David Hugh Jones Movies

Superachiever Claire Raphael (Lorraine Bracco) expertly divides what little time she has between her job, her family, and her invalid mother. As a result, Claire's stay-at-home husband Dennis (Martin Donovan) suffers from a profound inferiority complex. As a means of reclaiming his "manhood," Dennis sues for divorce -- and for the custody of the couple's children. By rights, Claire could challenge her husband; instead, she cuts her losses, starting life (and love) anew in a reconditioned lighthouse. Adapted from Barbara Delinsky's novel A Woman's Place, the made-for-cable Custody of the Heart was first telecast by the Lifetime network on August 28, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This made for cable movie premiered over the Lifetime network on August 21, 1996, barely one year after the court case which inspired it. Though they have adopted a son, infertile couple John and Debbie Challender (Randle Mell, Marilu Henner) still feel unfulfilled. Desperate to have a child of her own, Debbie submits to experimental fertility treatments conducted by the brilliant and arrogant Dr. Ash (Castullo Guerra), the self-proclaimed miracle man of Irving University. The treatment, involving "hyperstimulated" ovaries, nearly kills Debbie, but it all seems worth it when she gives birth to a healthy son. But this is not the end of the story by a long shot: As Debbie discovers to her outrage that her own eggs have been implanted in other women without her permission, Marilyn Killane (Linda Lavin), office manager for Dr. Ash, unearths evidence that the doctor's staff has been regularly mishandling embryos--and that several of his nurses aren't even certified. Ultimately, Dr. Ash ends up in court, facing charges that, in so many words, he has been illegally "Playing God" with unwary women for the sole purpose of elevating his own reputation. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Years before they became two of the most celebrated British actors of their generation, Jeremy Irons and Judi Dench were paired up for this dramatic tale of love and betrayal, produced for British television. Imogen Langrishe (Judi Dench) is a woman in her early thirties who lives with her sisters Helen (Annette Crosbie) and Lily (Susan Williamson) in a decaying mansion in rural Ireland as the men in her once-wealthy family are off at war. Struggling to keep herself and her siblings afloat, Imogen takes in a boarder, Otto Beck (Jeremy Irons), a moody graduate student working on his master's thesis. Spinster Imogen is quickly captivated with Otto's scruffy good looks, and he is more than willing to satisfy her sexual longings. It doesn't take long, however, for the relationship to turn sour, with dire consequences for Imogen, as well as her sisters. Langrishe, Go Down was adapted for the screen by Harold Pinter and was based on a novel by Aidan Higgins. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi