Bill Fraser Movies

Little Dorrit was intended as the cinematic equivalent to the mammoth, eight-hour Royal Shakespeare Company's staging of Charles Dickens' Nicholas Nickelby. The film was released to theaters in two parts, each running approximately three hours. The first part, subtitled "Nobody's Fault," introduced us to the seamstress title character (Sarah Pickering), who chooses to live in debtor's prison with her father (Alec Guinness). Good Samaritan Arthur Clennam (Derek Jacobi) endeavors to help both father and daughter. The second part, also known as "Little Dorrit's Story," details Dorrit's escape from penury to lasting happiness. Eschewing the usual 19th century-style British music often heard in Dickensian adaptations, director Christine Edzard creatively -- and effectively -- opts for the strains of Giuseppe Verdi. Edzard's eye for period detail is also deserving of unbounded praise. Unfortunately, part two of Little Dorrit spends nearly half of its running time recapping part one, utilizing much of the same footage. For those familiar with "Nobody's Fault," "Little Dorrit's Story" is more a redundancy than a continuation. Still, taken together, parts one and two all fully deserving of the enthusiastic critical commentary that greeted them upon their original release -- not to mention the multiple Academy Award nominations bestowed upon the project and its participants. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In a charming tale about the spirit of Christmas giving, Nigel Playfayre (Peter Chelsom) is a callous investment manager somewhere in the middle cogs of a bank who is charged with delivering the Christmas turkey to an impoverished London family. On his reluctant way to fulfill his onerous obligation, he loses the address. From there on in, the story is of Nigel's slowly changing attitude as he meets one hardship case after another, searching for his destination in a low-income housing project. Meanwhile, the boy who finds the address has his own story to tell. And who is that couple riding around on a donkey, looking for an inn that will give them shelter on this Christmas Eve? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Originally a nine-hour British miniseries, this film on the last four decades in the life of Richard Wagner may have taken its long-winded cue from the lengthy operas of the famous 19th-century German composer and musical theorist -- the Ring des Nibelungen is 14-15 hours in itself, divided into four separate operas. This biographical film begins when Wagner is first recognized for his work, yet in that same year, 1848, he was forced out of his homeland for his radical politics (he supported the unification of separate kingdoms under one Germany) and settled in Zurich for awhile. Focusing on character traits that are well-known and would not endear him to anyone, the film details his bigotry (a confirmed anti-Semitic), his insensitivity, and his obsession with money -- he went after the bottom line even if it meant losing friendships or ruining his marriage. Although Wagner is known for his music theory and the contribution he made to opera during his lifetime, very little attention is given to his actual works in this film. Venerable British thespians (Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave, Joan Plowright, and Richard Burton as Wagner) light up the cast but not always with the same brightness. In the final analysis, the slow-paced story is simply too long in the telling, and even the visually sumptuous costumes and production design cannot make up for a slow script, uneven acting, and problems in direction. The film version runs 300 minutes. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In the third episode of the four-part Meglos, the title character has disguised himself as the Doctor (Tom Baker) and stolen the power source of the planet Tigella, the better to restore the tattered glories of Meglos' own race. Meanwhile, the Doctor tries to figure out a means of escape, so that Tigella will not be destroyed by Meglos' machinations. Jacqueline Hill, who'd played the Doctor's traveling companion Barbara Wright in the earliest episodes, guest stars as Lexa, leader of the Deon race. Written by John Flanagan and Andrew McCullough, "Meglos, Episode 3" first aired on October 11, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The title character in this four-chapter Doctor Who adventure is the last survivor of the Zolfa-Thuran civilization. While on a diplomatic mission to the cult-dominated planet Tigella, the Doctor (Tom Baker) is intercepted by Meglos, who has hatched a scheme to access Tigella's power source. Jacqueline Hill, who'd played the Doctor's traveling companion Barbara Wright in the earliest episodes, guest stars as Lexa, leader of the Deon race. Written by John Flanagan and Andrew McCullough, "Meglos, Episode 1" first aired on September 27, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Welsh-born writer Emlyn Williams' 1938 play The Corn is Green originally starred Ethel Barrymore as L.C. Moffat, the strong-willed schoolteacher under whose guidance the illiterate Welsh teenager Morgan Evans matriculates as an honor student. Bette Davis played Moffat in the 1945 film version; this second filmization, made for television on location in North Wales, stars Katharine Hepburn. Morgan Evans is portrayed by newcomer Ian Saynor; the rest of the cast is populated by such old reliables as Bill Fraser and Anna Massey. Directed by George Cukor (his ninth collaboration with Katharine Hepburn), The Corn Is Green premiered on January 29, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Lewis Flander and Carol Hawkins star in the hectic British farce Not Now Comrade. Flander plays a Russian ballet dancer who decides to defect. Unable to reach the British embassy, Flander hides out with London stripteaser Hawkins. There's an abundance of female flesh in this one, a fact that necessitated numerous snips in the TV version that made the UHF rounds in the 1980s. Watch for Not Now Comrade codirector Ray Cooney and veteran British funster Roy Kinnear in cameo roles. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Keith Michell plays a middle-aged accountant, bored with his routine existence. When his wife and child are killed in an accident, Michell quits his job of 20 years and heads for the resort hotel where he and his late wife had spent many happy moments. Here he has a brief, desperate affair with a younger woman. Despairing over his lack of true fulfillment, Michell commits suicide. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The British farce Naughty Knights was originally shipped out as Up the Chastity Belt. Raucuous comedian Frankie Howerd, who laid waste to Roman history in the zany TV series Up Pompeii, is the star. The film's medieval adventures, involving a noble knight and his stupid serf, are punctuated by ample displays of female breasts, abdomens and thighs. As in Howerd's earlier projects, the supporting cast plays straight while the star makes snide, anachronistic comments directly at audience. This soft-core nonsense is perhaps best appreciated by fans of Frankie Howard; his suprisingly stellar supporting cast includes Bill Fraser, Anna Quayle and Eartha Kitt. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Warren Mitchell stars in All the Way Up as a dimwitted British salesman. Though a bit shy in the brains department, Mitchell has hopes of climbing the corporate ladder. To do this, he tries to whip his addled family into a semblance of social acceptability. This being a comedy, Mitchell soon learns that his high-society aspirations are not only beyond his reach, but also not worth all the bother. All the Way Up was based on Semi-Detached, a play by David Turner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this British farce, the British Home Secretary satisfies the men of London by sanctioning a government-run brothel. This comedy chronicles what happens when secretary John Bird appoints Sir Francis Leybourne to run the place. Bird then has his lovely girlfriend Babbette act as the Madame. Sir Leybourne owns an opium plantation in India and one day goes there to see it. Unfortunately, he gets killed in an uprising, leaving his prim niece Josephine Pacefoot in charge of the cathouse. A staunch believer in social reform, she is quite sure what to do with the disreputable business. Leybourne's son has plenty of ideas too and wants the fortune and the bordello for himself. The ensuing struggle creates plenty of trouble and many laughs. Though the film originally received a British "X" rating, the sex is pretty tame by modern standards. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this blend of action-adventure and spy satire, the British government has been negotiating with the Middle Eastern nation of Ramaut to lease their oil fields for drilling by U.K. petroleum companies, but at the last minute, the deal collapses, and Col. Drexel (Jack Hawkins), a military leader who has worked with the authorities in Ramaut before, is given an unusual assignment. The young Prince Jamil of Ramaut (Christopher Witty) is scheduled to take the nation's throne and become the country's leader. Drexel and his men are to kidnap Jamil, hold him until he is of age, and then release him once they've persuaded him to sign the oil lease agreement. American operative David Frazer (Cliff Robertson) is called in to help, and he meets Drexel at the villa where Jamil is being held captive. However, shortly after Frazer is confronted by Sophie (Marisa Mell) and a gang of agents, he's knocked senseless and wakes up to find that Jamil is missing. Drexel's superiors think that Frazer was in on the plot to free Jamil, and while Drexel knows better, it just so happens that he has his own agenda -- Drexel has been negotiating with Jamil's family to release him in exchange for a cash payment that would go directly into his pocket. Incidentally, if you have trouble finding Ramaut on a map, don't worry -- it exists only in the mind of screenwriters William Goldman and Michael Relph. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi