Alun Armstrong Movies
Thanks in part to Alun Armstrong, the works of Charles Dickens enjoyed widespread exposure before television and theater audiences in the late 20th century. A longtime fan of Dickens, Armstrong performed in two highly acclaimed TV productions of Dickens: David Copperfield as Dan Pegotty and Oliver Twist as Mr. Fleming. In addition, he played the cruel schoolmaster Squeers in the Royal Shakespeare Company's stage adaptation of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. The production won four 1982 Tony Awards, including the award for Best Play, after it moved from London to New York. Armstrong also played Squeers in a 1982 TV production of Nickleby that won an Emmy and was nominated for a British Academy Award. Such is Armstrong's passion for Dickens that he turned down a role in a high-profile Clint Eastwood film to do the David Copperfield production. However, he has gratefully accepted challenging roles in many other high-profile motion pictures. For example, he played Mornay in Braveheart, Owens in Patriot Games, Corporal Davies in A Bridge Too Far, Lacourbe in The Duellists, and Keith in Get Carter.Theatergoers who have never seen Armstrong on the stage have been missing performances of the first rank. He was nominated for the coveted Laurence Olivier Award six times for work in such plays as Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, Arthur Miller's The Crucible, and Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. He won the Olivier Award as Best Actor for his performance in Cameron Mackintosh's musical production of the Christopher Bond play Sweeney Todd. In film productions, Armstrong helped Jonathan Tammuz win a 1989 Oscar in the category of Best Live Action Short for his role as Stefano in The Childeater. And in TV productions, he earned a Best Actor nomination from the Royal Television Society for his performance in This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper. Armstrong was born on July 17, 1946, in County Durham, England. Though his face may have once been handsome, it is now a relief map of crevasses that make him ideal for roles as Dickens characters. Such a countenance works well, too, for Shakespeare characters whose visages are etched with the hardships of living. Armstrong put his wrinkles to work in the Royal Shakespeare Company productions of The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew, The Winter's Tale, Troilus and Cressida, As You Like It, and Measure for Measure. Although never regarded as a famous actor, Armstrong has certainly been one of the hardest-working. Between 1999 and 2002, he performed in 17 productions, including two major films -- Sleepy Hollow and The Mummy Returns -- and a hit TV miniseries, The Aristocrats. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
It's late 1944, and the Allied armies are confident they'll win the World War II and be home in time for Christmas. What's needed, says British general Bernard Law Montgomery, is a knockout punch, a bold strike through Holland, where German troops are spread thin, that will put the Allies into Germany. Paratroops led by British major general Robert Urquhart (Sean Connery) and American brigadier general James Gavin (Ryan O'Neal) will seize a thin road and five bridges through Holland into Germany, with paratroops led by Lieutenant Col. John Frost (Sir Anthony Hopkins) holding the most critical bridge at a small town called Arnhem. Over this road shall pass combined forces led by British Lieutenant Gen. Brian Horrocks (Edward Fox) and British Lieutenant Col. Joe Vandeleur (Michael Caine). The plan requires precise timing, so much so that one planner tells Lieutenant Gen. Frederick Browning (Dirk Bogarde), "Sir, I think we may be going a bridge too far." The plan also has one critical flaw: Instead of a smattering of German soldiers, the area around Arnhem is loaded with crack SS troops. Disaster ensues. Based on a book by historian Cornelius Ryan, A Bridge Too Far is reminiscent of another movie based on a Ryan book, The Longest Day. Like that movie, it is loaded with more than 15 international stars, including Sir Laurence Olivier, Robert Redford, Hardy Krueger, Gene Hackman, Maximilian Schell, and Liv Ullman. ~ Nick Sambides, Jr., All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, (more)
- 1993
- PG
Monty Python's Michael Palin plays an Oxford don with acute female trouble in American Friends. While on holiday in the Swiss Alps, Palin crosses the path of American tourist Connie Booth and her adopted daughter Trini Alvarado. Both women express an inordinate desire for the bookish Palin, leading to profound changes in the lives of all concerned. Michael Palin insists that the plot of American Friends was drawn from an actual incident in the life of his own great-grandfather. The film unfolds like a good novel; slow on the uptake, but fascinating once it gets going. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Palin, Trini Alvarado, (more)
A misleading title and a different type of performance from Hugh Grant are two of the offbeat features of An Awfully Big Adventure. Virginal theatre fanatic Stella (Georgina Cates), who speaks with her dead mother by phone, joins a theatrical troupe in 1947 England headed by manipulative director Meredith Potter (Grant). Stella quickly falls for Potter, but he doesn't return her affections, driving her into the arms of the troupe's arrogant star, P.L. O'Hara (Alan Rickman). O'Hara eventually takes Stella's virginity, although she secretly remains devoted to Potter. More secrets of the troupe are revealed at the story's climax, although nothing is really resolved to any of the characters' satisfaction. Not quite a satire and not quite a drama, An Awfully Big Adventure is occasionally mean-spirited and frequently dour, which may just be a result of its subject matter. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, (more)
Based on a true story, Aristocrats draws back the curtain on an 18th century English family near the summit of society, revealing a tapestry of romance, prejudice, infidelity, and revolution. The three-part TV miniseries follows the four Lennox sisters, daughters of Lord Richmond, from youth to middle age and beyond. They go through marriages, children, scandal, and intrigue as they decide what matters more: position or principle. Part one centers on three of the daughters -- Caroline, Emily, and Louisa -- as they entertain ideas of marrying solely for love, an idea abhorrent to their snooty parents. But in spite of the folks' protests ("What will people think?"), Caroline marries an untitled politician, Henry Fox, about twice her age. Emily chooses, God forbid, an Irishman. But because of his wealth and nobility, he becomes acceptable. Louisa also marries a wealthy Irish noble. Part two centers on the fourth daughter, Sarah. After her debut in London, the diffident Prince of Wales (the future King George III) falls in love with her, but unexpectedly marries another for political advantage. Sarah then rushes into a marriage. But because her cold, neglectful husband cannot provide what she wants most -- love and attention -- she beds with others and the family ostracizes her. In part three, miserable, guilt-ridden Sarah finds true love with a decent military man and reconciles herself with the family. Meanwhile, Caroline dies, and social upheaval in America, France, and Ireland opens the eyes of the surviving sisters to new ideas, and they and their families become embroiled in struggles between the masses and the privileged few. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
The fourth screen adaptation of Anna Sewell's classic novel is, in some ways, the most faithful and accomplished. Screenwriter and director Caroline Thompson recounts the life of Black Beauty, an aging, handsome stallion living in Victorian England. The film is narrated by Alan Cumming as the voice of Black Beauty, who spends a happy childhood on a rambling country estate before being ravaged by illness and surviving a horrible stable fire. However, the worst is yet to come as Black Beauty's new owners subject him to life as a horse for rent and, later, as a taxi puller in working-class London, before he can retire in peace. The original novel was written to draw attention to the cruel treatment of animals in 1877 England, and the issue's continued relevance today adds poignancy and gravity to this affecting tale. The film is episodic, as was the book, and the topic is handled with sensitivity and care. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Bean, David Thewlis, (more)
Released in the US on cable television, Blue Ice stars Michael Caine as an older, tireder version of his 1960s "Harry Palmer" character (his name, in fact, is Harry Anders). An M16 agent-turned-nightclub owner, Caine is a man of steadfast loyalties. Thus he takes it personally when several friends from his espionage days are mysteriously killed. Caine investigates on his own, which brings him in very close proximity with enigmatic consul's wife Sean Young. Befitting the fact that Caine's character is a jazz fancier, Blue Ice boasts an evocative musical score by Michael Kamen, of Lethal Weapon and Die Hard fame. Watch for jazz great Bobby Short and an unbilled Bob Hoskins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Caine, Sean Young, (more)
Mel Gibson, long-time heartthrob of the silver screen, came into his own as a director with Braveheart, an account of the life and times of medieval Scottish patriot William Wallace and, to a lesser degree, Robert the Bruce's struggle to unify his nation against its English oppressors. The story begins with young Wallace, whose father and brother have been killed fighting the English, being taken into the custody of his uncle, a nationalist and pre-Renaissance renaissance man. He returns twenty years later, a man educated both in the classics and in the art of war. There he finds his childhood sweetheart Murron (Catherine McCormack), and the two quickly fall in love. There are murmurs of revolt against the English throughout the village, but Wallace remains aloof, wishing simply to tend to his crops and live in peace. However, when his love is killed by English soldiers the day after their secret marriage (held secretly so as to prevent the local English lord from exercising the repulsive right of prima noctae, the privilege of sleeping with the bride on the first night of the marriage), he springs into action and single-handedly slays an entire platoon of foot soldiers. The other villagers join him in destroying the English garrison, and thus begins the revolt against the English in what will eventually become full-fledged war. Wallace eventually leads his fellow Scots in a series of bloody battles that prove a serious threat to English domination and, along the way, has a hushed affair with the Princess of Wales (the breathtaking Sophie Marceau) before his imminent demise. For his efforts, Gibson won the honor of Best Director from the Academy; the movie also took home statuettes for Best Picture, Cinematography, Makeup, and Sound Effects. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, (more)
- 1996
Originally produced for the BBC and Masterpiece Theatre, Breaking the Code tells the life story of the famed mathematician and computer science pioneer Alan Turing, the primary designer of the Turing Machine, an early computer used to solve the German Enigma code during World War II, a solution many believe was instrumental in the Allied victory. The title refers to both the solution of the Enigma code and Turing's open admission to his homosexuality, which at the time violated not only the codes of polite society but British law. Hugh Whitemore's screenplay, based upon his play and Andrew Hodges' book Alan Turing: The Enigma, frames Turing's life as a puzzle, beginning in 1952 with the mysterious robbery of some of the mathematician's few possessions. The rest of the film travels backwards and forwards through time, providing associative glimpses of Turing's past and present, including his school days, his wartime efforts, and his post-war experiences. Discussions of his mathematical and logical work alternate with glimpses of his turbulent personal life, including his boyhood love, the unrequited attentions of his female assistant, and his later relationships with younger men, drawing connections between his theoretical work and his personal traumas. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Derek Jacobi
A distinguished cast highlights this made-for-TV adaptation of one of Charles Dickens' best-loved novels. Young David Copperfield (Daniel Radcliffe) is loved by his mother Clara (Emilia Fox), but does not get along with his foul-tempered stepfather, Murdstone (Trevor Eve). After biting Murdstone during a fight, David is forced to attend a boarding school operated by the vicious and humorless Mr. Creakle (Ian McKellen). After Clara suddenly dies, David is sent to work; while his labors are tiring and poorly compensated, he finds a benefactor in the good-hearted Mr. Micawber (Bob Hoskins) and his wife (Imelda Staunton). However, Micawber does not manage money well, and winds up in a debtors prison. Left to his devices, David sets out to find one of his few surviving relatives, his eccentric Aunt Betsy (Maggie Smith). The years pass, and the grown-up David (Ciaran McMenamin) has struggled to build a better life for himself, with the help of Betsy's attorney, Mr. Wickfield. David also becomes friendly with Wickfield's daughter Agnes (Amanda Ryan), but he finds a nemesis in the lawyer's clerk Uriah Heep (Nicholas Lyndhurst). David also marries a simple woman named Dora (Joanna Page), but their union brings him little happiness. David Copperfield was a co-production of the BBC and WGBH Boston. It received its American premier on the acclaimed anthology series Masterpiece Theatre. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Hoskins, Maggie Smith, (more)
Industrial Light and Magic special-effects wizard Stefen Fangmeier makes the leap into the director's chair with this coming-of-age fantasy concerning a young boy whose discovery of a mysterious dragon egg leads him on a predestined journey to become a Dragon Rider and defend his peaceful world against an evil king. Based on the best-selling novel by Christopher Paolini, Eragon tells the tale of the titular character (Ed Speleers), a humble farm boy living in the land of Alagaësia, whose life is forever changed when he discovers that he has been chosen to fight the most powerful enemy his world has ever known. Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, and Djimon Hounsou co-star in a film produced by Davis Entertainment and adapted from the novel by screenwriters Peter Buchman, Larry Konner, and Mark Rosenthal. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael A. Mehlmann, Ed Speleers, (more)
- 2007
Julie Walters and Hugh Bonneville headline this "Masterpiece Contemporary" production detailing the true life efforts made by one well-meaning but hopelessly overzealous village housewife to clean up the British airwaves. Britain, the 1960s: Caring Christian housewife Mary Whitehouse (Julie Walters) is watching the BBC, and she doesn't like what she's seeing. Incensed by the blatant obscenity of such programs as Doctor Who, Magical Mystery Tour, and Monty Python's Flying Circus, she organizes a grassroots campaign to confront BBC director-general Sir Hugh Greene (Hugh Bonneville) to get the offending programs taken off the air. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Walters, Hugh Bonneville, (more)
- 1999
Director John Strickland creates this gritty look at race and class in southeast London, as he focuses on a multi-racial group of youths who form a band called Greenwich Mean Time. Between gigs, the band members negotiate the currents of their lives, including girlfriend problems, an ill-fated venture into drug dealing, and sleazy record producers. As the film progresses, the narrative inches its protagonists toward a sudden bloody finale. The film features tunes by such noted Acid Jazz and Jungle figures as Talvin Singh, Hinda Hicks, and Imogen Heap. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alec Newman, Melanie Gutteridge, (more)
Get Carter stars Michael Caine as Jack Carter, a powerful British gangster out for blood. His brother has been murdered in Newcastle, prompting Carter to declare a one-man war on other racketeers. Carter must also get his niece out of the life she is leading as an actress in pornographic films. Now that he is a loose cannon, Carter must be eliminated. Get Carter is typical action fare of the 1970s in that there are virtually no "good guys" -- in fact, the assassin is probably the most likable character in the piece! Originally rated X for violence and female nudity, Get Carter was reclassified as an R after subsequent crime films became even more bloodthirsty. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Caine, Ian Hendry, (more)
French director Elie Chouraqui adapts the novel of the same name into this drama, that, although set in 1991, became tragically topical in the weeks before its release due to the murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Andie MacDowell stars as Sarah, a photo editor for Newsweek and the happily married wife of Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Harrison Lloyd (David Strathairn). Harrison has been reconsidering his career of covering the world's war zone "hot spots" in order to spend more time with his family, and is accused by his colleague, Kyle (Adrien Brody), of playing it too safe in his risky profession. Harrison elects to accept one more combat assignment to cover the simmering tensions in Croatia, a conflict that quickly erupts into a full-scale, genocidal Civil War. Informed that Harrison is believed to have been killed in the fighting, Sarah refuses to accept her husband's death and becomes convinced that she's seen him, alive, in a news broadcast. She travels to Croatia on a quest to find him, and is eventually aided by Kyle, as well as two of Harrison's other colleagues, Yeager (Elias Koteas) and Stevenson (Brendan Gleeson). The group, armed with cameras instead of weapons, witnesses the horrors and atrocities unfolding in the region, while tracing the elusive path of Harrison, who may well be dead already. Harrison's Flowers was distributed by Universal Focus, the art house division of Universal Pictures that previously released Mulholland Drive (2001) and Billy Elliott (2000). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andie MacDowell, David Strathairn, (more)
An estranged couple are brought back together as they run for their lives in a future world where science as well as emotions have gone haywire in this sci-fi drama from director Thomas Vinterberg. In the year 2021, the world seems to have become a very strange place; an unexplained ailment is causing children to drop dead on the streets of New York, ice storms and floods strike major cities without notice, summer is marked by periodic snowfalls, and a strange hole has appeared in the Ugandan sky that causes people to loose the grip of gravity and drift off into space. In the midst of all this, internationally known figure skater Elena (Claire Danes) is getting divorced from her husband John (Joaquin Phoenix) after an 18-month separation. John has arrived in New York City to have Elena sign the divorce papers, but after finally making his way through her entourage, he discovers her to be unhappy and out of sorts, and she asks him to stay. John soon learns that Elena and her staff have a secret -- David (Alun Armstrong), her manager, has had Elena cloned, and now there are three duplicates of her to stand in if she should be killed or injured. John's discovery puts both him and Elena in grave danger, and they are soon on the run from David and his underlings. Meanwhile, Marciello (Sean Penn) ponders the unstable state of the world as he flies from one place to another after a heroic dose of pills designed to combat the fear of flying. It's All About Love received its North American premier at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joaquin Phoenix, Claire Danes, (more)
Meant to be a whimsical sword-and-sorcery film about a prince out to save his princess from the jaws of the Beast, Krull has enough scenes borrowed from blockbuster predecessors (Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Robin Hood, Star Wars) and is gentle enough to be rather derivative, ordinary fare. Prince Colwyn (Ken Marshall) has inherited a kingdom under siege by the evil Beast, and not only has to rid the land of the monster, but he has to rescue his bride Lyssa (Lysette Anthony) from the Beast's clutches as well. In his magical land, horses can sometimes fly, medieval castles can harbor weapons that light up, and before he can defeat the Beast, the prince has to get his hands on the glaive (French for "double-edged sword"), a razor-sharp, magical weapon capable of killing the monster. One of the more notable aspects of Krull is that a 30-year old Liam Neeson plays the bit part of Kegan, in only his third full-length feature film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Marshall, Lysette Anthony, (more)
- 1995
Les Miserables: 10th Anniversary Concert at London's Royal Albert Hall features a concert consisting of the songs from the celebrated musical performed b a number of past and present cast members including Colm Wilkinson, Philip Quast, and Jenny Galloway. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colm Wilkinson, Philip Quast, (more)
- 1995
- NR
- Add Les Miserables: In Concert - The Dream Cast to QueueAdd Les Miserables: In Concert - The Dream Cast to top of Queue
Recorded live at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1995, this tenth anniversary performance of Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil's landmark musical features a one-night-only "dream cast" of Les Mis veterans. Colm Wilkinson reprises his original role as Jean Valjean, the hero imprisoned 17 years for stealing a loaf of bread; Philip Quast is his relentless pursuer Javert. Other stars include Ruthie Henshall as Fantine, Judy Kuhn as Cosette, Michael Maguire as Enjolras, Alun Armstrong as Thenardier, and the inimitable Michael Ball returning to the role of Marius. ~ Sarah Welsh, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colm Wilkinson, Philip Quast, (more)
Screenwriter Andrew Davies' adapts Charles Dickens' tale of struggle and hardship in 1820s London. Returning to England after many years abroad, Arthur Clennam (Matthew Macfadyen) sees a sparkle in the eye of diminutive young seamstress Amy Dorrit (Claire Foy). But "Little Dorrit" works for his mother, and in digging for the truth about the mysterious girl he winds up at Marshalsea Debtors Prison. There, he discovers that the specter of debt follows the object of his affections like an oppressive shadow. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Courtenay, Matthew MacFadyen, (more)
- 1991
- R
Screenwriter Hanif Kureishi marked his directorial debut in this slice-of-life chronicle about a collection of drug-dealing slackers in London. Centering on a band of delinquents calling themselves "the posse," the group is led by an ambitious male hustler named Muffdiver (Steven Mackintosh). His friend, Mr. Clint Eastwood (Justin Chadwick), begins to wonder about Muffdiver when he announces that he will no longer sell drugs for the gang. But soon Clint is wondering about himself, and after being beaten and stripped naked, he decides to go legitimate and look for a real job. He applies to a chic restaurant for a job as a waiter. The owner, Hemingway (Brad Dourif), promises to hire him if he comes back to the restaurant wearing a good pair of shoes. Obsessed with landing the job, he tries any way he can to get the pair of shoes. Impressed by the efforts of Clint and Muffdiver to get normal jobs, Sylvie (Emer McCourt), a drug addict who lives with the two, is inspired to leave the street life behind herself and pursue a more ordinary vocation. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Justin Chadwick, Steven Mackintosh, (more)
- 1994
Angus MacGyver returns in this made-for-television movie based on the popular TV-series. Richard Dean Anderson stars as MacGyver, the cool hero with a knack for creating technical gadgets to save the day. Here, MacGyver is in London for the birthday of his old friend Paul Moran (Nicholas Farrell). When terrorists kill Moran and kidnap his daughter, MacGyver assembles a team to avenge the murder and uncovers an arms-dealing ring involved with a nuclear weapons plant. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Lust! Greed! Passion! Shoes! In the first episode of a three-part "saga", the Bundys travel to England, having been invited to the country by the citizens of Lower Uncton. Little do they realizes that Lower Uncton has been under a curse of perpetual darkness since 1653--a curse that will be ended only when the last two surviving Bundy males are killed. Scheming historian Winston (Bill Oddie) and his henchman Igor (Steve Hartley) plan to bump off Al (Ed O'Neill) and Bud (David Faustino) the moment they set foot in Lower Uncton. . .while the populace of neighboring Upper Uncton plan to prevent this from happening so they can continue using Lower Uncton as a tourist attraction. Largely filmed on location in London, this episode features cameo appearances by series story editors Larry Jacobson and Stacie Lipp). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
In the second episode of a three-part story filmed in England (and subtitled "Wastin' the Company's Money), Kelly (Christina Applegate) is alerted to the fact that her dad Al (Ed O'Neill) and brother Bud (David Faustino) are doomed to die the moment they set foot in the village of Upper Uncton, the better to lift the "curse of darkness" that has inflicted the community since 1653. Meanwhile, the D'Arcys (Ted McGinley, Amanda Bearse) seem doomed to spend their entire British vacation looking for their luggage. According to several sources, a scene showing the Bundys looting their London hotel room was removed from the episode in light of the recent LA riots. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
In the conclusion of a three-part story filmed in England (and subtitled "We're Spending As Fast as We Can", the Bundys are trapped between two rival mobs on the border separating the towns of Upper Uncton and Lower Uncton. Slated to be killed in order to lift the "curse of darkness" imposed upon Lower Uncton in 1653, Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill) ends up in a joust, facing local champion Igor (Steve Hartley)--while both mobs wait until they tally up the profits from the concession stands before determining the Bundys' fate. Meanwhile, the D'Arcys (Amanda Bearse, Ted McGinley) somehow end up in a London B&D club. Someone looking like Queen Elizabeth II makes a cameo appearance in this, the final episode of Married. . .With Children's sixth season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
