Marius Goring Movies

Also known as Stairway to Heaven, A Matter of Life and Death is the remarkable British fantasy film that became the surprise hit of 1946. David Niven stars as Peter Carter, a World War II RAF pilot who is forced to bail out of his crippled plane without a parachute. He wakes up to find he has landed on Earth utterly unharmed...which wasn't supposed to happen according to the rules of Heaven. A celestial court argues over whether or not to claim Carter's life or to let him survive to wed his American sweetheart (Kim Hunter). During an operation, in which Carter hovers between life and death, he dreams that his spirit is on trial, with God (Abraham Sofaer) as judge and Carter's recently deceased best friend (Roger Livesey) as defense counsel. The film tries to have it both ways by suggesting that the heavenly scenes are all a product of Carter's imagination, but the audience knows better. Among the curious but effective artistic choices in A Matter of Life and Death was the decision to film the earthbound scenes in Technicolor and the Heaven sequences in black-and-white. The film was a product of the adventuresome team known as "The Archers": Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Marius Goring stars in this TV adaptaion of Baroness Orczy's adventure novel The Scarlet Pimpernel. Goring plays Sir Percy Blakeney, 18th century English fop by day, rescuer of French aristocrats by night. Disguised as the Scarlet Pimpernel, Blakeney does his utmost to save deserving souls from the guillotine at the height of the French revolution. The TV series is more formularized than the novel, but admirable captures the spirit of the original. Four volumes of Scarlet Pimpernel episodes are currently available on videocassette: the episodes contained in Volume 2 are "Sir Andrew's Fate" and "Tale of Two Pigtails." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Produced by Towers of London productions, the TV series The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel was based on the venerable adventure novel by Baroness Orczy. The time is the French revolution, when the heads of Gallic aristocrats are sacrificed on a daily basis to "Madame Guillotine." The "damn'd elusive Pimpernel" (or, as he's referred to on TV, the "curs'd elusive Pimpernel") sneaks into France under cover of darkness to rescue the aristos from the headsman's blade. To deflect suspicion, the Pimpernel -- aka Sir Percy Blakeney -- adopts the pose of an ineffectual fop. Marius Goring stars as Blakeney in these two episodes culled from the weekly series: "Antoine and Antoinette" and "Sir Percy's Wager." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Another episode of the short-lived but wonderfully creepy "Hammer House of Horror" TV series, this supernatural thriller is spiced with some darkly comic touches. The title refers to a nickname given to a weird-looking little African fetish doll, from which emanates a curse that claims the lives of a small circle of friends -- specifically, all of those pictured in a single group photograph -- who took part in its theft under the misguided belief that it would bring them luck. The deaths are cleverly staged, and mostly involve some particularly nasty stab wounds (though Charlie doesn't actually spring to hideous life like his fetish compatriot in Trilogy of Terror). This and other installments of Hammer's well-made BBC series were introduced to the U.S. through pay-TV, then appeared on the now-defunct Thrillervideo label, hosted (and endlessly heckled) by slinky horror-hostess Elvira. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

In this detective film, a Chinese detective breaks up a drug smuggling ring and tries to find the "Daffodil Killer." The drug smugglers had devised the ingenious method of smuggling heroin from Hong Kong in the stems of daffodils. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A fair stab at yet another World War II comedy, this film by Michael Relph features the humorous antics of an ENSA troupe (the British equivalent of the American USO) and an absurd involvement with an army major (Alfred Marks) that leads to the capture of a German commanding officer (Marius Goring). The troupe of entertainers includes a pair of seasoned crooners, a level-headed piano player, a leader who seems to fail equally well at comedy and singing, his wife, and a few others. This disparate group gets mixed up in the Brit Major's agenda and precipitates a series of unexpected circumstances that somehow lead everyone to bumble through to ultimate triumph. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In the third episode of the seven-part story "The Evil of the Daleks," the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) and Jamie (Frazer Hines, here with Deborah Watling) are trapped in the Victorian era, prisoners of the Doctor's perennial enemies, the Daleks. Hoping to create a super-race, the Daleks intend to use their captives in obtaining the elusive "human factor" -- that is, the element of human unpredictability. Written by David Whitaker, "The Evil of the Daleks, Episode 3" was first shown on June 3, 1967. This episode apparently no longer exists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the fifth episode of the seven-part story "The Evil of the Daleks," the titular villains continue to search for the "human factor" of unpredictability which will enable them to create a race of super-Daleks. To this end, they have trapped the Doctor and his companions in the Victorian era and subjected them to all manner of tests. This week, the Doctor's young friend Jamie (Frazer Hines) is able to rescue Victoria Waterfield (Deborah Watling), but this minor triumph is mitigated by such plot complications as a duel à mort and an irresistible force which sucks the Doctor into another dimension. Written by David Whitaker, "The Evil of the Daleks, Episode 5" was first shown on June 17, 1967. This episode apparently no longer exists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of the seven-part story "The Evil of the Daleks," the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) and his companions have been transported to the Dalek home city of Skaro. From here, the villains hope to mount an assault on Earth, armed with the "human factor" of unpredictability, which they believe will enable them to triumph. Even worse, it appears as though the Doctor has become a Dalek himself. With this episode, Deborah Watling became a series regular in the role of Victoria Waterfield. Written by David Whitaker, "The Evil of the Daleks, Episode 7" was first shown on July 1, 1967, as the final episode of Doctor Who's fourth season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Produced and directed by Otto Preminger, Exodus is a 212-minute screen adaptation of the best-selling novel by Leon Uris. The film is concerned with the emergence of Israel as an independent nation in 1947. Its first half focuses on the efforts of 611 holocaust survivors to defy the blockade of the occupying British government and sail to Palestine on the sea vessel Exodus. Paul Newman, a leader of the Hagannah (the Jewish underground), is willing to sacrifice his own life and the lives of the refugees rather than be turned back to war-ravaged Europe, but the British finally relent and allow the Exodus safe passage. Once this victory is assured, 30,000 more Jews, previously interned by the British, flood into the Holy Land. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The now-legendary miniseries Holocaust first aired as a presentation in NBC's Big Event series. Written by Gerald Green, the story begins in the Germany of 1935. We are introduced to the family of Jewish doctor Joseph Weiss (Fritz Weaver) his wife Berta (Rosemary Harris), his brother Moses (Sam Wanamaker), his sons Rudi (Joseph Bottoms) and Karl (James Woods), and his daughter Anna (Blanche Baker). We also meet struggling lawyer Erik Dorf (Michael Moriarity), who is urged by his ambitious wife to join the SS. As the Nazis' persecution of the Jews is stepped up, most of the Weiss family is deported to the Polish ghetto--then to Auschwitz, which is overseen by Erik Dorf. Rudi and his Jewish girlfriend Helena (Tovah Feldsuh) witness the 1941 Baba Yar massacre, then join the Russian partisans in their battle against the Nazis. Also appearing in Holocaust is Meryl Streep as Karl Weiss' Christian wife Inga. The winner of eight Emmy awards, Holocaust was originally telecast in four parts on April 16, 17, 18, and 19, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

If official documentation didn't exist, we'd never believe a fantastic yarn like I Was Monty's Double. Actor M.E. Clifton James plays himself, a British stock-company actor who becomes an unsung hero during World War II. It seems that James, serving his country as a junior officer, is the exact double of General Montgomery. Major John Mills trains James to impersonate Montgomery to the last detail, then sends the actor on a tour of North Africa, the better to divert the German's attentions away from the real "Monty." Based on James' own written reminiscences, I Was Monty's Double was released in the U.S. under the baffling title Hell, Heaven or Hoboken! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide