan. Pullo in particular spends much of his time squeaking out of one death-trap after another, somehow managing to enrich or aggrandize himself without even trying. His main contribution during Season One consists of taking Atia's callow son Octavian (Max Pirkis) under his wing, teaching the boy the ways of warfare and women. Eventually Octavian will emerge as the greatest threat against the pro-Caesar forces of Antony after Caesar's assassination--and thus the redoubtable Pullo has once more unwittingly altered the course of history. Not only was Rome an international success during its first season on the air, but the series also garnered an Emmy award for its American run on HBO. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ciarán Hinds, Kevin McKidd, (more)
- 2003
When journalist Kenny Brogan (Kevin McKidd) tries to jump start his career by interviewing a doctor who may be involved in an assisted suicide clinic, he doesn't realize that his rise to the top could be halted by dying family members of his own. His mother, May (Lindsay Duncan), reveals she has ovarian cancer, and Brogan could potentially be burdened with the care and feeding of his mentally impaired sibling. Directed by Alison Peebles, Afterlife also features Shirley Henderson, Paula Sage, James Laurenson, Fiona Bell, Julie Austin, and Antony Strachan. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lindsay Duncan, Kevin McKidd, (more)
An innocent dinner invitation and a dogged inspector's murder investigation upend the easy life of a charming but roguish Oxford tutor (Martin Clunes). ~ TV Guide, Rovi
- Starring:
- Martin Clunes, Julie Graham, (more)
This 2000 television adaptation of Charles Dickens' Victorian classic was originally released as a six-hour, three-part miniseries on PBS. Adapted by Alan Bleasdale, this version of Oliver Twist gives viewers a new look at an old story, waiting 90 minutes to even introduce its eponymous hero (played by Sam Smith), and taking pains to establish the background of Oliver's parents, good-hearted Agnes Fleming (Sophia Myles) and all-around coward Edwin Leeford (Tim Dutton). All of the resolutely Dickensian touches are here, from greedy relatives to secret wills, to stolen lockets containing valuable information, and all are ably brought to life by a talented cast that includes Julie Walters as Mrs. Mann, Michael Kitchen as Mr. Brownlow, Lindsay Duncan as Elizabeth Leeford, Marc Warren as Monks, and Robert Lindsay as Fagin. As an added bonus, the miniseries' score, by Paul Pritchard, contains additional music by none other than Elvis Costello. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sam Smith, David Ross, (more)
This 1999 British film pits idealistic overseers of a London photography collection against a pragmatic American entrepreneur exercising his right to evict them from a mansion he has purchased. The photo collection is one of the world's largest, containing ten million pictures which the staff files, maintains, and rents to various media. From an aesthetic standpoint, the collection -- dating all the way back to the beginning of photography in the 19th century -- is priceless. The key question is what will happen to it, for wealthy American businessman Christopher Anderson (Liam Cunningham) owns not only the building, but also the collection itself. After announcing plans to remodel the mansion into a state-of-the-art business school, he threatens to destroy all but the most valuable photographs because there's no time, according to his rat-race schedule, to find a new repository for them. Feisty curator Marilyn Truman (Lindsay Duncan) and her eccentric assistant, Oswald Bates (Timothy Spall), then hatch plots to thwart his plans. First, they "mislay" a selection of highly valuable photographs. When that stratagem doesn't work, Truman persuades Anderson to look at several stacks of the ordinary, less valuable photographs. These photographs turn out to be extraordinary. One set tells the poignant story of a Jewish family victimized by the holocaust. The images impress Anderson, but he refuses to alter his plans. Then Bates launches an ingenious scheme. Using his incredible "photographic" memory, he selects a few startling photos from among the millions -- photos that have a connection to Anderson's past. These photographs, and the secrets they hold, stun Anderson while demonstrating the variety and vastness of the collection. Will he alter his plans to save the collection? Meanwhile, Bates, believing his scheme has failed, attempts suicide, and the final moments of the film reveal whether Bates and the photos will survive. ~ Mike Cummings, Rovi
The wife of a kind but uninteresting preacher is scorned by her community for supplementing the family income by taking a job at the local grocery store in this drama starring Lindsay Duncan and based on the book by Joanna Trollope. Anna Bouverie's husband has been passed over for a job promotion, leaving her family financially destitute. Concerned that they will not be able to survive on the humble preacher's meager income, Anna decides to alleviate both the money issue and her personal boredom by accepting a position as a shelf stocker at the local grocery store. Largely mocked by the traditional-minded community for her benign act of independence, Anna soon begins to attract the attention of Cotswald Village's male population. Now, as the men in the small village begin falling in love with the beautiful married woman, Anna finds herself forced to choose between not only two men, but her commitments to her family and her own independence as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lindsay Duncan, Stephen Dillane, (more)
This four-hour, six-episode British miniseries, broadcast on Channel 4 in 1989 and in America on PBS's Masterpiece Theatre in 1990, provided the basis for Traffic, Steven Soderbergh's 2000 Oscar winner. Though Soderbergh and screenwriter Stephen Gaghan borrowed much of their plot and structure from the original, Traffik focuses on the European drug trade instead of the American one and utilizes England, Germany, and Pakistan as its major settings. One of the three primary plot strands involves Jack Lithgow (Bill Paterson), a member of the British Parliament, who discovers that his daughter, Caroline (Julia Ormond), is a heroin addict despite the fact that he leads the country's Drug Abuse Committee. In a parallel story line, Helen Rosshalde (Lindsay Duncan), the British wife of German drug smuggler Karl Rosshalde (George Kukura), must take over her husband's illegal operations after an associate turns state's evidence and Karl goes on trial. In the third interwoven segment, and the one that diverges the farthest from the plot of the American film, Pakistani poppy farmer Fazel (Jamal Shah) ingratiates himself to drug overlord Tariq Butt (Talat Hussain) in order to support his family after the Pakistani government, at the insistence of Lithgow and other British officials, cracks down on the subsistence-level farmers who supply the heroin trade with its raw materials. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bill Paterson, Julia Ormond, (more)
British retiree John Thaw and his wife Lindsay Duncan spend a Year in Provence in this TV miniseries. Each episode covers a single season of the couple's experiences in their new home in the south of France. Purchasing a 200-year-old farmhouse, Thaw and Duncan must undergo the usual rigors of restorations and adjustment. They also come to understand the fancies and foibles of their new neighbors, many of whom seem to be refugees from a Rene Clair musical. Most pleasurable of all, the couple is permitted to partake of eating and drinking experiences that they'd never dreamed of in their staid previous existence. A Year in Provence is based on two autobiographical novels by former London businessman Peter Mayle. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Thaw, Lindsay Duncan, (more)
- 1983
Two strangers with almost no common ground are stuck travelling across Europe together in this British comedy. Sally (Lindsay Duncan) is an ardent feminist from London who, with the help of two of her closest friends, builds her own car. Sally and her comrades are to attend a conference on women's rights in Germany, and they intend to drive the new vehicle there as a symbolic gesture. However, when the time for the symposium rolls around, her friends are unable to attend, and Sally doesn't care to drive that far on her own. Searching for a travelling companion, at the last minute she settles on Harry (Stephen Rea), whom she's told is a leftist gay man. However, Harry is not the person Sally thought he was; he turns out to be a bullheaded and thoroughly heterosexual football supporter who regards the women's movement as little more than a joke. Will these two make it all the way to Germany without killing each other? ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Stephen Rea, Lindsay Duncan, (more)
- 1980
This made-for-television British comedy is was adapted from the play by Frederick Lonsdale. Wealthy English widow Maria Wislack (Penelope Keith) decides to take beau Richard for a vacation on a Scottish Island, as a sort of trial marriage before going through with the real thing. While there, Maria and her friend Helen decide to spice things up by swapping their respective partners and the comedy ensues. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi
Made for British television by filmmaker Mike Leigh, Grown Ups is a detailed slice-of-life drama about a married, working-class couple in Canterbury, England. The film begins with the young couple, Dick and Mandy, moving to a new, rather small home and becoming neighbors to Mr. Butcher, an abrasive, ill-humored man who they once had as a schoolteacher. This rather awkward living situation soon becomes even more uncomfortable, thanks to the near-constant presence of Mandy's older sister, Gloria. (Gloria is portrayed by Brenda Blethyn, who 17 years later would win recognition and an Oscar nomination for her work in Leigh's Secrets and Lies.) Gloria's eccentricity and desperate, child-like neediness leads her to become increasingly dependent on the young couple, showing up at all hours and rarely leaving. Her behavior grates on the already sour Dick and comes to test Mandy's patience as well. When Mandy's efforts to politely discourage her sister's visits prove fruitless, the extended family is forced into a painful, emotionally charged confrontation. Leigh purposefully alternates the film's more immediate dramatic elements with careful, real-time portraits of daily life, giving equal weight to both traumatic arguments and extended conversations about home decor and vacuum cleaners. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- 1977
Fifty secret agents and civil servants, all apparently healthy and robust, have died of unknown causes over a two-year period. Steed (Patrick MacNee), Gambit (Gareth Hunt) and Purdey (Gareth Hunt) investigate the health farm where all of the victims had worked out before their untimely demises. Cult-movie favorite Caroline Munro appears as a health-farm employee who may or may not be in on the sinister plot. Clips from previous episodes of The New Avengers) are seen during Steed's drug-induced flashback. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Patrick Macnee, Gareth Hunt, (more)
Three A-list screenwriters -- (Nicholas Pileggi, Bo Goldman, and Paul Schrader) -- contributed to the script of this idealistic political drama. John Pappas (Al Pacino) is the popular, ethical Mayor of New York; Kevin Calhoun (John Cusack) is his even more idealistic and principled deputy. When a detective and mobster kill each other and an innocent six-year-old black child in a shootout, questions arise about what the cop was doing meeting with the gangster in the first place. The Mayor and his staff handle the situation ably, but Calhoun digs deeper and finds troubling evidence that even his seemingly incorruptible boss has not escaped the shadier aspects of political life. The Mafia boss (Tony Franciosa) whose nephew was the dead gangster, along with a Brooklyn political boss (Danny Aiello) with his own agenda, come into the story, becoming part of a series of larger links, secret relationships, and bonds of "honor" between men who, on the surface, would have no reason to be in business with each other. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi
- Starring:
- Al Pacino, John Cusack, (more)
- 1991
- R
Set in a 1950s-era American heartland of sprawling wheat fields and lonely old houses, The Reflecting Skin is British director Philip Ridley's fascinating and very strange investigation into the horrors of childhood innocence and fantasy. The film's mixture of gruesome subject matter, morbid sexual perversion, and disarming humor has spawned comparisons to the work of David Lynch, particularly Blue Velvet and the Twin Peaks series. Young Seth Dove (Jeremy Cooper) lives with his mother and father in a ramshackle farmhouse that also serves as the local gas station. After reading one of his father's pulp horror magazines, Seth convinces himself that Dolphin Blue (Lindsay Duncan), the attractive widow who lives nearby, is a vampire. When Seth's friend Eben is found dead (and sexually abused) in the family cistern, Seth is sure that Dolphin is to blame. The authorities, however, point to Seth's father, whose secret homosexuality -- and past affair with a young boy -- is a skeleton in the town's closet. Seth's father refuses to have the affair dragged into public view, and so he burns himself alive at the family gas pump, prompting Seth's older brother Cameron (Viggo Mortensen) to return home from a military tour. Cameron falls for Dolphin, and at the same time he becomes weak and begins losing hair. Seth takes this as a sign that Cameron is being drained of vitality by Dolphin, although it is suggested that his sickness is in fact due to overseeing A-bomb tests while on a ship in the South Pacific. Meanwhile, a roving gang prowls the country roads in a sleek, black Cadillac, and more children are found dead. It is not surprising that writer/director Philip Ridley has also published books for children, since watching The Reflecting Skin is a lot like reading a young adult novel, albeit a horrific one. Presented from a child's strangely warped point-of-view, this film should be appreciated by anyone looking for films far outside the mainstream. ~ Anthony Reed, Rovi
- Starring:
- Viggo Mortensen, Lindsay Duncan, (more)
When prison psychiatrist Bill Chrushank (Jeff Fahey) loses an arm in a car accident, he receives a revolutionary new transplant from an unknown donor, who is later discovered to have been a recently-executed psycho-killer. During his recovery, Bill is tormented by violent nightmares and aggressive new impulses -- and his limb seems to have developed a malevolent will of its own, acting independently and lashing out beyond his control. He eventually discovers that an artist named Remo Lacey (Brad Dourif) -- whose work is influenced by the same nightmares -- is the recipient of the killer's other arm. Before long, the same donor's legs turn up on yet another man, who harbors the same violent mood swings... and the inevitable "reunion" culminates in a violent, gory finale. Written and directed by Eric Red (based on the novel Choice Cuts by Pierre Boileau & Thomas Narcejac), this is a stylish and tightly-paced film (the harrowing car chase is a definite nail-biter), but the ball is sadly dropped by a weak script that discards the twisted potential of its premise (is the donor arm influencing Chrushank's mind, or vice versa?), lapsing instead into standard slasher-think. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jeff Fahey, Lindsay Duncan, (more)
- 1989
- R
This film deftly combines black comedy with sharp political satire. Set in a fictional Eastern European town called Waldheim, a place "where nothing is what it seems," the action is centered around a visiting king, in whom many people are very interested for a variety of reasons. Assassination and lust figure prominently on their minds. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Camilla Soeberg, Alfred Molina, (more)
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