Moyra Fraser Movies
Based on a novel by Evelyn Waugh, Handful of Dust is set amongst Britain's aristocracy of the 1930s. At sumptuous Hetton Abbey, tradition-bound country squire James Wilby and his wife Kristin Scott Thomas open their doors to well-connected but impoverished Rupert Graves. Graves returns Wilby's hospitality by having an affair with Scott Thomas, while Wilby gamboles about his estate without a clue of what is going on. Wilby's cloistered world comes tumbling down when Scott Thomas coolly demands a divorce, shortly after the accidental death of their young son. Wilby discovers that his divorce settlement will cost him Hetton Abbey; he faces this circumstance by not facing it at all, preferring to escape to South America, stiff upper lip intact, in the company of a dotty explorer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Wilby, Kristin Scott Thomas, (more)
- 1985
Aimed at the 13-to-16-year-old demographic, the Monday-afternoon British TV series From the Top was one of the lesser-known endeavors from actor-writer Bill Oddie, whose other credits included I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, Doctor in the House, The Goodies, and Bananaman. Oddie himself starred as William Worthington, a middle-aged bank manager who impulsively decided to cast off his middle-class complacency by enrolling in a drama school. Among the series' producers were Micky Dolenz of Monkees fame and former H.R. Pufnstuf cowriter Paul Harrison. The 12 half-hour episodes of From the Top were aired by Central Television from 1985 to 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
In this musical, a restaurant tries to establish itself by advertising a new hamburger. The owner is helped out by an amiable bank manager. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1971
- G
The Boy Friend began life as Sandy Wilson's small-scale pastiche of British musical comedies of the 1920s. When the play was brought to America in 1954, its star was the
teenage Julie Andrews. Because The Boy Friend requires a minimum of sets, props, and costumes, it has become a favorite of amateur theater groups throughout the world. But director Ken Russell, notorious for his onscreen excesses, abandoned the film's simplicity. He fashioned a humongous parody of the Busby Berkeley film musicals of the 1930s, staged on a scale that made Berkeley seem stylistically modest. Fashion model Twiggy plays Polly Browne, an aspiring musical comedy star, working as stage manager of a production of The Boy Friend. She is transformed into a star when she replaces leading lady Rita Monroe (Glenda Jackson, unbilled), who twists her ankle seconds before the curtain goes up. Before the evening is over, Polly is scampering over outsized sets, and ducking around seemingly thousands of chorus girls and boys. Christopher Gable, who plays Polly's on-stage leading man, also choreographed the lavish musical numbers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
teenage Julie Andrews. Because The Boy Friend requires a minimum of sets, props, and costumes, it has become a favorite of amateur theater groups throughout the world. But director Ken Russell, notorious for his onscreen excesses, abandoned the film's simplicity. He fashioned a humongous parody of the Busby Berkeley film musicals of the 1930s, staged on a scale that made Berkeley seem stylistically modest. Fashion model Twiggy plays Polly Browne, an aspiring musical comedy star, working as stage manager of a production of The Boy Friend. She is transformed into a star when she replaces leading lady Rita Monroe (Glenda Jackson, unbilled), who twists her ankle seconds before the curtain goes up. Before the evening is over, Polly is scampering over outsized sets, and ducking around seemingly thousands of chorus girls and boys. Christopher Gable, who plays Polly's on-stage leading man, also choreographed the lavish musical numbers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Twiggy, Christopher Gable, (more)
- 1968
Jamie McGregor (Barry Evans) is in his last year of high school and hoping to lose his status as a virgin, in this romantic comedy romp. He holds hands with his date at a church dance, but things go no farther. He tries to make time with a gangly girl who has a face that could stop a clock. The more poor Jamie tries, the more he is convinced he will die a virgin. His luck seems to change when he spends a weekend with the prettiest girl in school, but there is more arguing than amore. The best thing about the film is the soundtrack provided by The Spencer Davis Group, Steve Winwood, Dave Mason and Traffic (which included Windwood and Mason). All the aforementioned groups had found or would soon achieve worldwide fame for their contributions in music. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barry Evans, Judy Geeson, (more)
- 1968
Prudence and the Pill gained minor notoriety in 1968 as the first film comedy dealing with the new birth-control pill. David Niven substitutes aspirin for his wife's (Deborah Kerr) birth control medicine, hoping that she will become pregnant by her lover (Keith Mitchell) -- thereby freeing him to dally with his mistress (Irina Demich). Meanwhile, Niven's niece (Judy Geeson) does a switch job on her parents' pills, hoping that once her mom is pregnant, Geeson will be left alone to pursue her own love life. How did such prominent actors as Niven, Kerr, Robert Coote and Dame Edith Evans get mixed up in this high-gloss sleaze? Prudence and the Pill was not only unfunny, but was rendered anachronistic within a year of its release. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Deborah Kerr, David Niven, (more)
- 1963
Terrence Rattigan, the playwright who brought us the multicharactered, multistoried Separate Tables, again offers us an episodic cross-section of humanity in The V.I.P.'s. When a heavy London fog paralyzes all air traffic, the lives of several people are profoundly affected. As indicated by the title, most of the characters in this portmanteau film are of the social and/or financial elite. Elizabeth Taylor wishes to leave her enormously wealthy husband Richard Burton in favor of playboy Louis Jourdan. Peripatetic European film producer Orson Welles is hoping to escape London with his newest protegee Elsa Martinelli in order to avoid paying his income tax. Australian businessman Rod Taylor, accompanied by his devoted (and adoring) secretary Maggie Smith, is anxious to head to New York to stave off a hostile takeover of his firm. And impoverished aristocrat Margaret Rutherford (who won an Oscar for her performance) would rather not go to Florida to accept a job as a social arbiter, but the wolf must be kept from the door. Before the fog disperses, you can be sure that at least one of the many plotlines will intersect with another. David Frost, in a tiny part as a reporter, was fond of recalling in later years that, while the major stars of The VIPS were introduced in the opening titles with animated limousines, he was consigned a tiny Volkswagen; alas, no such cartoon joke appears in the film, though on occasion the actors-particularly Mr. Welles-behave as though they were cartoons. Mercilessly skewered by the critics, The VIPS was a winner at the box-office, due in great part to the Cleopatra-inspired publicity concerning the top-billed Liz Taylor and Dick Burton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, (more)
- 1959
This rollicking political satire stars Ian Carmichael as an impressionable British TV personality. His vanity is stroked by a group of political managers who talk him into running on the Conservative ticket during a political campaign. The managers hope that Carmichael's name value will draw voters, but don't intend to permit him anything like actual legislative power. Carmichael suddenly develops an abiding interest in politics when he meets his Labour Party opponent--lovely Patricia Breden. Left, Right and Center is blessed with an abundance of supporting character comedians, headed by Alistair Sim as Carmichael's avaricious uncle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patricia Bredin, Eric Barker, (more)
- 1955
Framed in flashback form, The Man Who Loved Redheads is an anecdotal comedy about a man (John Justin) whose life is defined by his first romantic experience. That liaison occurred in Justin's youth with the luscious Moira Shearer (for her alone, this film must be seen in its original Technicolor). When the young man matures and enters the diplomatic world, he spends the rest of his career searching for his first love. Along the way, he romances two redheaded damsels who look exactly like Ms. Shearer--as well they may, since Shearer plays all the women in Justin's life. Terence Rattigan adapted The Man Who Loved Redheads from his own stage play Who Is Sylvia? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Moira Shearer, John Justin, (more)
David Lean's Madeleine was inspired by a true story that rocked the English legal system to its foundations in the mid-19th century. Told in flashback, the film explains why aristocratic young Scotswoman Madeleine Smith (Ann Todd, then the wife of director Lean) is on trial for murder. The audience is apprised of Madeleine's illicit romance with deceptively charming Frenchman Emile L'Angelier (Ivan Desny), her futile attempts to break off the relationship, her "proper" betrothal to Englishman William Minnoch (Norman Wooland), and the murder by poison of the now-inconvenient L'Angelier. The jury's verdict was as controversial in 1950 as it had been a century earlier. David Lean and scenarists Stanley Haynes and Nicholas Phipps refuse to take sides, permitting the viewers to draw their own conclusions about the notorious Madeleine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Todd, Norman Wooland, (more)
- 1949
The Dancing Years was written by British theatrical favorite Ivor Novello, who also penned the songs. Set in turn-of-the-century Vienna, the film stars Dennis Price as Rudi Kiebler, the role played by Novello in the original stage version. A struggling young composer, Rudi is elevated to prominence when famed operetta star Maria Ziedler (Giselle Preville) agrees to perform one of his works. Falling in love with Rudi, Maria nonetheless enters into a loveless marriage to a prince (Anthony Nicholls) due to a misunderstanding. The source of this misunderstanding is attractively played by Patricia Dainton. Old-fashioned in the extreme, The Dancing Years is given a fresh coat of paint by the engaging performances of the stars and the sprightly direction by Harold French. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Price, Giselle Preville, (more)
