Hilary Salmon Movies

In this HBO miniseries from directors Jim O'Hanlon and Alex Holmes (who also co-wrote and executive produced), the events of late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's life are retold from a perspective never before seen - the ever-shrinking inner circle of his once-mighty regime. The story opens in 1979, as Hussein (Igal Naor) seizes control of Iraq in a bloody coup. Later resting comfortably in his opulent palaces as he exerts his control over his cabinet and his people, the powerful tyrant clings to power for nearly twenty-five years. During that time, not even his family, including his first wife Sajida (Shohreh Aghdashloo), his oldest son Uday (Philip Arditti), his half-brother Barzan Ibrihim (Said Taghmaoui), or his mistress (and ultimately second wife) Samira (Christine Stephen-Daly) would be immune to his wrath. By speaking to the very people who were closest to Hussein during his lifetime O'Hanlon and Holmes are able to look past the politics, propaganda, and self-interests of outsiders to offer an unbiased glimpse into the life of one of the 20th Century's most controversial figures. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

One man's attempt to help the less fortunate drives him to the edge of madness in this satiric comedy drama from director Ngozi Onwurah. Joe Pascale (David Oyelowo) is an intelligent and idealistic black man living in London who has a high-paying job with a bright future ahead of him. Joe, however, believes he has a responsibility to people less fortunate than himself, and he quits his job to take a position as a teacher in a rough-and-tumble neighborhood dominated by poor blacks. Naïvely assuming his new students will welcome him with open arms, Joe quickly discovers most of his charges have little interest in learning and don't much care for him, thinking of him as a slumming yuppie whose demeanor is more "white" than "black." Joe gets tough with his students through techniques he calls "enforced education," with detention and harsh punishments doled out to kids who refuse to obey. But one of Joe's students, Germal (Charles Mnene), decides to turn the tables by accusing Joe of beating him up. Joe is outraged when most in the community supports Germal rather than himself, and he's fired by the school once the story becomes a cause célèbre in the media. Joe starts losing touch with reality and blames all of his problems on blacks, who he feels have turned their back on him and his talents. After ending up homeless, Joe begins facing his problems by seeing a counselor named Heather (Nikki Amuka Bird), but falling in love with her leads to a new set of emotional dilemmas for him. Shoot the Messenger was screened in competition at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Previously filmed by such cinematic geniuses as Jean Renoir and Vincente Minnelli, Gustave Flaubert's once-scandalous 1857 novel Madame Bovary was transformed into a two-part British miniseries in 2000. Set in the rural Normandy of the 1830s and 1840s, this is the story of Emma Rouault (Frances O'Connor), the pampered, well-educated daughter of a wealthy gentleman. Much to her own surprise, Emma accepts the marriage proposal of Charles Bovary (Hugh Bonneville), the provincial doctor who ministers to M. Rouault during a moment of medical crisis. Once she has become Madame Bovary, Emma quickly grows bored with her bourgeois existence, retreating into erotic fantasies stoked by her addiction to romantic novels. Inevitably, Emma strays from her marital vows, first with a handsome young clerk named Leon (Hugh Dancy), then with dashing country squire Rodolphe (Greg Wise). In order to sustain the lavish lifestyle which she feels is her basic right, Emma squanders all of her husband's money -- which plays right into the hands of usurious draper Lheureux (Keith Barron), who has his own wicked plans for the foolishly extravagant Mme. Bovary. In the United States, Madame Bovary was telecast on February 6 and 13, 2000, as part of the PBS Masterpiece Theatre anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide