Mervyn Johns Movies

This documentary video looks at the life of actress Ingrid Bergman. Clips from her movies, home life and interviews are all included. ~ All Movie Guide

An international swindler intends to destroy Steed (Patrick MacNee) by framing him as a turncoat and a murderer. Somehow or other, a fake spiritualist, Victoria Stanton (Sue Holderness), picks up on the villain's plans and warns Steed. It would seem that Victoria is able to anticipate the bad guy's every move--but can she be trusted? And if not, what new dangers lie in store for our bowled-hatted hero? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

In this tale of espionage and adventure set during World War II, Norway has fallen under Nazi occupation, and a factory is producing "heavy water" (a key ingredient in the manufacture of atomic weapons), under the order of the German military. Knut Straud (Richard Harris), a leading figure in the Norwegian underground, joins forces with scientist Dr. Rolf Pederson (Kirk Douglas), who is working with British intelligence agents to destroy the factory in hopes of keeping the Atomic Bomb out of Axis hands. However, while originally Straud and Pederson are only supposed to infiltrate the factory as a reconnaissance force while awaiting British troops, the English army is forced to retreat from their plans, leaving the Norwegians to destroy the factory and scuttle a shipment of the "heavy water" all by themselves. Inspired by a true story, The Heroes of Telemark also features Michael Redgrave and Anton Diffring. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

They All Died Laughing plays for satire what any other film might have played for suspense. Leo McKern plays a college professor, of the addlepated rather than absentminded variety. McKern has come to the conclusion that certain people are leeching off society, and the world would be well rid of them. He heads for his laboratory to create the means of "purging" these useless people. He comes up with a poison that prompts his victims to laugh hysterically before joining the Choir Invisible. A little more heavy-handed than the British "dark farces" of the 1950s, They All Died Laughing was originally released in England as A Jolly Bad Fellow. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

British doctor Richard Johnson arrives in the city of Bath, where a smallpox epidemic has broken out. If he has any hope of stemming the disease, he must locate and isolate its source. As if he hasn't got enough trouble on his hands, Johnson must contend with his failing marriage to Claire Bloom. Both of his problems are solved to everyone's satisfaction, but not without a few hypertense moments along the way. Director Val Guest lifts 80,000 Suspects out of the ordinary with his inventive utilization of darkness and shadows. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An epic and unusual anti-war drama about WWII, writer-director Carl Foreman's heavily ironic saga is loosely based on the novel The Human Kind by Alexander Baron. It follows the adventures of an American infantry platoon based in Sicily that participates in the invasion of France, marches into Germany, and remains there for the Allied post-war occupation. Interspersed during the nearly three-hour film are vignettes of silly newsreel scenes from the home front. These are contrasted with disturbing incidents from the war. George Peppard plays Corporal Chase, who has an affair with a woman who wants him to desert to help her run a black market business. He visits the wounded Sergeant Craig (Eli Wallach) in the hospital and finds that most of his face has been blown away. Sgt. Trower (George Hamilton) takes up with a woman who turns out to be a prostitute The plot is highly episodic, with characters coming and going. Originally released at 175 minutes, the picture was withdrawn from distribution and edited down to 156 minutes to place greater emphasis on onscreen action. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

Zany British comedian Tony Hancock was briefly a major draw in the 1960s, with several popular TV series, sellout personal appearances, and a string of theatrical films to his credit. In The Rebel (released in the US as Call Me Genius), Hancock plays a middle-class businessman who decides to chuck it all and become a painter. He heads for Paris, there to starve in an attic until fame and fortune comes calling. Like many British comedies of the era, The Rebel has great fun at expense of modern art and bohemian artistes; Hancock takes full advantage of every humorous possibility, with suave George Sanders acting as his dignified foil. Alas, by the end of the 1960s, Tony Hancock was dead by his own hand, a victim of alcohol and acute depression. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Barbara is the long-lost sister of no-good Mike Roscoe (Ronald Hines). Paula Brown (Maureen Connell) is the stripper whom Mike hires to pose as Barbara. It's all part of a scheme to fool Mike's ex-convict dad Sam Roscoe (Mervyn Johns). The son hopes to entice Sam into revealing the whereabouts of his stolen money, and Paula is hopefully going to do the trick. Based on a novel by Jonathan Burke, Echo of Barbara is a better-than-usual British programmer, entertaining despite its surplus of unpleasant leading characters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This shockingly violent yet engaging crime drama is about a bitter battle for survival in the lingering poverty of post-World War II London. Richard Todd plays optimistic but ineffectual soap and shampoo salesman John Cummings whose job becomes even harder when his new car is stolen. The theft triggers an unraveling of Cummings' life, and he channels his desperate energy toward retrieving his stolen vehicle. He first tracks it down through young tough Tommy Towers (pop star Adam Faith), who actually stole the automobile, and then to his boss Lionel Meadows (Peter Sellers), who heads the car thief ring. Meadows hides his sadistic tendencies behind the facade of a legitimate business. Above the garage he uses as a front, he has locked Tommy's girlfriend, Jackie (Carol White), in his apartment and appropriated her as his moll. Cummings tries to get the police involved, but they cannot act for lack of any evidence. He then earns the trust of Tommy and Jackie to get better knowledge of how Meadows operates his business. In his naïve attempts to confront the car ring, Cummings is at first treated as an annoyance, but as his intention to destroy Meadows' business and livelihood becomes clear, the crime boss vows to destroy him in turn. ~ Michael Buening, All Movie Guide

Peter Finch plays Johnnie Byrne, a British member of parliament. When Johnnie loses out on an important cabinet post, he's hardly surprised; he's been a loser so long that it's par for the course. Treated shabbily by his communistic wife Rosalie Crutchley, Johnnie begins an affair with fashion-model Mary Peach. His ardor causes him to miss an important House of Commons meeting, which subsequently leads to his disgrace in the eyes of his leftist political associates. A chance at a reconciliation with his wife is scuttled when Johnnie finds that he will lose a much-coveted cabinet seat if he does not sever his communist ties, both professional and personal. No Love for Johnnie was based on a novel by Wilfred Fienburgh, himself a Socialist MP who evidently knew whereof he spoke. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A cynical wounded war hero becomes the athletic director at a boys' camp. The lively children brighten his days and make him more optimistic about life. ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide

In this melodrama, a surgeon overcomes his humble beginnings to become a renowned physician. His success is threatened when he messes up during an operation and a patient dies. To save his career, the desperate doctor kills the two assistants who saw the mistake. He then prepares to murder his wife. Fortunately, he ends up killed before he can get at her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide