Michael Gough Movies

Previously and brilliantly filmed by director Jack Clayton as The Innocents in 1961, Henry James' classic psychological-horror novel The Turn of the Screw was remade 34 years later in the form of this TV movie, which changes the original locale and several character names. American governess Helen Walker (Valerie Bertinelli) arrives at an ornate English country estate, there to take charge of two orphaned siblings, Flora (Florence Hoath) and Mile (Aled Roberts). That the children are rude and ill-mannered does not unduly rattle Helen, who expects this sort of behavior in children of privilege. What is disturbing is that the youngsters' game-playing often takes on an unsavory sexual subtext far beyond their tender years. This, and a few strange "sightings", leads Helen to the startling conclusion that the children are under the power of the ghosts of their former caregivers--a sadistic handyman and an evil governess who died despising one another, and intend to "resolve" their kinky carnal issues using the youngsters as their pawns! Though handled with surprising subtlety and austerity, The Haunting of Helen Walker somehow falls short of the eerie brilliance of the 1961 The Innocents, and without being unduly cruel, it can be said that Valerie Bertinelli is no Deborah Kerr. Filmed on location near Readling, England, the TV movie premiered December 3, 1995 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Derek Jarman directed this witty, stylish biography of the life of the eccentric 20th-century philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (Karl Johnson). Wittgenstein is shown as a boy living a repressive youth, demonstrated by his family appearing in Roman togas. When Wittgenstein leaves to study under Bertrand Russell at Cambridge, he begins to investigate language and apply the strictures and constructs of language to philosophical study. The subject of Wittgenstein's homosexuality is depicted when, after World War I, he falls in love with a poor philosophy student, Johnny (Kevin Collins). Also portrayed is Wittgenstein's death at an early age from prostate cancer. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Director Derek Jarman takes the viewer for a walk around his own garden in rural England for this non-narrative film. Many of the scenes depict the Passion of Christ, but the sufferings are instead visited upon a gay couple. Jarman then assaults the senses with a series of images, including a campy version of the song Think Pink from Funny Face. ~ John Voorhees, All Movie Guide

The made-for-TV The Shell Seekers was based on the best-selling novel by Rosamunde Pincher. Heading the cast is Angela Lansbury as Penelope Keeling, a reclusive British matron of comfortable means who suffers a near-fatal heart attack. While recovering, Penelope determines that her attack was a sign of sorts, urging her to get her life in order. As she prepares to break down the barriers she has built between herself and her three children, Penelope muses on her experiences during World War II, a time in which she solidified her outlook on life. Filmed in England and Spain, The Shell Seekers was the 162nd Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation; it debuted on December 3, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The romantic drama Maschenka is a loose adaptation of a novel by Vladimir Nabokov done in a style reminiscent of a Merchant-Ivory production. Ganin (Cary Elwes) is a Russian refugee fleeing the 1917 Revolution who, at his Berlin boardinghouse, recalls his love for the beautiful Maschenka (Irina Brook). He soon leans what has become of her: she has married Alfyrov, a boarder at the same Berlin residence Ganin is staying at, and she is on her way to rejoin her husband. This knowledge, and the incessant recitation of his memories of old Russia by another boarder (Freddie Jones) send him into a state of reverie. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Originally filmed in 1982, Arthur the King wasn't able to secure a network-TV berth until April 26, 1985. Malcolm McDowell plays good King Arthur, whose dream of Camelot is endangered by the evil Morgan Le Fay, played by Candice Bergen in her TV-movie debut. That this might have been intended as the pilot for a weekly series is evidenced by the otherwise pointless inclusion of Dyan Cannon, cast as a ditzy 20th- Century tourist who falls through a time warp while roaming around Stonehenge. You'll want to see Arthur the King if only to find out why minor-player Miro Pfeiffer's character name is "Undead Knight". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Like the Virginia Woolf novel which it interprets, this 1983 BBC production has three parts: "The Window," "Time Passes," and "The Lighthouse." The first focuses on one day in the life of the Ramsay family -- the father and mother, their eight children, and four guests -- while they vacation on the Cornwall peninsula in remote southwestern England. In conversations in the summer house, at the beach, during strolls, and at cricket and wrestling matches, the characters reveal their beliefs, their prejudices, and their longings in an era when old traditions are dying and new traditions are quickening. James, six -- a brat to his father but a dear to his mother -- repeatedly asserts his wish to visit a lighthouse on an island within easy rowing distance. His father Michael Gough refuses to go (and, thus, no one goes) because the weather isn't right. In a moment of dramatic irony, the self-centered father scolds the boy for always thinking only of himself. Self-effacing Mrs. Ramsay (Rosemary Harris) comforts the child. She also sees to the needs of other family members and guests, who have lighthouses of their own -- metaphorical ones -- to preoccupy them. Her daughter, Prue, for example, anticipates her coming marriage while visitor Lily Briscoe looks forward to her career as a painter. In defiance of social convention, Briscoe chooses to remain unmarried. The film depicts the second part of the novel, "Time Passes," with transitional scenes showing changes of season over ten years. During this period, Mrs. Ramsey dies, and Mr. Ramsey laments her death in a weeping spell, saying she never really understood that he loved her. In the final part, "The Lighthouse," James finally gets his wish when he, his father, and other members of the family row out to the towering beacon. On the shore, meanwhile, Lily Briscoe finishes a painting of Mrs. Ramsey. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide

In the second episode of the four-part story "Arc of Infinity," the renegade anti-matter creature (Ian Collier) has overtaken the titular Arc as part of an overall scheme to pass over into normal matter. Crucial to the villain's plan is to adopt a physical presence, and thus, the renegade bonds with the Doctor (Peter Davison), making him a huge risk to the well-being of the universe. First broadcast on January 4, 1983, "Arc of Infinity, Episode 2" was written by Johnny Byrne. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the third episode of the four-part story "Arc of Infinity," a renegade anti-matter creature (Ian Collier) has passed over into the normal universe by bonding with the Doctor (Peter Davison). The High Council of Gallifrey decrees that the only way to destroy the deadly creature is to execute the Doctor -- a fate to which he reluctantly but valiantly acquiesces. First broadcast on January 10, 1983, "Arc of Infinity, Episode 3" was written by Johnny Byrne. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

From its humble beginnings as a four-character short story, Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution matriculated into a long-running London and Broadway stage hit, as well as a masterful 1957 film version directed by Billy Wilder. The 1982 TV version of Witness was overseen by Briton Norman Rosemont, who made remakes of earlier films his life's work in the 1980s (Hunchback of Notre Dame, Little Lord Fauntleroy). Sir Ralph Richardson heads the cast as prominent barrister Sir Wilfred Robarts, who takes on the case of Leonard Vole (Beau Bridges), a likeable chap accused of murdering a rich old lady. Sir Wilfred is shocked to discover that Vole's German-born wife (Diana Rigg) is prepared to divorce her husband and appear as witness for the prosecution; it is the first of many surprises for the aging lawyer, the cleverest of which occur just minutes before the end of the story. Deborah Kerr costars as Sir Wilfred's remonstrative nurse--a character that appears in neither the original story nor the play, but was created for Elsa Lanchester in the 1957 film version (which starred Lanchester's husband Charles Laughtonas Sir Wilfred). For playing an eleventh-hour addition, Ms. Kerr was awarded with an Emmy. Another reliable British favorite, Wendy Hiller, appears briefly as a post-deaf witness. Adapted for television by John Gay, Witness for the Prosecution was originally a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on the book of the same name by H.S. Ede, eccentric director Ken Russell created this biographical drama of a great early 20th century artist who died tragically young. Henri Gaudier (Scott Anthony) is only 18 years old, a self-taught Parisian sculptor of enormous talent but prone to rash, exuberant behavior. Henri meets and begins a platonic but emotionally intense relationship with Sophie Brzeksa (Dorothy Tutin), a cultured Polish woman 20 years his senior. The relationship between Henri and Sophie remains inspired and impassioned, if not sexual, and her air of intelligent refinement positively impacts his life and work. Eventually, the couple moves to London, where Henri takes his partner's last name, and his star rises in the art world as the chief proponent of Vorticism, an offshoot of Cubism and Futurism. In real life, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska was a signer of the Vorticist Manifesto and a founder of The London School along with his patron, Ezra Pound, but his genius was not recognized until after his death. Gaudier-Brzeska was killed at the age of only 24 in WWI, a French Army hero who had been twice promoted for bravery. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide