Keith Faulkner Movies

In a different type of comedy-drama based on a play by Mike Watts, director Peter Graham Scott looks at life in a British prison. Rainbow (Paul Massie) has just been sent into the slammer for a year for duking it out in a brutal fight over his girlfriend Wendy (Carole Lesley). He knows he is in for a miserable time of it, so much so that after being assigned kitchen duty he joins up with the rest of his co-workers in wheeling and dealing the food they can snitch for various sundries stolen from other parts of the prison's supply chain. This racket is well-organized, but one day its prime mover is framed and threatened with an extended sentence unless Rainbow can come up with a way to save him. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

An effective, low-budget crime drama about a bank robbery gone wrong, this tale begins when three men get together to plan the bank heist over a long weekend. What they do not count on is the presence of two cleaning women who tragically alter their plans. The thieves end up locking the bank manager and a female teller in the air-tight vault -- thereby dooming them to death by suffocation. After the thieves leave the bank, they agree that one of them should call the police and leave the keys to the vault next to the phone. But that plan is ruined when the lone thief is killed in a traffic accident. Caught between the desire to save the two people in the vault and the need to escape, the remaining two thieves are caught in a serious dilemma. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In this mystery, an Oxford archaeologist is murdered while investigating the Kytang Wafers, a valuable find. Not only is he killed, the wafers are also stolen. Now his former peers from the Oriental Research Institute must launch an investigation of their own. Meanwhile, Scotland Yard also begins its own investigation. The Yard detective learns from another that the perpetrator is a Korean-war vet who is working with a Kytang diplomat. The diplomat is preparing to kill the vet when the inspector appears and takes them both to jail. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Two excellent actors shine in powerful roles in this drama by Ronald Neame that pits one Scottish army colonel against another. Alec Guinness is Lt. Col. Jock Sinclair, a man who temporarily takes over command of a regiment until his replacement, Col. Basil Barrow (John Mills) arrives. Sinclair comes from the lower echelons of the social order but was at least able to work himself up the echelons in the military hierarchy. He is fairly well-liked though still a little rough around the edges for some. When Barrow takes over, the two men clash almost at once. Barrow is from the upper crust, went to all the "right" schools, and believes in discipline and then a little more discipline, as well as efficient and proper bureaucratic processes. The differences between the two men threaten to rupture the unity of the regiment, especially after Sinclair assaults a soldier he finds in the company of his daughter. Barrow opts to report his behavior, leading to a climactic series of events. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

The British-filmed The Blue Peter was released in the US under the title Navy Heroes. This was an oblique reference to the protagonist, a wartime hero played by Kieron Moore. Disoriented and aimless after the war, Moore accepts a job as a physical trainer at a school for boys. In helping these kids find their proper niche in society, Moore helps himself to find his own ultimate purpose in life. Filmed in color, The Blue Peter scores best in its exterior scenes, wherein we see the salutary results of Moore's tough but compassionate training methods. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A small Scottish island has never paid its mandatory road tax. This brings forth an investigating committee of Parliament members, including the formidable Ronald Squire. The committee heads to the delinquent Hebridean isle, where they succumb to the easygoing charm of the residents. Cowritten by director John Eldridge, Laxdale Hall was an adequate imitation of the Ealing farces (notably Tight Little Island), with an overload of whimsy in place of originality. out to the Hebridean isle to check into this breach of law. The film made it to the States under the title Scotch on the Rocks. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this offbeat spy drama, an opera diva is suspected of leaking classified information for enemy spies. To see if this is true, a talented policeman is engaged to go undercover as a chorus member. While there, he finds himself the object of another singer's affections. Trouble ensues because the diva also falls for him and the two singers become bitter rivals. Eventually the other singer proves that all suspicions were correct--the prima donna really is a spy. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Teddington Studios, Warner Bros.' British production arm, was responsible for the entertaining quota-quickie Mayfair Melody. Popular radio baritone Keith Falkner stars as Mark, an auto mechanic and aspiring singer who is discovered by spoiled heiress Brenda (Joyce Kirby). The heroine prevails upon her car-manufacturer daddy to sponsor Mark's entree into the world of grand opera. Through his modest and self-effacing example, Brenda becomes unspoiled and falls in love. Mayfair Melody represents another excellent directorial job from Arthur B. Woods, whose burgeoning career was cut tragically short when he became an early casualty of WWII. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi