James Hazeldine Movies
Though he may have been best known to U.K. audiences for his roles in such television series as London's Burning and Young, Gifted and Broke, stage and screen actor James Hazeldine would find true career fulfillment under the bright lights of the stage. Born in Salford, Lancashire, England, in April 1947, Hazeldine made his Broadway debut in the 1984 production of Strange Interludes. Though Hazeldine would later return to the stage alongside Kevin Spacey in The Iceman Cometh, he would work extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company for roles in such productions as Troilus and Cressida and The Fool. Later serving as television's first incarnation of Jimmy Porter in Look Back in Anger, film appearances included The Medusa Touch (1978), Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982), and A Small Dance (1991). Falling ill just four short days into his run in the Royal National Theater production of The Talking Cure, James Hazeldine died in London. He was 55. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Nicholas and Alexandra covers the rise and fall of the last of the Russian Romanovs. We first meet Czar Nicholas (Michael Jayston) and his German bride Alexandra (Janet Suzman) at their 1894 wedding. Though Nicholas is devoted to Alexandra, the Russian populace is less politely inclined to having a "foreigner" as their Czarina. Alexandra gains favor when she gives birth to the much-loved Prince Alexis (Roderick Noble). Alas, Alexis suffers from hemophilia, a disease which strikes every second generation of Alexandra's family. When all conventional medical ministrations fail, Alexandra puts the fate of her son in the hands of mystical holy man Rasputin (Tom Baker, later famous for his portrayal of Doctor Who). As Rasputin's influence and power grows, the Russian peasantry becomes more restless and disgruntled. They are now willing to listen to the speeches of such rabble-rousers as Lenin (Michael Bryant) and Trotsky (Brian Cox), who sow the seeds of revolution. Even after the murder of Rasputin, the Bolsheviks are unsatisfied: The revolution finally comes to pass in October of 1917. At first, the moderate Kerensky (John McEnery) pleads with his followers to allow the Romanovs safe passage out of Russia. But the radicals seize control, and on July 16, 1918, the royal family is summarily executed. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Jayston, Janet Suzman, (more)
An institutionalized schizophrenic with a Messiah complex inherits the position of an English Earl in this cutting satire of British society, based on a play by Peter Barnes. The film's irreverent tone is established with the disturbingly hilarious death of the thirteenth Earl of Gurney during a bizarre attempt at auto-erotic asphyxiation. To the dismay of the earl's family, the title passes to his son Jack (Peter O'Toole), who has been locked away for eight years after claiming to be the second coming of Jesus Christ. Mad but harmless, Jack is released to assume his seat. However, his embrace of Christianity proves incompatible with a position of power in "normal" society, where peace and love are considered serious weaknesses, and a somewhat unhinged psychiatrist is called to help him adjust. Meanwhile, Jack's scheming uncle, Sir Charles (William Mervyn), works on developing a complex scheme to trick Jack out of his position. Loaded with idiosyncratic touches from eccentric camera angles to unexpected outbursts of song, the film creates an experience nearly as inspired and mad as O'Toole's brilliantly hilarious central performance. The film's devilish invention may at times seem overloaded, but most drawbacks are redeemed by the sharpness of the satire, particularly during the memorably disturbing finale. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter O'Toole, Alastair Sim, (more)
- 1973
National Health, or Nurse Norton's Affair is an antic filmization of Peter Nichols' play, originally staged by Britain's National Theatre. A scattershot satire of the red tape and inconsistencies of England's National Health program, the film is set in the men's ward of an old, crumbling hospital. Moments of lunatic farce dovetail into scenes of blood-drenched human tragedy, leading one wag to label this film Carry on Dying. The film's highlight is a lachrymose lampoon of TV medical soap operas. The cast of National Health is comprised of some of the most polished farceurs in the British isles. Nurse Norton is played by Lynn Redgrave (who ironically later starred in the American hospital-based sitcom House Calls), while other key roles are filled by TV comedienne Eleanor Bron, Carry On alumnus Jim Dale and future Who Framed Roger Rabbit? star Bob Hoskins. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1974
Stardust was the sequel to That'll be the Day, a 1973 film à clef about the rise of a Beatles-like rock group. Real-life rock star David Essex plays singer Jim Maclaine (read: John Lennon), whose sudden rise to fame has enriched him beyond his wildest dreams. His perspective and sense of values skewered by sex, drugs, and booze, Maclaine becomes little more than a singing cipher, outwardly successful but hollow inside. Ironically, Keith Moon of the Who, whose own life paralleled the fictional Maclaine's in many ways, appears in a supporting role. Dave Edmunds, who appears in as Alex, co-wrote the film's pulsating musical score with Lord David Puttnam (the film's producer). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Essex, Adam Faith, (more)
- 1978
- PG
In The Medusa Touch Brunel (Lino Ventura), a French detective on temporary assignment with Scotland Yard, investigates a mysterious series of disasters. The uncanny events begin happening shortly after writer John Morlar (Richard Burton) was hit over the head by an unknown intruder and rendered comatose. Slowly, Brunel begins to connect the strange things that are happening in the world with the deranged dreams of the comatose Morlar. He gets the final clue he needs from Morlar's reluctant psychiatrist, Dr. Zonfield (Lee Remick), who holds the key to Morlar's past. Once it is discovered that Morlar has the ability to think horrible thoughts and make them come true, Brunel and Zonfield must take off with dispatch to a London cathedral, where the Queen is scheduled to make an appearance -- but Morlar is thinking about the cathedral, and it is crumbling fast. Well-liked in Britain, this movie did not do well in the U.S. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Burton, Lino Ventura, (more)
Inspired by Pink Floyd's album of the same name, Pink Floyd: The Wall is a dark, expressionistic musical, told from the point of view of Pink, a depressed rock musician. The film is structured around Pink's reflections on his life, all of which center on the building of "the wall." This wall is a metaphor for psychological isolation, a barrier Pink creates to distance himself from his pain. The foundations for this wall are lain in childhood, with the death of Pink's father leaving him to be raised by an overprotective mother and a repressive school system. He seeks freedom from this world through writing and music. However, even after he achieves success as a rock star, the wall continues to grow, with Pink feeling trapped by fame and wounded by his failed personal relationships. Lost in despair and self-loathing, he attempts to isolate himself from the world entirely. Director Alan Parker approaches this material in a highly stylized manner, mingling animation and dream-like sequences to suggest Pink's perception of the world. These techniques complement the almost constant music, which the film often uses in place of dialogue. Songs include "Another Brick in the Wall" and "Comfortably Numb". ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bob Geldof, Christine Hargreaves, (more)
- 1985
This version of the classic tale of estranged twin brothers, one good and one evil, whose lives and swords cross as adults, was made for British television. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1987
- R
The British Business as Usual stars Glenda Jackson and John Thaw as the husband-and-wife managers of a boutique. When a huge store chain purchases Jackson and Thaw's establishment, chain executive Eamon Boland is sent to check out the place. It seems, however, that he's more interested in checking out pretty boutique employee Cathy Tyson. Jackson slaps a sexual harrassment charge on Boland, who uses this contretemps as an excuse to fire her from her own store. Down but not out, Jackson conducts a determined public campaign to get her job back and to put Boland in his place. Business as Usual makes no bones about its anti-Margaret Thatcher, anti-Big Business political stance. While this aspect of the film might be lost on American viewers, the plight of Glenda Jackson's character is all too familiar. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Glenda Jackson, John Thaw, (more)
- 1989
Created by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, this British sitcom harvested humor from the country's real-life Youth Training Scheme, a program which endeavored to put underprivileged or delinquent teenagers on the "right track." The series' five main characters, habitual losers all, enrolled in the Youth Training Scheme and were put to work at a small electronics film. The seven-episode Young, Gifted and Broke originally aired from June 3 to July 15, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Stephen Greif, James Hazeldine, (more)
- 1991
- Add Inspector Morse: Greeks Bearing Gifts to Queue Add Inspector Morse: Greeks Bearing Gifts to top of Queue
Inspector Morse (John Thaw) and Sergeant Lewis (Kevin Whately) dig up another mystery in this episode of the popular British TV series. In "Greeks Bearing Gifts," the city of Oxford is turned upside-down when one of the area's Greek chefs is found dead and a baby goes missing. It's up to Morse and Lewis to get information from the town's Greek community, who are very tight-lipped on the matter. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
- Starring:
- Martin Jarvis
- 1991
Donna Matkin lives with her parents in a rural area in the east of England. She is sixteen years old, and her home life is not very satisfying. Her father just considers her to be somebody else to boss around, and her mother seems to think that the television shows she watches endlessly are more important than her daughter. When a customer at her roadside flower stall shows some interest in her, she is happy to begin a sexual liaison with him. Soon, she discovers that she is pregnant, but rather than confiding in her parents or anyone else, she successfully keeps her whole pregnancy secret and even manages to give birth unobserved in a barn. At first, she is determined to leave the newborn to die, but she soon discovers that the infant gives her a much-needed reason to live. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kate Hardie, James Hazeldine, (more)
In this made-for-TV adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel, Emma Woodhouse (Kate Beckinsale) is a clever young woman from a wealthy family who fancies herself a matchmaker and tries to find a husband for her shy friend Harriet (Samantha Morton). However, Emma's skills in bringing romances together are not all she imagines them to be, which causes no small annoyance for Harriet. What's more, Emma's interest in the affairs of others nearly causes her to miss out on the love of her life. This adaptation of Emma was first shown in the U.S. on the A&E cable network; it followed both Douglas McGrath's acclaimed film version starring Gwyneth Paltrow, and Amy Heckerling's considerably updated variation on the story, Clueless. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kate Beckinsale, Mark Strong, (more)
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