Michael Jayston Movies

In this espionage drama, a British agent journeys to the Middle East and discovers that he is to be an assassin's next victim. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Another slice of processed cheese from Herman Cohen, producer of Trog and other such wonders. This cheap occult programmer (ostensibly based on the novel Infernal Idol by Henry Seymour) stars Jack Palance as a demented art dealer & antique-shop owner who performs nightly rituals in honor of the African god Chuku, whom he believes will reward him with unimaginable wealth and power if he merely offers up the occasional human sacrifice or two. His methods are fairly creative, ranging from impalement, slashing and burning, to scaring people to death with an ooga-booga fright mask. What could have been boring, exploitive drivel is elevated to passable mediocrity by an over-the-top performance from the leering Palance and occasionally stylish touches from slumming director Freddie Francis, but most viewers will be left wondering why they bothered at all. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

In The Homecoming, adapted from the play by Harold Pinter, Michael Jayston brings his wife Vivien Merchant home to visit his long-estranged family. Jayston's father Paul Rogers is a washout, his uncle Cyril Cusack is on the edge of senility, and his brothers Ian Holm and Terence Rigby are, respectively, a slimy pimp and a brutish boxer. The sparser the dialogue, the thicker the tension in the air. Though British in origin, The Homecoming was presented as part of the American Film Theatre series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This 1973 production of the renowned novel by Charlotte Brontë features Sorcha Cusack as the title character, a young woman who goes to work for the mysterious Mr. Rochester (Michael Jayston). She notices that something strange is going on in the house, but since he does not allow her to enter certain areas, it is difficult for her to uncover the truth. As her feelings toward Rocheser begin to change into something more serious, she fears what secrets he is keeping from her. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

In this low-budget offering with several familiar "B"-movie players (Chuck Connors, Peter Graves), truck drivers become addicted to amphetamines courtesy of a drugs racket within the trucking company itself, so an undercover agent is sent in to gather evidence. ~ Mark Hockley, All Movie Guide

Essentially a reworking of their earlier omnibus Asylum, this is another anthology of pulp horror tales from Amicus, this one helmed by the ever-reliable Freddie Francis. It features a quartet of eerie vignettes involving four patients in the care of psychiatrist Dr. Tremayne (Donald Pleasence), who is attempting to justify his strange theories to a colleague (Jack Hawkins, who died shortly after his scenes were filmed) by explaining the horrific events that drove the patients to their current state. The first tale centers on a young boy (Russell Lewis), whose parents' constant squabbling prompts him to conjure an imaginary tiger to devour them. The second involves a Victorian-era bicycle which allows its finder (Peter McEnery) to travel back in time and live as his own ancestor. The goofy third chapter pits a jealous wife (Joan Collins) against a strange rival for her husband's attention: a tree possessed by a human soul. The final segment stars Kim Novak (a last-minute replacement for Rita Hayworth) as a literary agent who must sacrifice her own daughter (Mary Tamm) to appease the restless spirit of her client's mother. Although certainly not the studio's best effort, this is still an amusing diversion, featuring the standard twist ending and a flamboyant approach suggestive of EC horror comics. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

This English comedy is based on a short play by Peter Shaffer (better known for Equus). Belinda is a free-spirited American woman married to a stuffy English rolled-umbrella man. When he leaves for work each day, she leaves their London apartment too. She says she's just sightseeing, but he doesn't believe her. He hires a private eye (Chaim Topol) to follow her around and find the "other man" in her life. What she said was true, however, and the private eye becomes her traveling companion. He tells his employer that she was telling the truth, but he doesn't believe him. At that point, the detective admits to being the "other man," complicating things thoroughly. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

British director Peter Hall's 1968 filmization of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, starring the Royal Shakespeare Company, is faithful to the text and to the main plot, which involves the "bewitching" of several groups of mortals by a covey of mischievous invisible fairies. So why did critics complain? Hall's handling of Shakespeare's prose and iambic pentameter didn't bother the purists as much as the director's visual choices. Hall was criticized for staging the film in a typically rainy British winter rather than the mid-Summer alluded to in the play's title. The director responded by pointing out that the fairies, led by Oberon and Titania, were deliberately toying with the expectations and sensibilities of the Mortals -- thus, it made sense to confuse the "human" characters by playing havoc with the weather. Other stylistic alterations included updating the story to the 19th century, and the near-nudity of Judi Dench as Titania. Most of the film is shot in close-up (most effectively during the soliloquies of Diana Rigg, as Helena), not so much to hide budgetary deficiencies as to play better on television. Also featuring Ian Holm (as Puck) Barbara Jefford, Helen Mirren, Michael Jayston, Paul Rogers, Ian Richardson and David Warner, this Midsummer Night's Dream premiered in the U.S. on the CBS TV network on Sunday evening, February 9, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide