Ivor Barnard Movies
Ivor Barnard was a busy actor for 40 years on stage and screen, with dozens of plays and more than 60 movies to his credit. In England, he was respected enough, and got leading roles right into his sixties, including the part of Mr. Murdoch in the 1948 London production of Brigadoon. If there was a sad element to his career, it was that he had to wait until the final year of his life -- at the age of 66, in the role of would-be assassin Major Ross in John Huston's Beat the Devil -- to finally get noticed by American film critics, who thought him delightful. Barnard was almost too good at what he did, melting into the character roles that were his forte onscreen. Apart from a bit part in a 1920 silent, he confined his work on the stage until the dawn of the sound era. He was very active with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre Company in the teens, and was established in London by the early '20s. Barnard's movie career began with a small part in Alfred Hitchcock's adaptation of John Galsworthy's play The Skin Game. Two years later, he got one of the more prominent movie roles of his career when he played Dr. Falke, the character who sets the story in motion when he is the victim of a practical joke, in William Thiele's screen adaptation of Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus. Most of the parts that Barnard portrayed, however, were much smaller, with as little as a single line of dialogue, though he often made them memorable, such as his performance as the sarcastic bystander in the opening scene of Anthony Asquith and Leslie Howard's Pygmalion (1938). Asquith thought enough of Barnard to use him in The Importance of Being Earnest 14 years later. Barnard also played small but memorable parts in David Lean's Great Expectations and Oliver Twist. It fell to John Huston to give him the most prominent screen time of his career, however, as the diminutive Ross in Beat the Devil, in which Barnard managed to hold his own in a cast that included Humphrey Bogart, Robert Morley, and Peter Lorre. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- 1953
The Malta Story stars Alec Guinness as WW II camera reconnaissance pilot Peter Ross. Crash-landing in Malta, Ross presents his photographs to the resident air officer (Jack Hawkins). The photos reveal that the Italians are planning a major invasion of the island. Low on fuel and men, the officer is all but helpless as the Italians mount their attack. Only the last-minute arrival reinforcements and supplies prevent Malta from falling into the hands of the enemies--but the story doesn't end there. Filmed on location, The Malta Story boasts some exceptional aerial photography, not to mention excellent performances from Guiness, Hawkins, Anthony Steele, Muriel Pavlow, Flora Robson and the rest of the stellar cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, (more)
- 1953
Victor Hugo's Toilers of the Sea was none too faithfully adapted for the screen as Sea Devils. The hero is Guernsey-Island smuggler Gilliat (Rock Hudson); the heroine is glamorous British spy Drouette (Yvonne de Carlo). Set during the Napoleonic wars, the plot finds Gilliat and Drouette trying to outsmart one another for the first few reels. Gilliat even kidnaps Drouette at one point, believing her to be in league with the hated French. Eventually, of course, Gilliat must rescue Drouette from the French, thereby preventing Napoleon's planned invasion of England. Shot on location, Sea Devils was directed with verve by Raoul Walsh. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yvonne De Carlo, Rock Hudson, (more)
Humphrey Bogart stars as one of five disreputable adventurers who are trying to get uranium out of East Africa. Bogart's associates include pompous fraud Robert Morley, and Peter Lorre as the German-accented "O'Hara", whose wartime record is forever a source of speculation and suspicion. Becoming involved in Bogart's machinations are a prim British married couple (Edward Underdown and blonde-wigged Jennifer Jones). As a climax to their many misadventures and double-crosses, the uranium seekers end up facing extermination by an Arab firing squad. The satirical nature of Beat the Devil eluded many moviegoers in 1953, and the film was a failure. The fact that the picture attained cult status in lesser years failed to impress its star Humphrey Bogart, who could only remember that he lost a considerable chunk of his own money when he became involved in the project. Peter Viernick worked on the script on an uncredited basis. Beat the Devil eventually fell into public domain, leading to numerous inferior editions by second and third-tiered labels. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, (more)
- 1953
Time Gentlemen Please is a phrase that is all too familiar to British pub patrons; it means that it's closing time, and everyone is invited to go home. Actually, the film has less to do with elbow-bending than with the vagaries of British traditions. A tiny English village is thrown into a panic when the Prime Minister announces an impending visit, to honor the community for 100-percent employment. Alas, Irish reprobate Dan Dancer (Eddie Byrne) steadfastly refuses to get a job. In trying to force Dan into seeking work, the locals lock him up in the local almshouse -- where, thanks to an archaic law, Dan finds himself in line for a yearly income of 6000 pounds! Time Gentleman Please is based on R. J. Nimmey's novel Nothing to Lose. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Byrne, Hermione Baddeley, (more)
- 1952
In this drama, a man journeys to the posh British estate of a friend for a weekend soiree. There he learns that the real purpose of the party is to provide the host the opportunity to steal the jewels of his guests. To thwart the plan, the man and the host's adopted step-daughter team up. Unfortunately she winds up getting locked in the room where the jewels were begin stored. The host is attempting to beat a hasty retreat with the jewels but is stopped by an enterprising butler who throws a switch as his boss is attempting to scale the estate fence. The hapless thief is promptly electrocuted. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1952
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Anthony Asquith's adaptation of Oscar Wilde's witty play of mistaken identities stars Michael Redgrave as rich bachelor Jack Worthing. Jack's friend is Algernon Moncrieft (Michael Denison), a poor bloke living on credit. Jack refers mysteriously to Algernon about his country retreat, which drives Algernon to distraction, trying to figure out where Jack goes on the weekends. Jack is also in love with Algernon's attractive cousin Gwendolen (Joan Greenwood). He also has a ward, Cecily Cardew (Dorothy Tutin), who lives at the country estate and studies with local spinster Miss Prism (Margaret Rutherford). When Algernon learns of Cecily, he arrives at the country home claiming to be Jack's brother Earnest, knowing Jack had previously regaled Cecily with tales of having to bail the fictitious Earnest out of scrapes so he could sneak out to the city. Having set her eyes on "Earnest" in the flesh after having heard countless tales of his intrigues, Cecily immediately falls in love with Earnest. Meanwhile, Jack comes back to the country dressed in black, determined to announce to the group the demise of the fictional Earnest. As a result, Jack is stupefied when he sees Earnest standing in front of him. Meanwhile, Algernon's aunt, Lady Bracknell (Edith Evans) refuses to grant permission for Jack and Gwendolen's engagement. However, when Lady Bracknell finds out that Algernon is in love with Cecily, she asks Jack for his blessing on their marriage. Of course, Jack won't give his blessing until Lady Bracknell gives her blessing to his proposed marriage to Gwendolen. All is at a standstill until Lady Bracknell recognizes Miss Prism as a governess from the past who holds secrets concerning both Jack and Algernon. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Redgrave, Edith Evans, (more)
David Lean's Madeleine was inspired by a true story that rocked the English legal system to its foundations in the mid-19th century. Told in flashback, the film explains why aristocratic young Scotswoman Madeleine Smith (Ann Todd, then the wife of director Lean) is on trial for murder. The audience is apprised of Madeleine's illicit romance with deceptively charming Frenchman Emile L'Angelier (Ivan Desny), her futile attempts to break off the relationship, her "proper" betrothal to Englishman William Minnoch (Norman Wooland), and the murder by poison of the now-inconvenient L'Angelier. The jury's verdict was as controversial in 1950 as it had been a century earlier. David Lean and scenarists Stanley Haynes and Nicholas Phipps refuse to take sides, permitting the viewers to draw their own conclusions about the notorious Madeleine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Todd, Norman Wooland, (more)
- 1949
A supernatural tale based on a short story by Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, this is the portrayal of a poor Captain in the Russian army in the nineteenth Century. His comrades in arms play cards nightly, but he cannot afford to join them until one night he dreams that he has gained from a mysterious aging countess her secret for winning at faro--a secret which legend has it she has sold her soul to obtain. This story has been filmed at least a dozen times, but this is by far the best version. Eight of the versions were silent films and another version was done as recently as 1965. A period piece, the settings and costumes are superb. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anton Walbrook, Edith Evans, (more)
- 1949
A heated rivalry between two newspapers provides the basis for this mystery. The trouble begins when a corpse is discovered in the gossip columnist's apartment. It is a puzzling mystery until a rival reporter confesses that he killed the fellow in a drunken rage and hid the body in the columnist's apartment. The despairing killer then throws himself beneath a speeding train. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1948
Taking advantage of Paramount's "frozen funds" in Britain, producer Hal Wallis was able to film much of So Evil My Love in London. Based on a novel by Joseph Shearing, whose previous Gothic romances included Moss Rose and Blanche Fury, the film stars Ray Milland in his first (but hardly his last) all-out villainous characterization. Milland is cast as charming scoundrel Mark Bellis, or at least that's what he's calling himself at the moment. Escaping his latest criminal escapade by boat, Bellis falls victim to a malaria epidemic. Nursed back to health by young widow Olivia Harwood (Ann Todd), Bellis repays the favor by pretending to fall in love with her, all the while intending to deplete her of her estate and bank account. Eventually Bellis' evil nature corrupts Olivia as well, prompting her to indulge in blackmail, with her old school friend Susan Courtney (Geraldine Fitzgerald) as the victim. Eventually, Olivia is driven to commit murder, carefully arranging the evidence to convict poor Susan. But when Bellis double-crosses her one time too many, Olivia belatedly does the "right thing," clearing her conscience if not her good name. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Todd, Ray Milland, (more)
The second of director David Lean's adaptations of a Charles Dickens novel (Great Expectations (1946) was the first), Oliver Twist expertly boils down an enormous novel to a little less than two hours' screen time. The film begins with baby Oliver left on the doorstep of an orphanage/workhouse by his unwed mother. Proving a difficult charge to the wicked orphanage official, Oliver (John Howard Davies) is sold into a job as an undertaker's apprentice. He runs away and joins a gang of larcenous street urchins, led by master pickpocket Fagin (Alec Guinness). Oliver is rescued from this life by the kindly Mr. Brownlow (Henry Stephenson); but, with the complicity of evil Bill Sikes (Robert Newton), Fagin abducts Oliver. Sikes' girl friend Nancy (Kay Walsh) restores Oliver to Brownlow, leading to tragic consequences before an ultimately happy ending. Oliver Twist was filmed in England in 1948, but its American release was held up for three years due to the allegedly anti-Semitic portrayal of the duplicitous Fagin. Even in its currently censored form, Oliver Twist is one the best-ever film versions of a Dickens novel. It served as a blueprint for Oliver! (1968), the Oscar-winning musical version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Newton, Alec Guinness, (more)
- 1948
In this costume melodrama, a virginal maid is impregnated by the footman in the household where they work. He offers to marry her, but then suddenly disappears with another woman. The next few years of the woman's life are spent trying to eke out a living for her and her son. Once again she meets the footman, who has now become a successful bookie. The two finally marry and lead a happy life until he falls sick, bets all their money on a losing horse, and expires before the fateful race concludes. Once again the woman and her son are impoverished. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathleen Ryan, Dirk Bogarde, (more)
- 1948
Assembled by the reliable team of Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat, London Belongs to Me stars Richard Attenborough as a young, full-of-beans boy looking for fun. Bursting into a staid, wearisome London neighborhood, Attenborough exhorts the others to get some kicks out of life. Unfortunately, his search for thrills gets him involved in a murder. Just when you think that the film is a dour "slice of life" drama, a new comic element is introduced as the locals start up a petition to release Attenborough from jail. The presence of Alastair Sim in the cast should have tipped us off that London Belongs to Me wasn't meant to be taken entirely seriously. The film was released in the US as Dulcimer Street. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Attenborough, Alastair Sim, (more)
- 1947
So Well Remembered was the first of a proposed series of Anglo-American co-productions underwritten by Hollywood's RKO Radio Pictures and England's J. Arthur Rank. In one of his better postwar roles, John Mills stars as George Boswell, the editor of the newspaper in the small English mining town of Bowdley. Tirelessly fighting for fairer treatment and better working conditions for the miners, Boswell is sidetracked by his covetous, ambitious wife Olivia (Martha Scott), who hopes to maneuver her husband into Parliament. Eventually, Boswell gets his priorities in order, neglecting his campaign to help local doctor Whiteside (Trevor Howard) combat a diphtheria epidemic. When he loses his own child to the disease, a tragedy caused in part by his wife's selfishness, Boswell withdraws completely from his campaign -- and from life. Years pass before Boswell can find some purpose in his existence again, this time by preventing the still-unregenerate Olivia from destroying the happiness of her son (Richard Carlson), from a second marriage, and the son's sweetheart Julie (Patricia Roc), Dr. Whiteside's daughter. John Mills' 5-year-old daughter Juliet and infant daughter Hayley appear in bit parts. Though director Edward Dmytryk received plaudits from most critics for his work on So Well Remembered, there were those who insisted upon reading Dmytryk's perceived "pro-Red" sentiments in the screenplay -- which was actually adapted by John Paxton from a novel by James Hilton (who also narrates the picture). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Mills, Martha Scott, (more)
- 1947
Set in 1783, this romance chronicles the doomed relationship between a prince regent and a Catholic widow. The prince falls for her first, but as there is a great gulf in social class, she laughs at his advances. The poor prince is so distraught he attempts suicide. The widow then feels compassion and secretly marries him. Unfortunately, their secret becomes grist for the rumor mill and when it threatens the relationship between the prince and the king, the prince denies his marriage. The jilted woman runs away, and the prince marries the woman to whom he was originally betrothed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Joyce Howard, (more)
Immediately grabbing the audience's attention with a heart-stopping opening scene in a dark graveyard, acclaimed British director David Lean realizes the cinematic potential of Charles Dickens' classic 1861 novel, and the result is considered by many to be one of the finest literary adaptations ever made as well as one of the greatest British films of all time. Crystallized into a tight 118-minute running time by Lean, Ronald Neame, and a corps of uncredited contributors, this is the story of young Pip, a lad of humble means whose training as a gentleman is bankrolled by a mysterious benefactor. Along the way, Pip falls in love with the fickle Estella, befriends the cheerfully insouciant Herbert Pocket, has memorable encounters with the escaped convict Magwitch and the lunatic dowager Miss Havisham, and almost (but not quite) forgets his modest origins as the foster son of kindhearted blacksmith Joe Gargery. The role of Pip is evenly divided between Anthony Wager as a child and John Mills as an adult; Alec Guinness makes his starring film debut as the jaunty Pocket; Jean Simmons and Valerie Hobson are costarred as the younger and older Estella; and Martita Hunt is unforgettable as the mad Miss Havisham ("It's a fine cake! A wedding cake! MINE!") Remade several times, Great Expectations resurfaced in 1989 as a TV miniseries, with Jean Simmons, originally the young Estella, tearing a passion to tatters as Miss Havisham; and in 1998 it was remade again, in a contemporary version, with Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert DeNiro, and Anne Bancroft in the Miss Havisham role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Mills, Valerie Hobson, (more)
- 1946
An old junk dealer is assisted by 3 young boys when he sets out for a journey down the coast of England to confront the man responsible for his smuggler son's death. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1946
American first lady Eleanor Roosevelt's impending visit to a tiny English country village is the motivation of the Anglo-American coproduction Great Day. As the villagers prepare for their prestigious guest, all sorts of internal squabbles and personal foibles rise to the surface. The story concentrates on embittered WW1 veteran Captain Ellis (Eric Portman), whose insecessant drinking and sponging is a source of embarrassment for his long-suffering family. The Captain's daughter Margaret (Sheila Sim) is on the verge of entering into a wealthy but loveless marriage so that she can rescue her mother (Flora Robson) from her father's excesses. In the Lesley Storm stage play on which this film was based, Captain Ellis comes to a bad but not entirely undeserved end; the film allows him a last-minute reprieve, as well as a chance to change his ways before Mrs. R. shows up. A moderate hit in England, Great Day sank like a stone when released in the US by RKO Radio. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Portman, Flora Robson, (more)
- 1946
Future Doctor Who star William Hartnell plays the leading role in the British second feature Murder in Reverse. Hartnell portrays a man who has spent 15 years in prison on a murder charge. Not only is he innocent, but the murder never took place. Once released, Hartnell tracks down his "victim" and kills him in full view of a crowded courtroom. He then laughingly dares the authorities to convict him again for a murder he's supposed to have already committed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Hartnell, Jimmy Hanley, (more)
- 1946
George Bernard Shaw adapted his own play for the screen in this blithe film version of the romance between Caesar (Claude Rains) and Cleopatra (Vivien Leigh). Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra are merely Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle cast back into ancient times with Caesar doting with admiration and burgeoning love upon Cleopatra and expostulating, "You have been growing up since the Sphinx introduced us the other night." The story is a simple one concerning Caesar instructing Cleopatra on how to act like a queen. But Cleopatra is left cold by Caesar and his blatherings. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vivien Leigh, Claude Rains, (more)
- 1945
A couple's wartime separation provides an unexpected tonic for their romance in this drama. Robert and Catherine Wilson (Robert Donat and Deborah Kerr) are a married couple whose relationship has hit a dry patch; neither of them have much enthusiasm for each other, and when Robert is drafted into the Royal Navy during the war, they almost welcome the separation. Life in the Navy gives Robert a more easygoing outlook on life, especially after he has a brief fling with Elena (Anne Todd), a nurse who recently lost her husband. On the home front, Catherine makes friends with Dizzy (Glynis Johns), a free spirit who encourages her to smoke, wear makeup, and enjoy a dalliance of her own with a man named Richard (Roland Culver). After the end of the war, Robert and Catherine both dread their reunion, but each find that they're pleasantly surprised with the changes that time has brought to their mate. Perfect Strangers was also released under the highly appropriate title Vacation from Marriage. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Donat, Deborah Kerr, (more)
- 1945
In this drama, set during the reign of King Charles II, the aristocratic Lady Skelton (Margaret Lockwood) attempts to relieve the tedium of her day-to-day life by secretly acting as a highway robber. Meeting up with the rogue Captain Jerry Jackson (James Mason), the two begin a relationship. When her private and public lives begin to interfere with one another, however, Lady Skelton finds herself caught up in a tangled web of romance, danger, and jealousy. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Margaret Lockwood, James Mason, (more)
- 1944
English without Tears is a gentle satire of the temporary relaxation of class barriers in wartime England. Michael Wilding portrays the faithful family butler to a fabulously wealthy household. Each member of the family greets the news of upcoming world conflict with a different reaction, the most altruistic of which is that of the daughter (Penelope Dudley Ward), who joins the home service. When the butler rises to the army rank of lieutenant, the daughter sees him in a whole new light and falls in love with her onetime employee. There's little in this frivolous film that hasn't been done elsewhere, except perhaps for the opening-scene romantic complications in Geneva, which set the stage for the film's finale. English without Tears was released in the US in 1948 as Her Man Gilbey. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Wilding, Sr., Lilli Palmer, (more)
- 1944
Don't Take It to Heart is an amiable entry in the 1940s cycle of "ghost comedies". A British castle is rocked by a German bombing raid, releasing a jaunty wraith (Richard Greene) from his house-haunting job. As long as he's got the run of the castle, the ghost decides to take a hand in the romance between mistress-of-the-house Patricia Medina and young researcher Richard Bird. Also in line for ghostly visitation is the nasty landlord who holds the local townsfolk in his avaricious clutches. Don't Take It to Heart received almost uniformly good reviews from the British press, which during wartime was often resistant to comedy films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Greene, David Horne, (more)
- 1944
Based on the Eric Ambler novel entitled "Epitaph for a Spy," this is the story of a medical student on the Riviera during the Summer before WWII begins. A refugee from Austria, he has been photographing wildlife. When the film he develops contains secret installations, he must prove that he is not a German spy or be deported. With the police and help from a romantic interest that pops up along the way, he has to try to flush out the real spy to clear himself. Critical reviews were mixed, though Mason did an admirable job on his character. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Mason, Lucie Mannheim, (more)
