John Gill Movies

Barbara Kopple directed this documentary portrait of Woody Allen, seen traveling with friends and fellow musicians during their New Orleans jazz band's 1996 European tour. Allen's relationship with Soon Yi Previn is captured on film here, and others on the European jaunt include bandleader Eddy Davis and Allen's sister Letty Aronson. Followed by press, paparazzi, and gushing admirers, Allen returns home to face a more realistic critical assessment during "the lunch from hell" with his aged parents. Documentary filmmaker Terry Zwigoff (Crumb) was the first director on this project, but he walked off after learning he would not have final cut. Zwigoff later commented, "They were like, 'Who do you think you are -- Orson Welles?'" Produced by long-time Allen friend Jean Doumanian. Shown at the 1997 Venice Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Made for BBC television, After Pilkington stars Bob Peck as Westgate, a dullish Oxford academician. Upon being introduced to the wife of a new faculty member, Westgate discovers that young woman is Penny (Miranda Richardson), his childhood sweetheart. He remembers that Penny used to embroil him in adventures that threatened life and limb. Apparently nothing has changed, and before long Penny has inveigled Westgate into helping her locate a missing archaeologist named Pilkington. This sprightly comedy-mystery first aired in the US in October of 1987 over the A&E cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although the title evokes a swashbuckling adventure, Roman Polanski's Pirates tuns out to be a seagoing tale with a bit of a difference. Captain Red (Walter Matthau) runs a hardy pirate ship with the able assistance of Frog, a dashing young French sailor (Cris Campion). One day Capt. Red is captured and taken aboard a Spanish galleon, but thanks to his inventiveness, he raises the crew to mutiny, takes over the ship, and kidnaps the daughter of the governor of Maracaibo (Charlotte Lewis, soon to co-star in The Golden Child opposite Eddie Murphy). The question is, can he keep this pace up? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In Roman Polanski's adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Nastassja Kinski plays Tess, a poor British peasant girl sent to live with her distant and wealthy relatives, the D'Urbervilles. Though Tess' father had hoped that the girl would be permitted a portion of the D'Urberville riches, he is in for a major disappointment: Tess' new housemates are not D'Urbervilles at all, but a social-climbing family that has bought the name. Tess won three Oscars, including a "Best Cinematography" statuette for the late Geoffrey Unsworth and his successor Ghislain Cloquet. The film also served to catapult Nastassja Kinski to stardom. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Thomasine and Bushrod was intended as the African American counterpart to Bonnie and Clyde, the difference being that the story in this case is utterly fictional. Vonette McGee plays Thomasine, and Max Julien (who also wrote and coproduced the film) is Bushrod. They are a pair of thieves, operating in the southwest between 1911 and 1915. Fancying themselves as Robin Hoods and the White Establishment as the Sheriff of Nottingham, Thomas and Bushrod steal only from Caucasian capitalists, then distribute the booty to Mexicans, Native Americans and poor whites. George Murdock is the redneck sheriff who dogs their trail. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this Western comedy, Billy (Dean Martin) and Chuck (Rock Hudson) were the best of friends until Chuck married the girl they were both courting. Now they have drifted apart. Chuck has since become a sheriff and must hunt down Billy, now a robber. As the chase proceeds, each of them reminisces about their past together. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

A Gunfight was the first mainstream American film to be produced by an Indian tribe -- specifically, the Jicarilla Apaches of New Mexico. Kirk Douglas and Johnny Cash star as Will and Abe, two long-in-tooth gunfighters with nary a dime between them. Although Will and Abe are fast friends, they agree to a winner-take-all showdown, selling tickets to the momentous event. The townspeople are certain that Will is going to win the shootout, but he knows that it would be a fatal mistake to underestimate Abe. Standing on the sidelines is Will's wife Nora (Jane Alexander), who seems curiously disinterested in the outcome, even though she may become a widow before the day is over. Despite the financial input of the Jicarilla tribe, A Gunfight has nothing to do with Indians; perhaps the tribe just wanted to put together a good, old-fashioned western, sans any social commentary. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the second episode of the six-part story "Fury From the Deep," the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) tries to solve the strange disappearance of several oil-refinery crews from a North Sea drilling site. Halfway through the episode, it is revealed that two of the refinery scientists -- Quill (Bill Burridge) and Oak (John Gill) -- are not quite human, and most certainly up to no good. Written by Victor Pemberton, "Fury From the Deep, Episode 2" originally aired on March 23, 1968. Except for a brief vignette showing Quill and Oak disposing of a victim by exhaling toxic gas, this episode no longer exists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the third episode of the six-part story "Fury From the Deep," several more workers mysteriously vanish from an oil refinery in the North Sea. The Doctor (Patrick Troughton) and his companions follow the trail of evidence to a horrifying conclusion: The culprits, it seems, are parasitic weed creatures, determined to prevent humankind from despoiling the oceans by any means possible. Written by Victor Pemberton, "Fury From the Deep, Episode 3" originally aired on March 30, 1968. Except for a very brief expository scene, this episode no longer exists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After directing several extraordinary documentaries for the BBC, including the award-winning The War Game and Culloden, Peter Watkins made his first dramatic feature with this flawed but striking film about Steven Shorter (Paul Jones), a pop singer in a future society where entertainment is controlled by a totalitarian government. Shorter's music and image are used to channel the impulses of rebellious youth; in one concert sequence, the crowd watches him sing a plaintive plea for love and understanding while locked in a cage surrounded by police officers armed with clubs. While Shorter is remarkably popular, he's also living a life created for him by the government, which Steven knows is a sham. When Shorter's handlers decide to revamp his image into that of an obedient, religious boy, he rebels, to his peril. Model Jean Shrimpton made her film debut here as an artist commissioned to paint a portrait of Shorter. Privilege later became something of a cult film; one of the film's admirers was rock poet Patti Smith, who recorded one of "Steven Shorter"'s songs, "Set Me Free," on her 1978 album Easter. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Adapted by David Storey from his own novel, This Sporting Life stars Richard Harris as Frank, an athletic coal miner who aspires to the greener pastures of professional rugby. Soon establishing himself as one of the most brutal and arrogant players in the business, Frank begins to amass a fortune. He also falls in love with his landlady, Mrs. Hammond (Rachel Roberts), who initially resists his advances. When she finally gives in, their relationship hinges on sex alone, as Frank practically begs Mrs. Hammond to give of herself emotionally and she remains incapable. At the wedding ceremony for one of Frank's teammates, Mrs. Hammond unexpectedly lashes out at her swaggering lover. They split up, but Frank, who until now has equated happiness with wealth, is unable to get over the permanent loss. In the end, with nothing else left, all of Frank's self-worth becomes contingent on his rugby performances, though Frank and the other players are exploited to such a degree that this also proves disastrous. Widely regarded as one of the finest British feature films ever produced, the gritty and bleak This Sporting Life not only marked former documentary filmmaker Lindsay Anderson's first feature, but became one of the harbingers of the "Angry Young Man" school of filmmaking. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide