Roy Stewart Movies
A valiant prince battles an evil sorcerer to rescue his true love in this colorful fantasy, which features high adventure and plenty of special effects. The hero must overcome a number of dangers, along the way receiving help from a beautiful street urchin and a magical rose. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Lee, Milo O'Shea, (more)
- 1977
In this comedy, two soldiers stationed in Singapore set off in pursuit of the fairer sex instead of carrying out their orders. Soon after their arrival on the exotic island, the two visit a local brothel and there encounter a pair of lusty nurses who have also come in for a bit of erotic R&R. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Askwith, Nigel Davenport, (more)
Roger Moore makes his first appearance as "Bond...James Bond" in 1973's Live and Let Die. Bond is dispatched to the States to stem the activities of Mr. Big (Yaphet Kotto), who plans to take over the Western Hemisphere by converting everyone into heroin addicts. The woman in the case is Solitaire (Jane Seymour in her movie debut), an enigmatic interpreter of tarot cards. The obligatory destructive-chase sequence occurs at the film's midpoint, with Bond being chased in a motorboat by Mr. Big's henchmen, slashing his way through the marshlands and smashing up a wedding party. Clifton James makes the first of several Bond appearances as redneck sheriff Pepper, while Geoffrey Holder is an enthusiastic secondary villain. The title song, written by Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney, provides the frosting on this 007 confection. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roger Moore, Yaphet Kotto, (more)
Screenwriter Robert Bolt's directorial debut is a lushly romantic saga concerning the 1812 love affair between the wife of William Lamb, Lord of Melbourne, and the author of the poem Childe Harold, Lord Byron. Excited and embarrassed by the attendant affections heaped upon him, Byron found his writing talent waning, and in 1813 the lovers ended their affair. In her first novel, Glenarvon in 1816, Lady Lamb included a satiric portrait of her former lover. But when she later witnessed Byron's funeral in 1828, she was so affected by his death she never mentally recovered from the trauma. The film charts the doomed romantic course for Lady Caroline Lamb (Sarah Miles), beginning with her marriage to the politically promising William Lamb (Jon Finch) and continuing with her scandalous affair with Byron (Richard Chamberlain). The film then chronicles Lady Caroline Lamb's supreme sacrifice on behalf of her husband's political career. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sarah Miles, Jon Finch, (more)
- 1971
This entry in Hammer Films' long-running vampire series of the '60s and '70s is one of the most evocative and original. The story features voluptuous twin Playboy centerfolds Madeleine and Mary Collinson as sisters who, without parents, are sent to stay with their oppressive uncle (Peter Cushing, looking more emaciated than ever), who happens to live near the sinister Karnstein Castle, the locale of countless vampiric happenings in two prequels (The Vampire Lovers and Lust for a Vampire). One of the twins wanders over and meets the dashing Count Karstein (Damien Thomas), a vampire who later uses the girl's blood to awaken his long-lost ancestor from the dead. Of course, the uncle predictably gives chase once trouble starts, but there is a clever plot twist as the count switches the twins before one is about to be burned at the stake for her supposed satanic involvements. Twins of Evil unabashedly exploits the twins' assets to pump up the film's sex appeal; it also seems to cater to viewers with a vampire fetish. Still, neither is necessarily a bad thing in a vampire film; Twins of Evil does create an effectively sensuous mood while also managing to sustain a fair amount of tension throughout the picture. Although Universal Pictures, the U.S. distributor, extracted nearly all of the flesh and bloodletting from its release, the original British cut retains everything and is the usual copy found on video. Like its predecessors, the script for Twins of Evil is loosely based on LeFanu's classic vampire story Carmilla. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Cushing, Madeleine Collinson, (more)
- 1971
In the second episode of the four-part story "Terror of the Autons," the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) continues his investigation of the disappearance of the last Nestene Intelligence Energy Sphere. Having previously escaped death at the hands of the Nestene's Auton warriors, the Doctor is naturally on his guard. That guard intensifies when the hero is warned that his arch rival Time Lord, the Master, has arrived on earth. Roger Delgado makes the first of many appearances as the redoubtable Master. Written by Robert Holmes, "Terror of the Autons, Episode 2" originally aired on January 9, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Pertwee, Katy Manning, (more)
- 1970
- R
Prince Leo (Marcello Mastroianni) is the exiled ruler from an unnamed country living on the edge of a London ghetto with his harridan mistress Margaret (Billie Whitelaw). While viewing birds through his telescope, he witnesses the struggles of his black neighbors to survive their harsh urban environment. When Salambo (Glenna Forster Jones) is forced into prostitution by Jasper (Keefe West), the prince decides to take action. He rescues the woman after she is raped and makes her his ward and protectorate. When the royal guards invade the neighborhood, Leo and a makeshift troop of residents repel the advance with fireworks and homemade explosives. The film is based on the George Tabori play "The Prince" and deals with class struggles of the poor against the haughty royals. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marcello Mastroianni, Billie Whitelaw, (more)
Except for the omission of several passages in the original play, this 1970 adaptation of Julius Caesar faithfully retells Shakespeare's account of events surrounding the assassination of Caesar in 44 B.C. The film begins when Caesar John Gielgud is at the height of his power after conquering Pompey "the Great" in a civil war. Important senators worry that Caesar means to become king, diminish their power, and abolish their beloved Roman republic. Two senators, Cassius Richard Johnson and Brutus Jason Robards, hatch an assassination plot involving other disenchanted Roman citizens. Although a soothsayer warns Caesar of trouble ("Beware the ides of March") and his own wife reports ominous signs ("A lioness hath whelped in the streets; and graves have yawn'd, and yielded up their dead"), Caesar decides to go to the senate on the ides (March 15). Upon arrival, the conspirators greet him with daggers. In his funeral oration, Mark Antony Charlton Heston extols Caesar and incites the citizens against Brutus and the other conspirators. Brutus and Cassius flee Rome with their armies, but Antony and two other sympathizers track them down with their armies. When the tide turns against the conspirators, Brutus and Cassius commit suicide. As does Shakespeare's play, the film leaves the discerning viewer wondering who was the real villain -- Caesar, because of his ambition for power, or Brutus, because of his underhanded plot to maintain the status quo. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Jason Robards, Jr., (more)
- 1969
Much of this Avengers episode was comprised of footage from the never-seen installment "Invitation to a Killing," which was to have introduced the character of Tara King. The plot is set in motion by one Colonel Nsonga (Johnny Sekka), who has stolen 3,000 high-tech rifles in hopes of staging a coup in his native country. Posing as an arms dealer, Steed finds himself at a live demonstration of the stolen weaponry -- with Tara as the helpless target. Written by Donald James, "Have Guns -- Will Haggle" was first shown in America on May 1, 1968, and in England on December 11 of that year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Jean-Luc Godard's Sympathy for the Devil, also known as One Plus One, uses both documentary and staged sequences, alternating between an inside look at a rock band's recording process and reflections on contemporary politics and aesthetics. One half of the film focuses on the Rolling Stones, as they rehearse and ultimately record the song that would become "Sympathy for the Devil." By presenting repeated takes of the entire composition, the film allows the viewer to witness the progressive evolution of the song from its original, slower conception to the more percussive version that became the final recording. The other half of the film -- which is occasionally accompanied by the song -- presents a series of sequences dealing with issues like black power, pornography, racism, and Marxism, amongst others. These sequences, which often focus on a group of revolutionary youth in Paris, provide a chance for Godard to inject political commentary and meta-fictional musings on the nature of cinema. These more cerebral scenes serve as counterpoint to the direct presentation of the creative process seen in the Stones' studio sessions, and provide oblique commentary on the political meanings of popular music. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- The Rolling Stones, Iain Quarrier, (more)
- 1967
In the conclusion of the four-part story "The Tomb of the Cybermen," the titular villains unleash their Cybermat army on the members of an expedition on the planet Telos. Among those threatened is the Doctor (Patrick Troughton), who fortunately has the wherewithal to destroy the Cybermen. Unfortunately, he is also armed with the knowledge that if the Cybermen are indeed wiped out, the consequences could be devastating. Originally telecast September 23, 1967, Doctor Who: The Tomb of the Cybermen, Episode 4 was written by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines, (more)
- 1967
In the third episode of the four-part story "The Tomb of the Cybermen," three members of an archeolgical expedition on the planet Telos have conspired to revive the long-frozen Cybermen. No sooner has the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) digested this information than he is forced to deal with a new threat to the future of Mankind: The Cybermats, an army of killer robots. Originally telecast September 16, 1967, Doctor Who: The Tomb of the Cybermen, Episode 3 was written by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines, (more)
- 1967
In the second episode of the four-part story "The Tomb of the Cybermen," the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) and his friends have joined an archeological expedition on the planet Telos. Upon finding the ice tombs of the dreaded Cybermen, the Doctor also uncovers a horrible secret. Without giving the game away, it can be noted that there are at least three other members of the expedition who have their own agenda. Originally telecast September 9, 1967, Doctor Who: The Tomb of the Cybermen, Episode 2 was written by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines, (more)
- 1967
Season five of Doctor Who began on September 2, 1967, with chapter one of the four-part "The Tomb of the Cybermen." That tomb is located on the planet Telos, where the Doctor (Patrick Troughton), Jamie (Frazer Hines), and Victoria Waterfield (Deborah Watling) have joined an archeological expedition. The time travellers assume that the planet is dead and deserted; suffice to say that they are wrong. Doctor Who: The Tomb of the Cybermen, Episode 1 was written by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines, (more)
