Rupert Graves Movies
Rupert Graves has repeatedly impressed audiences with his dead-on portrayals of upper-class twits since 1985, when he appeared in Ismail Merchant and James Ivory's classic adaptation of E.M. Forster's A Room With a View. However, Graves' own background could not be more different from those of the characters he brings to the screen.Born June 30, 1963, Graves grew up in the small town of Weston-Super-Mare (coincidentally also the birthplace of John Cleese), located in western England. By his own account a terrible student who resented authority, Graves left school at 15 and joined the circus. After his stint with the circus ended, Graves made his way to London, where, at 19, he landed his first acting role in a stage production of The Killing of Mr. Toad. His performance caught the attention of a film industry figure, which in turn led to his first film role in A Room With a View. As the irresponsible and irrepressible Freddy Honeychurch (brother of the film's heroine, played by Helena Bonham Carter), Graves gave a performance that set the pattern for the roles he was to be typcast in for much of the next decade.
Graves virtually became the male equivalent of Helena Bonham Carter, in that he was stuck in period drama after period drama until others slowly realized that his range was not limited to films with an abundance of waistcoats, corsets, and men with names like Cecil or Clive. Graves' other significant films of the 80s included another Merchant Ivory outing, the memorable Maurice (1987) (in which Graves played Maurice's working class lover, Alec Scudder, and, as in A Room With a View, demonstrated his ability to tackle nude scenes), 1988's A Handful of Dust (also starring a then-unknown Kristin Scott Thomas, and Graves' Maurice colleague James Wilby), and the epic television series Fortunes of War, set during World War II and starring Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson.
In the 1990s, Graves has continued to do period pieces such as the 1991 adaptation of E.M. Forster's Where Angels Fear to Tread (reuniting him again with Bonham Carter), and Nicholas Hytner's brilliant The Madness of King George (1995), which also starred "the other Rupert," Rupert Everett. In addition, he made a memorable appearance in the film adaptation of Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway (1997) as a shell-shocked World War I veteran. As he has gained greater recognition, however, Graves has been able to branch out toward other genres, notably as Jeremy Irons' jilted, ill-fated son in Louis Malle's Damage (1993), a confused and irresponsible motorcycle courier in Different For Girls (1996), and as the severely conflicted Harold Guppy in the deliciously twisted Intimate Relations (1996), for which he won a Best Actor award at the Montreal Film Festival.
In addition to his film work, Graves has continued to work for television and the stage, acting as the wormy, conniving Octavius alongside Billy Zane in the TV series Cleopatra (1999), and in such stage productions as Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh (1998) and the the hit Broadway production of Patrick Marber's Closer (1999).
~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
The acclaimed Tony Palmer helmed this 1984 biopic on 19th and early 20th century Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, here portrayed by Robert Stephens. Palmer opts to focus not on the whole gestalt of Puccini's life, but on a devastating scandal that transpired in 1909, when Giacomo's wife, Elvira Puccini, accused maid Doria Manfredi of bedding her husband. The unfounded allegations prompted a massive lawsuit from the maid's family, and nearly toppled Giacomo's illustrious career. Judith Howarth co-stars. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Stephens, Virginia McKenna, (more)
Adapted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala from the novel by E.M. Forster, A Room with a View is a shining example of Merchant-Ivory's ability to achieve maximum quality and opulence at minimum cost. Set during the Edwardian Era, the film stars Helena Bonham Carter as Lucy Honeychurch, who like all proper young British ladies is compelled to tour Europe in the company of an older chaperone -- in this instance, her spinster cousin Charlotte Bartlett (Maggie Smith). While in Italy, the ladies make the acquaintance of a wide variety of personalities; the most fascinating of their fellow tourists -- at least in Lucy's eyes -- is free-spirited George Emerson (Julian Sands). Aware that her cousin is becoming too familiar with Emerson, Charlotte demands that Lucy return to England posthaste. Lucy complacently settles for the tiresomely traditional courtship of nerdish Cecil Vyse (Daniel Day-Lewis) -- and then Mr. Emerson moves into the neighborhood. Lucy now finds herself on the horns of a dilemma: Should she opt for a safe, proper marriage to Cecil, or the bohemian unpredictability of the charismatic Emerson? A winner of three Academy Awards, A Room with a View is not what one could call fast-moving, but fans of the Merchant-Ivory team will enjoy luxuriating in the film's leisurely pace and stimulating cast of characters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maggie Smith, Helena Bonham Carter, (more)
Director James Ivory brings his subdued, "Masterpiece Theater" style to a forbidden subject -- homosexual love. Maurice is based on E.M. Forster's suppressed 1914 novel that was held back from publication until after his death. The film takes place at Cambridge, before World War I, when homosexuality was outlawed in Great Britain. Clive (Hugh Grant), an aristocratic Englishman with a life of privilege, suddenly shocks his close friend Maurice (James Wilby) by declaring his love for him. Maurice is initially stunned by the pronouncement, but in the end finds himself giving Clive a passionate kiss and telling him that he loves him as well. Clive, in the stiff-upper-lip British manner, considers their love to be more of an intellectual concept, but Maurice becomes passionate about the affair. Clive, afraid of being exposed as a homosexual, backs off and breaks up with Maurice for marriage, family, and politics. Maurice is crestfallen, but then he has a passionate affair with Clive's gamekeeper, Scudder (Rupert Graves), and Maurice and Scudder decide to risk their reputations by openly living together as lovers. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Wilby, Hugh Grant, (more)
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)
Originally produced for the BBC, the seven-part Fortunes of War was adapted from Olivia Manning's "The Balkan Trilogy" and "The Levant Trilogy". Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson, who in 1987 were husband and wife, star as Guy and Harriet Pringle, a British couple who move to Rumania in 1939. As the war clouds gather, Guy becomes involved in political resistance activities, which tends to make him neglectful of Harriet, who'd just as soon remain aloof from world events. While Guy goes off on such missions as destroying the German supply lines along the Danube, Harriet attempts to maintain decorum in her home-a task rendered well nigh impossible when such "guests" as Prince Yakimov (Ronald Pickup) drop in. Separated in mid-war, the Pringles are reunited in Greece, where the lonely Harriet becomes involved with handsome army officer Jeremy Brudenell. Then it's off to further adventures in Alexandria, Cairo, and finally, Damascus. Fortunes of War was first telecast in America from January 17 to February 28, 1988, as part of PBS' Masterpiece Theatre series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A wealthy, upper-class British widow marries a much younger Italian man with disastrous results in this turn-of-the-century costume drama based on the E.M. Forster novel. After marrying into a wealthy family and then losing her husband, middle-aged Lilia Herriton (Helen Mirren) suffers under the disapproving yoke of her haughty mother-in-law (Barbara Jefford). At the suggestion of family friend Caroline Abbott (Helena Bonham Carter), Lilia leaves her young daughter and in-laws for a holiday in Italy, where she falls in love with the penniless but handsome Gino Carella (Giovanni Guidelli). When she announces her plans to marry Gino, the family dispatches her brother-in-law, Philip (Rupert Graves), to prevent the union. But the alternately caddish and thoughtful Philip fails in his mission. Gino proves to be as charming to other women as he is to his wife, but he's genuinely bereaved when she dies in childbirth. Soon, Philip and his high-strung sister, Harriet (Judy Davis), arrive in Tuscany in an attempt to spirit away Lilia's son. But the principled Caroline turns up, determined to stop them, setting the stage for unexpected realizations and unforeseeable tragedy. Where Angels Fear to Tread reunites Bonham Carter and Graves, who co-starred in the previous E.M. Forster adaptation, A Room With a View. Each actor also starred in other Forster films: Bonham Carter in Howards End and Graves in Maurice. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helena Bonham Carter, Judy Davis, (more)
- 1991
- R
Ben Kingsley stars in this solid adaptation of the Edith Wharton novel (filmed previously in 1929 as The Marriage Playground). Kingsley plays Martin Boyne, an engineer in 1920s Europe who, after five years of correspondence, is planning to travel overseas to marry the recently widowed Rose Sellars (Kim Novak). On his way to marry Rose, he stops off in Venice to visit his old friend Cliffe Wheater (Joe Don Baker), who with his wife Joyce (Geraldine Chaplin) has a large group of children. Rose then contacts Martin, telling him that due to complications arising from her husband's will, he should wait another year before marrying her. Meanwhile, Cliffe and Joyce's fifteen-year-old daughter Judith (Siri Neal) arrives at Rose's door with the younger children. Because of marital problems, the children convince Martin to become their guardian. But Martin, spending too much time around Judith, ends up falling in love with her. Tongues begin to wag and Rose, crestfallen, leaves for France. Martin and Rose split up and Martin disappears in shame, trying to get control of his life and all that he has lost. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Kingsley, Kim Novak, (more)
Adapted from Josephine Hart's spare novel by British screenwriter David Hare and French director Louis Malle, this brooding erotic drama concerns the obsessive sexual relationship between an English politician and his son's lover. Stephen Flemming (Jeremy Irons), an up-and-coming member of Parliament, has a beautiful and loving wife, Ingrid (Miranda Richardson), and two children, including son Martyn (Rupert Graves), a successsful journalist. Sparks fly, however, when Stephen meets beautiful art-world denizen Anna Barton (Juliette Binoche), Martyn's new girlfriend. A measured, seemingly passionless man who believes that life can be controlled, Stephen suddenly finds himself unable to resist brief but intense liaisons with the mysterious, melancholy Anna. Eventually she explains the palpable air of sadness that hangs over her: When she was 15, her beloved older brother committed suicide because he could not possess her. "Remember," Anna warns Stephen, "Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive." Drawn to Anna and the passion she engenders in him, Stephen tries to justify his betrayal by telling himself Martyn isn't serious about Anna; he is stunned, then, when the two announce their engagement. On the advice of Anna's mother (Leslie Caron), who sees right through the charade, Stephen tries to break things off. But soon the affair resumes with full force, eventually destroying several lives. Although Damage's stark, frank sex scenes were trimmed to attain an R rating for theatrical release, the original, uncut version is available on video and DVD. Richardson received an Oscar nomination for her work. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeremy Irons, Juliette Binoche, (more)
Based on Alan Bennett's acclaimed play The Madness of George III, The Madness of King George takes a dark-humored look at the mental decline of King George III of England. The film's story begins nearly three decades into George's reign, in 1788, as the unstable king (Nigel Hawthorne, reprising his stage role) begins to show signs of increasing dementia, from violent fits of foul language to bouts of forgetfulness. This weakness seems like the perfect chance to overthrow the unpopular George, whom many blamed for the loss of the American colonies, in favor of the Prince of Wales (Rupert Everett), but the king's prime minister William Pitt (Julian Wadham) and his wife Queen Charlotte (Helen Mirren) are determined to protect the throne. Doctors are brought in, but the archaic treatments of the time prove of little value. In desperation, they turn to Dr. Willis (Ian Holm), a harsh, unconventional specialist whose unusual methods recall modern psychiatry. Willis struggles to break through to the mad king, treating him with an anger and haughtiness George has never before experienced. Stressing the absurdity of the entire situation, Bennett's witty screenplay emphasizes dry humor over tragedy, even utilizing references to King Lear for comic effect. Hawthorne's fiery yet vulnerable performance received much critical praise, including Best Actor at the British Academy Awards and a nomination for the same at the Oscars. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nigel Hawthorne, Helen Mirren, (more)
In this suspense drama, Alan Terry (Rupert Graves) is a homeless man who wanders the streets of London. One night, Alan is trying to sleep near a bridge when he witnesses a strange and grisly murder; a man, speaking Italian, is hanged by four other men, one also speaking Italian while the other three have British accents. When Alan's presence is discovered by the killers, they give chase, and Alan is barely able to escape. However, the following day the papers report the death as a suicide; on the advice of his friend George (Graham Crowden), Alan goes to the police to tell what he saw. However, when Alan is introduced to Detective Matheson (Michael Gambon), the man investigating the case, he realizes that Matheson was one of the men who helped hang the victim. Assuming that Matheson would not be a good person with whom to discuss the case, Alan instead goes to Billie Hayman (Annabella Sciorra), an American journalist working in London who is able to bring Alan's side of the story to the people; Alan and Billie soon discover that this murder is far more complicated, and with more disturbing implications than they ever could have imagined. Though fictional, The Innocent Sleep was inspired by the true story of the death of Roberto Calvi, an Italian banker who was murdered in London in 1982. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rupert Graves, Annabella Sciorra, (more)
The off-beat love story between Paul and Kim provides the framework of this quirky British melodrama. The two meet after the taxi in which the attractive Kim rides collides with manly courier Paul and his motorcycle. Paul is utterly fascinated with Kim and swears that he has seen her before. He has. In fact the two were childhood friends in Catholic boys school, but back then, before the operation, Kim was named Karl. Now as a woman, Kim works as a successful writer for a greeting-card company while Paul, still wild and irresponsible, gets work while he can. The two gingerly renew their friendship and eventually it becomes something much deeper. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Mackintosh, Rupert Graves, (more)
This three-part BBC adaptation of author Anne Brontë's novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall features Tara Fitzgerald as Helen Graham, a pensive woman seeking a way out of her miserable marriage to Arthur Huntingdon (Rupert Graves), a rakish alcoholic who tricked Helen into marrying him before his bad behavior became outwardly evident. Meanwhile, farmer Gilbert Markham (Toby Stephens) becomes increasingly attracted to Helen, whom he is led to believe is a widow. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tara Fitzgerald, Rupert Graves, (more)
- 1996
- R
In 1954, all of England was rocked by a shocking crime that took place in a quiet coastal town and involved a socially upstanding landlady, her smart, newly blossomed teenage daughter, and a handsome but troubled Australian in search of family he had never known. In retelling this true story, first-time filmmaker Philip Goodhew offers a blackly comic and ironic look behind the proper lace curtains of a seemingly normal British household and reveals a seething pit of repressed lust, jealousy and deadly obsession. The tale begins as Harold Guppy (Rupert Graves) leaves a ship and ambles toward the home of his long-lost brother Maurice Guppy (Les Dennis). The reunion is tepid, for Maurice's wife Iris (Elizabeth McKechnie) is suspicious of Harold and unwilling to welcome him into her home. It doesn't help that the callow Harold reveals a troubled, though somewhat cloaked past. Unable to stay with his brother, Harold finds lodging in the home of friendly, late-middle-aged Mrs. Beasley (Julie Walters). With her rhinestoned glasses, boxy dresses, short bouffant, and prim take-charge manner, Mrs. Beasley seems the epitome of 1950s motherhood and good housekeeping. Harold soon meets the rest of the family, the fresh-faced, bright, but rather macabre Joyce (Laura Sadler in her feature-film debut), and Mr. Beasley, a quiet, hen-pecked (the Mrs. hasn't had relations with him in years and forces him to sleep in his own room) WW I survivor who despite his missing leg, still supports his family. Things seem normal enough until a fateful game of spin-the-bottle during Joyce's 14th birthday party reveals an entirely different side to Mrs. Beasley. That night she creeps to Harold's bedroom and pleads with him until he weakens and accepts her advances and they begin to make wild love. The row awakens Joyce who pops into Harold's room and refuses to leave until the would-be lovers allow her into the bed. Thinking her asleep and unaware, Mrs. Beasley and Harold quietly resume their cavorting. Joyce is very much awake and spends the night scheming to get Harold to come to her. Thus begins an inescapable downward spiral for the weak-willed Harold that culminates in a desperate and horrific act of violence. Though it is not difficult to guess that none of the three protagonists will come to a good end, the graphic nature of the story's climax is jarring and out of place in the otherwise low-key and rather dry comedy. That the trio's characters are so broadly drawn, even bordering on cariactures, lessens the impact and the actual horror of the case. Still, Intimate Relations is a well-made film that aptly captures the flavor of post WW II England and contains many memorable lines.That the three try so hard to keep up the appearances of a normal household (Mrs. Beasley insists that Harold call her "Mum," a word he later has tattooed upon his arm) only adds to the bitter humor. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Walters, Rupert Graves, (more)
This adaptation of the novel by Virginia Woolf stars Vanessa Redgrave as Clarissa Dalloway, a woman in her mid-'50s living in London five years after the end of WWI. As Mrs. Dalloway prepares an elaborate dinner party at the home she shares with her husband, a prominent politician, she finds herself looking back on her life 30 years before, when as a young woman (played by (Natascha McElhone), she was in love with two different men -- the solid and safe Richard Dalloway (John Standing) and the exciting, free-spirited Peter Walsh (Michael Kitchen). Clarissa also recalls her close friendship with Sally (Lena Headey) as she wonders if she made the right choice in marrying Richard -- especially when Peter makes an unexpected appearance at her party. Mrs. Dalloway also finds herself moved in a way she never anticipated by the plight of Septimus Smith (Rupert Graves), a young man severely injured during the war whom she has never met. Mrs. Dalloway was directed by Marleen Gorris, whose previous credit was the international success Antonia's Line. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vanessa Redgrave, Natascha McElhone, (more)
Telecast on American cable television as Sweet Revenge, this wickedly black comedy was produced for British TV under the title The Revengers' Comedies, which was also the name of the Alan Ayckbourn play collection upon which it was based. Late one night on London Bridge, two potential suicides meet. Henry Bell (Sam Neill) is a midlevel executive who has been unfairly fired by his office rival; Karen Knightly (Helena Bonham Carter) is a nutty heiress whose boyfriend has jilted her in favor of a bitchy American beauty. Forsaking their plans to kill themselves, Henry and Karen go the Strangers on a Train route by agreeing to "swap" revenges: Karen will dispose of Henry's enemy, Bruce Tick (Steve Coogan), while Henry will destroy Karen's bête noire, Imogen Saxton-Billing (Kristin Scott Thomas). A U.S./U.K./French co-production, Sweet Revenge made its official debut over America's Showtime network on September 24, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Neill, Helena Bonham Carter, (more)
- 1998
The Blonde Bombshell was a two-part miniseries based on the turbulent life and early death of British movie queen Diana Dors. The warts-and-all teleplay cast a merciless light upon Dors' troublesome relationship with her working-class family, her ofttimes futile efforts to be taken seriously as an actress and to escape the "sexpot" roles which had brought her fame, and her unhappy marriages, including her volatile union with future Family Feud emcee Richard Dawson. The story came to a tragic conclusion with Dors' death from cancer at age 52. Keeley Hawes appeared as the younger Diana, while Amanda Redman played the protagonist in the final stages of her life and career. Filmed in the digital widescreen process, The Blonde Bombshell was seen over London Weekend Television on April 26 and 27, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amanda Redman, Keeley Hawes, (more)
- 1998
- R
This drama takes place in Somerset, England in 1958. Eva is a twenty-year-old woman who fantasizes about travel, painting, classic books, and the attention of Joseph Lees, her second cousin, with whom she fell in love as a girl. Joseph, whom she has not seen for four years, is the only member of the family who has managed to get away from the stale domestic cycle. He has recently been injured in a truck accident and Eva imagines herself curing his wounds. She conceals her obsession from everyone except her sister, the precocious Janie, who is twelve years old. Reality is far away from Eva's dreams. Her artistic endeavors are confined to a local drawing class; she works for a meager salary at a dirty sawmill and the only male around to appreciate her female charm is the local pig farmer, Harry Flyte. Harry's sister Maria is anxious to marry off her brother so that she can be free to do as she pleases. Eva moves in with Harry, but when she meets Joseph at a family gathering, the old flame is rekindled. However, Harry is not so easy to get rid of. Dreaming of Joseph Lees is a family drama and the first feature of Eric Styles. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Samantha Morton, Lee Ross, (more)
The epic saga of the Queen of Egypt gets yet another retelling in Cleopatra, a four-hour, two-part spectacular produced for television. Leonor Varela plays Cleopatra, the Egyptian monarch who uses her wisdom, charm, ruthlessness, and seductive powers to work her way into the heart (and bed) of Roman leader Julius Caesar (Timothy Dalton). But Cleopatra shifts her romantic alliances to Marc Anthony (Billy Zane) just in time for Caesar's death and Anthony's rise to the throne. When Rome goes to war, however, Cleopatra realizes that she can only remain in power for so long, eventually making a late date with an asp when things get especially grim. This is at least the 12th film based on Cleopatra's life (the best-known being the infamously expensive 1962 version starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton). Produced by Hallmark for NBC television, this version first aired as a two-part miniseries in May 1999. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leonor Varela, Timothy Dalton, (more)
The horrors of the Jewish Holocaust are revisited in this drama by Czech director Matej Minac. The film opens with the upwardly mobile Silberstein clan led by Jakub (Josef Abrham), as he buys a villa in the countryside just before Hitler overruns the country. His blind faith in family unity ironically keeps a number of his relatives in the country to be victimized by the Nazis. Meanwhile, British humanitarian Nicholas Winton (Rupert Graves) tries to rescue hundreds of Czech children and get them out of the country. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josef Abrhám, Jiri Bartoska, (more)
- 2000
Screened on U.S. television in 2001 as a presentation of Masterpiece Theatre, Take a Girl Like You is a two-part adaptation of English novelist Kingsley Amis' 1959 novel of the same name. The titular "girl" is Jenny Bunn (Sienna Guillory), a beautiful and virginal young woman who has the exhausting habit of inspiring lust in every man (and certain women) whose path she happens to cross. Hailing from England's industrial north, 20-year-old Jenny moves away from home to take a teaching job in a small town just outside of London. After arriving at her lodgings, a room in the house of the acrimoniously married Dick and Martha Thompson (Robert Daws and Emma Chambers), Jenny makes the acquaintance of Patrick Standish (Rupert Graves), the town's resident lothario. Patrick, a Latin teacher at the town's posh public school, becomes immediately obsessed with Jenny and wastes no time in forming a strategy to get her in the sack. Although Jenny is attracted to Patrick, she is also intent on saving herself for marriage. Additionally, she finds herself dealing with the amorous advances of Graham (Ian Driver), Patrick's socially inept Scottish flatmate; Julian Ormerod (Hugh Bonneville), a local millionaire and friend of Patrick's; and Dick, her dodgy landlord. By the end of episode one, Jenny and Patrick are officially dating, but Patrick, who is frustrated by Jenny's steadfast refusal to put out, continues to pursue a sleazy pastime as an unrepentant womanizer.
~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rupert Graves, Sienna Guillory, (more)
- 2000
One man's pursuit of life, liberty, and a green card sets the stage for this comedy-drama. Ali (Said Taghmaoui) was born in Egypt but has come to England in hopes of finding his fortune. Nothing if not industrious, Ali juggles several low-paying jobs: He works in a Middle Eastern restaurant, writes screenplays, helps redub Arabic-language movies into English, and gives belly dancing lessons. In the grand tradition of dance instructors, Ali is also having an affair with one of his students, Vivienne (Clementine Celarie), a middle-aged art dealer who refuses to take no for an answer. Ali is kicked out of his rooming house after several of his neighbor's sexual peccadilloes pop up in one of his scripts, and to add insult to injury, Ali is informed that his visa is about to run out and may not be extended. Needing a place to stay, Ali accepts an offer from Mark (Rupert Graves), a photographer who will give him a room and some cash in exchange for posing for photos to be used in a gay-themed magazine. Wanting to stay in England, Ali's less than scrupulous friend Ahmed (Karim Belkhadra) says he can arrange a marriage with a British citizen that would help him gain citizenship, but the price is 5,000 pounds, more than Ali can afford. Ali soon meets Linda (Juliette Lewis), an American expatriate who does a nightclub act as Marilyn Monroe; Linda likes Ali, and is willing to marry him for a mere 3,000 pounds, though Ali still has no idea how to come up with the money. Room to Rent was the first feature from writer/director Khaled Al Haggar, who is himself an Egyptian immigrant living and working in London. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Saïd Taghmaoui, Juliette Lewis, (more)
The Forsyte Saga was a remake of the classic 1960s British miniseries which put the PBS anthology Masterpiece Theatre on the map. Whereas the original version covered all of John Galsworthy's novels about the upper-crust Forsyte clan, requiring 26 episodes to do so, the remake took in only the first two books, running five episodes in Great Britain and seven episodes when it was exported to the U.S. (several sequels were, however, promised should this "trial balloon" prove successful). This was more than ample time to detail the fortunes and follies of the Forsytes as they made the sometimes painful transition from the Victorian to the Edwardian era. The focus was on frosty, tradition-bound Soames Forsyte (Damian Lewis), whose sincere but sterile relationship with his beloved wife Irene (Gina McKee) was complicated by Irene's fondness for iconoclastic architect Bosinney (Ioan Gruffudd). And in another branch of the Forsyte family, Old Jolyon Forsyte (Corin Redgrave) was vexed by the bohemian lifestyle of his son Young Jolyon (Rupert Graves). Budgeted at ten million dollars and running approximately eight hours, the "new" Forsyte Saga debuted in the U.K. on April 7, 2002, and in the U.S. courtesy of PBS on October 6 of that same year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Damian Lewis, Gina McKee, (more)
A group of extreme winter athletes find themselves risking their neck for more than just thrills in this action drama. Jeffrey (Rupert Graves) is a director who has been hired to make a television commercial for a cellular phone company. For the spot, Jeffrey has come up with an exciting visual motif - a group of extreme skiers and snowboarders outrunning an avalanche on a remote mountain range. To get the needed footage, Jeffrey and his crew head to Austria, where they set up to film on a mountain near the former Yugoslavia; joining them is Olympic downhill champion Chloe (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras) and world-class snowboarders Ian (Rufus Sewell, Will (Devon Sawa), Silo (Joe Absolom), and Kittie (Jana Pallaske). While filming along an unchartered slope, Jeffrey's camera crew make an unexpected discovery - they find the secret compound of international terrorist Slobodan Pavlov (Klaus Lowitsch), and even capture the deadly man on videotape. Extremely unhappy that he's been found out, Pavlov turns his immediate attention to eliminating Jeffrey, his crew, and his skiers, and soon the snowboarders are forced to use their skills not just for kicks, but to save their friends - and possibly the world. Director Christian Duguay) is an old hand at filming in snow-covered mountains, having made the TV movie Snowbound: The Jim and Jennifer Stolpa Story in 1994. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Devon Sawa, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, (more)
- 2003
- Add The Forsyte Saga: Part 2 - To Let to QueueAdd The Forsyte Saga: Part 2 - To Let to top of Queue
John Galsworthy's epic tale of love, conflict, and dark secrets continues in this made-for-television adaptation of To Let, the final novel in Galsworthy's "Forsythe" trilogy. The Forsyte Saga: Series 2 focuses on Fleur (Emma Griffiths Malin), daughter of Soames Forsythe (Damian Lewis), and Jon (Lee Williams), son of Irene Heron (Gina McKee), who was once married to Soames. Fleur and Jon's friendship has blossomed into love, but while they're aware of the bad blood between their divorced parents, they have yet to uncover the secret that has led to the long-standing bitterness between the Forsythe and Heron families. A tremendous hit on British television, The Forsyte Saga: Series 2 was first aired in the United States as part of the award-winning anthology series Masterpiece Theatre. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
When the forces of the English Revolution unseated -- and beheaded -- his father, Charles II fled to the Netherlands, only to reclaim the throne and usher in an era of prosperity years later. This BBC miniseries -- aired stateside on A&E -- focuses on those later years, as the hedonistic Charles (Rufus Sewell) takes control of the United Kingdom, leads its people through plague and civil unrest, and -- amidst Protestant outcries -- ousts his Catholic brother James as heir to the throne. Meanwhile, his duplicitous mistress Barbara (Helen McCrory) works her machinations behind the scenes, scheming for her cousin George (Rupert Graves) to ascend the throne. The Last King: The Power and Passion of Charles II also stars Shirley Henderson as Charles' long-suffering wife, Catherine. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rufus Sewell, Rupert Graves, (more)
