Mary Jones Movies
This film is a faithful rendition of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas' last major poem, Under Milk Wood. It affectionately examines the day-to-day life of the inhabitants of a small Welsh fishing village. The poem is narrated by Richard Burton, himself a Welshman and a great aficionado of Thomas' work. The narrative framework comes through the character of Captain Cat (Peter O'Toole), a retired seaman who, though blind, knows the village and its inhabitants so well, it is as if he could see. The colorful characters of the village are delineated in short vignettes by a host of very distinguished British actors. Elizabeth Taylor, Burton's wife at the time, makes a brief appearance as Rosie Probert. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, (more)
- 1969
The Promise is a sentimental romantic triangle with a World War II. Russian soldiers John Castle and Ian McKellen fend off the Nazis during the siege of Leningrad. Somehow, they find time to give aid and shelter to homeless peasant Susan Macready. Loving both men equally, Macready must ultimately choose between them. Director Michael Hayes adapted the screenplay of The Promise from a play by Aleksei Arbuzov. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
In this crime drama, a psychiatrist is fond of using hypnotism to help his clients. One day a test pilot comes in. He is troubled by blackouts that are affecting his job. This is the perfect opportunity for the psycho shrink who has been looking for someone to murder his wife. He places the pilot under hypnosis and orders him to commit the crime. But the ploy doesn't work and the pilot does not kill her. The angry doctor then kills the woman himself, but frames the pilot. It is the pilot's devoted fiancee who investigates and reveals the gruesome truth. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Despite its provocative name, Britain's Eros Films was a small company set up for second-feature melodramas and murder mysteries rather than sexploitation flicks. The Narrowing Circle is a typical sausage off the Eros assembly line. The film is set in the offices of a magazine, where tensions and jealousies come to a head. A murder is committed; suspects include Paul Carpenter, Hazel Court, Ferdy Mayne and Russell Napier. The storyline cuts to the bone and gets everything settled within 66 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1955
In this complex thriller, a womanizing chemist is accused of murder after his mistress is found poisoned to death. No one believes his claims of innocence except his fiancee who is determined to get him freed from prison. She soon unearths an extortion plot involving a newspaper reporter trying to hide the fact that he had abused the mistress. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1955
In this thriller, a reporter investigates the murder of a female blackmailer and soon finds himself hot on the trails of both the killer and the schoolboy that may have witnessed the crime. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1954
Postman Evans helps 3 women who wish for better lives after throwing coins into a wishing well in this drama. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Petula Clark, Donald Houston, (more)
- 1953
The Steel Key is a little-known British melodrama with some potent talent involved, including actors Terence Morgan and Joan Rice and future Saint director Robert Baker. The "maguffin" in this film is a formula for processed hardened steel. When the formula is stolen, the evidence points to international espionage. The good guys follow the trail of hot clues and dead bodies to uncover the villains boring from within the British industrial circles. Rarely seen in recent years, The Steel Key made the rounds in the early-TV days when British films were virtually all that was available for the tube. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Gene Kelly does his patented Pal Joey bit as Jerry Mulligan, an opportunistic American painter living in Paris' "starving artists" colony. He is discovered by wealthy Milo Roberts (Nina Foch), who becomes Jerry's patroness in more ways than one. Meanwhile, Jerry plays hookey on this setup by romancing waif-like Lise Bouvier (Leslie Caron) -- who, unbeknownst to him, is the object of the affections of his close friend Henri (Georges Guetary), a popular nightclub performer. (The film was supposed to make Guetary into "the New Chevalier." It didn't.) The thinnish plot is held together by the superlative production numbers and by the recycling of several vintage George Gershwin tunes, including "I Got Rhythm," "'S Wonderful," and "Our Love Is Here to Stay." Highlights include Guetary's rendition of "Stairway to Paradise"; Oscar Levant's fantasy of conducting and performing Gershwin's "Concerto in F" (Levant also appears as every member of the orchestra); and the closing 17-minute "American in Paris" ballet, in which Kelly and Caron dance before lavish backgrounds based on the works of famed French artists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, (more)
- 1949
The Gay Lady is better known by its British title, Trottie True. Jean Kent stars as Trottie, a turn-of-the-century British music-hall performer who works her way up the ladder from chorus girl to headliner. As her fame increases, Trottie has no time for true love, preferring instead the attentions of men of nobility and wealth who can advance her career. But it's not enough, and at the end Trottie trots back to her husband. Based on the play by Caryl Brahms and S.J. Simon, The Gay Lady is best seen in its original Technicolor British release version, which unlike some American prints leaves most of the musical numbers intact. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Kent, James Donald, (more)
