Gretchen Franklin Movies
Ray Davies, leader of the group The Kinks and one of the most well-respected songwriters in the history of British rock, made his directorial debut with this film produced for British television. A man (played by Kenneth Colley) boards a commuter train and reads his newspaper, glancing at a story in which a man who looks just like him is wanted for a brutal rape. As the miles roll by, he wonders about the fate of his missing daughter (Dominique Barnes) and the sad state of his relationship with his wife (Valerie Holliman). He also banters with an attractive women (Gretchen Franklin) sitting nearby, watches a group of businessmen cheerfully singing about their careers, and observes a group of older people wondering what became of their lives and the world they once knew. Davies himself has a small role as a singer in a tube station (he wrote several original songs for the project). Also, keep an eye peeled for Tim Roth in a small role as a punk rocker. As a bonus, the DVD release also features eight music videos by The Kinks, including concept videos for "Come Dancing," "Predictable," and "State of Confusion," and live clips of the band performing earlier hits such as "Lola," "You Really Got Me," and "Celluloid Heroes." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenneth Colley, Valerie Holliman, (more)
- 1983
"The Foretelling" marked the official inauguration of the satirical British comedy series The Black Adder. The year is 1485: Riding out of the nowhere into the now is Edmund (Rowan Atkinson), Duke of Edinburgh -- better known as The Black Adder -- the demented, embittered, and ruthlessly ambitious son of an obscure British king. Arriving late at the Battle of Bosworth, Edmund accidentally kills King Richard III (Peter Cook), whom he mistakes for a horse thief, thereby placing Richard IV (Brian Blessed) on the throne of England. Edmund must now hide his brother Henry Tudor (Robert East), the Prince of Wales, in his own quarters, as part of a master plan to claim the throne for himself. "The Foretelling" originally aired on June 15, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, (more)
E. L. Doctorow's novel Ragtime was a sprawling fictional account of American manners and mores in the years between 1900 and 1913. Among the mosaic of colorful factual and fictional characters in the novel were escape artist Harry Houdini and radical Emma Goldman. Both characters are all but eliminated in the film version, which only concentrates on three of Doctorow's many plot threads: The story of an immigrant artist (Mandy Patinkin) who becomes a movie director; the saga of "Gibson Girl" Evelyn Nesbit Shaw (Elizabeth McGovern), for whose sake playboy Harry K. Thaw (Robert Joy); kills architect Stanford White (Norman Mailer) and a lone black man's (Howard Rollins Jr.) quest for justice when his car is destroyed by a racist fire chief (Kenneth McMillan). This last subplot consumes most of the film's running time, to the overall detriment of the pacing. There are also several scenes involving an unnamed upper-middle-class family (headed by James Olson and Mary Steenburgen) who are evidently meant to be the audience's eyes and ears, but are frankly not terribly interesting. Back in 1981, Ragtime was given plenty of press coverage as the "comeback" picture for James Cagney, after twenty years in retirement. The problem is that Cagney's character (a police commissioner) isn't in the book, and his inclusion not only throws the story off balance, but necessitates the removal of several potentially interesting characters and events. Another detriment is the gratuitous (and illogical) nudity in the Evelyn Nesbit scenes, which earned the film its "R" rating. An ornate misfire, Ragtime is of interest today only for its remarkable cast of veterans and stars-to-be, including Pat O'Brien and Eloise O'Brien, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Allen, Moses Gunn, Jeff Daniels and Fran Drescher. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Cagney, Brad Dourif, (more)
- 1973
- PG
Richard Lester's adaptation of The Three Musketeers was only the latest of many when released in 1974, but it arrived with a spirit all its own, one influenced as much by Lester's '60s work as the Alexandre Dumas classic. Even so, it followed the plot of Dumas' novel fairly closely, its liberties in interpretation taken elsewhere. Coming off the success of Cabaret, Michael York plays D'Artagnan, the provincial, would-be swashbuckler who travels to Paris to make his name. There he encounters the eponymous heroes: cynical Athos (Oliver Reed), dashing Aramis (Richard Chamberlain), and arrogant Porthos (Frank Finlay). The trio introduces him to the world of court intrigue as they work to protect the Queen (Geraldine Chaplin) from the schemes of the villainous Richelieu (Charlton Heston) and his followers, Rochefort (Christopher Lee) and Milady (Faye Dunaway). Lester shot the film in conjunction with its sequel, The Four Musketeers. Originally intended as a single film, the split prompted a lawsuit from the cast demanding payment for both films. ~ Keith Phipps, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Oliver Reed, Charlton Heston, (more)
- 1970
- PG
In this suspense thriller, Max von Sydow is Selem, who inconveniences his sister Esther (Liv Ullman) and her husband, Dr. Anton Jenks (Per Oscarsson) by being accused of murder. They rid themselves of the inconvenience by having him committed to a mental hospital. This situation drives him into genuine insanity, and he seeks revenge by escaping to commit horrific crimes in such a way that they will be blamed on Dr. Jenks. Having done this, his plan is to return to the mental hospital without being detected. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1968
CIA agent Donovan (Gene Barry) travels to Britain to untangle a web of international spies. He falls for the estranged wife of local secret agent Langley (Tom Adams). Anne (Joan Collins) starts a romance with Donovan before her son is kidnapped by rival agents. While any other mom would worry herself sick, Anne spends her time getting her hair done and selecting a fabulous gown in which she appears in the following scenes. Donovan narrows the suspects down to a trio of agents, all who may have reason to turn double agent and place their country in political turmoil with counter espionage. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Barry, Joan Collins, (more)
- 1968
In a disturbing movie about psychosis, Hayley Mills plays Susan Harper, a young student who tries to help a rich, emotionally ill and sinister young man, Martin Durnley (Hywel Bennett). Martin is a schizophrenic who assumes the personality of a six-year-old boy when he is in his "nice" phase. Susan talks a store manager out of pressing charges against Martin after he steals a toy duck. Martin wants to take the toy to his mongoloid brother, who is in an institution. Martin's stepfather, Henry (Frank Finlay), enraged by his shoplifting, evicts Martin despite the pleas of his mother, Enid (Phyllis Calvert). Martin, again acting like a young child, is taken in by Susan's mother, Joan Harper (Billie Whitelaw), who runs a boarding house. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hayley Mills, Hywel Bennett, (more)
Among the first of the late 60s anti-war films that reflected growing concern over the Vietnam War, How I Won the War takes a cold, dark look at the Good War, World War II. In adapting Patrick Ryan's 1963 novel, screenwriter Charles Wood and director Richard Lester offered a narrative fractured by characters making side comments to the camera, stylized cinematography, inserts of newsreel war footage, and plenty of absurdist humor and slapstick. Ernest Goodbody (Michael Crawford) is a bumbling British officer who manages to get most of his small company of musketeers killed while on a mission in North Africa to set up a cricket pitch behind enemy lines for officers of the advancing British army. The rest of the company dies in an ensuing campaign in Europe near the war's end, but all of the men continue to march along, appearing as monochromatic ghosts. (Original prints of the film intercut real battle footage tinted to match the color of the soon-to-be ghost soldier. Some prints of the film, including one shown on Turner Classic Movies, present the newsreel shots in black and white, undercutting the stylized touch.) The story is framed as a flashback, with Goodbody relating his version of events to a German officer (Karl Michael Vogler), while the real version of events, demonstrating Goodbody's ineptitude, plays out on screen. Among the supporting players are John Lennon, who had worked with Lester on A Hard Day's Night and Help; Roy Kinnear, a Lester regular, as a fat soldier who is certain his wife is cheating on him; Jack MacGowran as the troop's designated fool, and Michael Hordern as a general almost as oblivious to his suffering men as Goodbody. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Crawford, John Lennon, (more)
- 1966
Britisher Trader Faulkner goes on his honeymoon with new bride Marla Landi. Little does he suspect that Landi is conspiring with ex-husband Ken Scott to murder Faulkner for his money. Faulkner tumbles to their little scheme, and plots a revenge. The plotters get their just desserts, but Faulkner ends up just as dead as he would have been had he never caught on. Filmed in England, The Murder Game was released in the US by 20th Century-Fox. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Scott, Marla Landi, (more)
- 1965
Also known as Monster of Terror, this British-made horror opus is very loosely based on H.P. Lovecraft's story "The Colour Out of Space". The story begins with an American scientist (Nick Adams) paying a visit to the remote estate of his fiancee's family (located in Lovecraft's fictional Arkham County, Massachusetts) and finding many of the surrounding flora and fauna horribly mutated by strange radiation. The source of the contamination is discovered to be a glowing meteorite kept hidden in the basement by his girlfriend's father (Boris Karloff), who has been using the radiation to mutate local plant life. As one might expect, the experiment has gotten a bit out of hand... and poor mommy has changed into something unspeakably horrible. Designed as a vehicle for Karloff (who is excellent), this is a decent freshman effort from director Daniel Haller (formerly Roger Corman's production designer), but the effectively creepy atmosphere would have been greatly assisted by a better script -- perhaps one more loyal to the source material. The same story was adapted (again, loosely) in 1987 for The Curse. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Boris Karloff, Nick Adams, (more)
In their second feature with director Richard Lester, who oversaw the massive hit A Hard Day's Night, the Beatles again aim for a mix of goofy comedy and sterling pop music. There is slightly more of a plot this time, though it is a patently ridiculous one: a sacred ruby ring comes into Ringo's possession, attracting the unwelcome attention of an exotic religious cult and forcing the boys to go on the run. This chase narrative is thankfully never taken too seriously, serving mainly as an excuse for colorful excursions to international locations from Europe to the Bahamas. The musical numbers include such classic tunes as "Ticket to Ride," "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," and, of course, "Help!". ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- The Beatles
- 1961
Versatile director Roy Baker tackles the question of racial bias in this dated but effective drama, a working-class version of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Jacko Palmer (John Mills) is a dedicated, talented union leader who manages to mediate an upheaval over a black foreman at work and prevent a strike. Meanwhile, Palmer's daughter Kathie (Sylvia Syms) has fallen in love with a schoolteacher colleague of hers, Peter Lincoln (Johnny Sekka), who happens to be black. The couple plan on marrying, and that creates havoc in the Palmer home where Kathie's mother throws a fit. The full gamut of racial prejudices unfolds, while the father tries to reconcile his own feelings and root out any biases that lurk there. Johnny Sekka might be better known to U.S. audiences as Dr. Benjamin Kyle in the TV series, Babylon 5. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Mills, Sylvia Syms, (more)
- 1957
In this British mystery, set backstage at a theater, a beautiful actress is starring in a successful playwright's newest hit. Unbeknownst to her, the writer is in love with her. Because he is jealous of all those who might steal her away, he refuses to allow her to break her contract and work in an American playwright's newest show. Trouble ensues when the jealous playwright is found stabbed with a pair of the actress's scissors. The American is afraid that she is being framed and so helps her move the body. When the police find it, everyone becomes a suspect until it is learned that the actress was guilty all along. The American, who also loves her, takes the rap for her crime. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dale Robertson, Lois Maxwell, (more)
- 1956
In this suspense film, a woman journeys home to Great Britain to attend the funeral of her parents, who according to the official report seemed to have died naturally at the same time. But the woman doesn't believe this. She thinks her stepmother, a nurse who took care of the aged couple had something to do with it. She goes to the authorities, but is unable to persuade them to look into it because the step-mother is a prominent, respected citizen in town. The young woman, who stands to inherit her father's considerable wealth when she comes of age, continues to look into it, even though she knows her own life is in jeopardy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mona Freeman, Jean Kent, (more)
