Roy Kinnear Movies

Originally telecast in December of 1988, A Man for All Seasons was the first made-for-TV film produced on behalf of the TNT Cable Service. Charlton Heston makes his film directorial debut herein, and also plays the central role of Sir Thomas More, 16th century lord chancellor of England. Unswerving in his belief of the Pope's supreme authority, Sir Thomas refuses to support King Henry VIII's plan to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon to marry the (hopefully) fertile Anne Boleyn. Declaring himself head of the Church of England, the King annuls his marriage and weds Anne. In concert with his administrator Cromwell, Henry further demands that all British subjects take an oath to uphold Henry's action. More cannot bring himself to do this, and as a result is imprisoned in the Tower of London. Tried for high treason, More is found guilty on the basis of the false testimony of sycophantic Sir Richard Rich. Sentenced to death, More continues to denounce Henry's behavior, walking proudly towards the headsman secure in the knowledge that he will die "the king's good servant, but God's first." Adapted from the play by Robert Bolt A Man For All Seasons was previously filmed in 1966, with Paul Scofield repeating his stage role as More. Heston's version restores much of the text that had been removed from the earlier film--as well as the ubiquitous expository character "The Common Man", here played by Roy Kinnear. More's harsh but loving wife Alice is played in the remake by Vanessa Redgrave, who'd appeared unbilled as Anne Boleyn in the 1966 version (Arch-conservative Heston and ultra-liberal Redgrave in the same film? Fear not: each respected the other's acting skills, and they got along famously). Heston had previously directed and starred in a London stage revival of Man for All Seasons; this splendid cable-TV version manages to retain all the virtues of that production while remaining a thoroughly cinematic experience. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this made-for-TV spoof, Robin Hood (George Segal) and his merry men must attempt to gather together the necessary ransom money to free King Richard from a nasty Duke. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

Playwright Tom Stoppard, best known for such works as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and Arcadia, turned his attention to recent Polish history in this television film about the early 1980s formation of the Solidarity movement. Filmed just two years after the actual events, Squaring the Circle initially focuses on the inner workings of the Politburo and their reactions to the strikes led by deeply dissatisfied workers. When the strikes become more prominent and unified, with demands for independent trade unions, the film's attention shifts to the leaders of the workers, especially the charismatic Lech Walesa. For a brief period, the workers and the Politburo make a doomed attempt to come to an acceptable compromise in order to avoid internal violence and prevent the intervention of Russian troops. Stoppard addresses the complexities of dramatizing recent history by telling his tale through an unreliable narrator, who is occasionally interrupted and corrected by a native Pole regarding certain historical and political facts. Originally made for British television by director Michael Hodges, the film underwent a number of unauthorized changes in the hands of the American co-producers; the detrimental effects of these changes are detailed in Stoppard's introduction to the published script. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Written by Monty Python veterans, More Ripping Yarns includes the skits "The Testing of Eric Olwaite," "Whinfrey's Last Case" and "The Curse of the Claw." ~ John Bush, Rovi

In this comical Disney espionage adventure, a herd of nannies team up with Scotland Yard and set off to find important microfilm that was concealed, by a wicked Chinese spy, within the skeleton of a dinosaur that now sits in the British Natural History Museum ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Comedian, actor, and author Barry Humphries wrote and co-stars in this sequel to the surprise international hit The Adventures of Barry McKenzie, based on the comic-strip character created by Humphries. Well-meaning but dunderheaded über-Aussie Barry McKenzie (Barry Crocker) is escorting his aunt, self-proclaimed "housewife superstar" Edna Everage (Barry Humphries), on a trip to France, where they've learned Barry's twin brother, Ken McKenzie, a progressive priest, will be speaking as part of a seminar on "Christ and the Orgasm." En route, a pair of Transylvanian agents, working under the command of the evil Communist vampire Count Plasma (Donald Pleasance), become convinced that Edna is actually Queen Elizabeth II, and not long after arriving in Paris, they kidnap Edna and spirit her away to the count's castle. When Barry learns that his aunt has fallen victim to foul play, he and his mates, including transplanted Australian Colin the Frog (Dick Bentley), set out to find her -- when they're not busy chasing "Shelias," swilling Foster's Lager, or projectile vomiting. In addition to playing Edna Everage, Humphries takes on two other roles in Barry McKenzie Holds His Own, and managed to persuade former Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and his wife to make a cameo appearance in the film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this pre-Monty Python parody of private-eye movies by Graham Chapman and John Cleese, someone has stolen nerve gas that paralyzes victims from the waist down. Now the bumbling boys at Rentadick, Inc. must find them before it is too late. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

An excellent musical score by the Bee Gees adds appeal to this curious little movie about two ten-year olds, Daniel and Melody (Mark Lester and Tracy Hyde) who are completely taken with each other and announce to their parents, in all seriousness, that they plan to get married. This marriage is not planned for the distant future, but as soon as possible. The uproar that is caused when their seriousness becomes clear is not too surprising. Their best friend Ornshaw (Jack Wild) is not too thrilled with their plan either. What makes the film work is that the entire story is told from the children's point of view in which the grownups' objections, since they have no relation to the truth of what the children are feeling, come across as silly or inconsequential. This film is a reunion of sorts for Oscar-winning Oliver! co-stars Mark Lester and Jack Wild ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The original Avengers series came to an end with this episode. It all begins when a woman clad only in a nightgown is found wandering around a snowy field insisting that she's seen a "live dead man". Steed and Tara follow this lead to a cemetary, where all the coffins are empty. In order to get to the bottom of things, Steed must offer himself up as a candidate for premature burial. The episode's final scene suggests that there may well be additional Avengers installments in the near future; as it turned out, the series would not be revived until 1976. Written by Brian Clemens, "Bizarre" made its American TV debut on April 21, 1969, and its first British TV appearance one month later. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

John LeCarre's Call for the Dead was the basis for this gloomy, complex spy story. James Mason plays a British secret agent puzzled by the sudden suicide of Foreign Office higher-up Robert Flemyng. Mason had worked on Flemyng's security clearance himself, and can't fathom what personality quirk he might have missed. The agent suspects that the dead man's wife (Simone Signoret), a concentration camp survivor, may hold the answer to Flemyng's despair, but the Foreign Office wants Mason to drop the case. Mason hires retiring Inspector Harry Andrews to do some private detective work. What Mason and Andrews find out is more insidious than they've imagined; worse, Mason is saddled with a new dilemma--his wife (Harriet Andersson) has been unfaithful with a colleague (Maximillian Schell). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This time around, Steed and Peel come up against an "invisible man." Actually, he only feigns invisibility, but his deception is enough to nearly bankrupt the British government, as the villain merrily steals important documents on behalf of a pair of sinister foreign agents. Roy Kinnear, best known for his work in director Richard Lester's films, guest stars as Quilby. Written by Philip Levene, "The See-Through Man" was first telecast in England on February 4, 1967 -- one day after its American TV debut. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Director Richard Lester uses the Burt Shevelove/Larry Gelbart/Stephen Sondheim Broadway musical hit as a launching pad for some of his wildest slapstick gaggery. Zero Mostel repeats his stage role as Pseudolus, the cunning Roman slave who'll do anything to win his freedom. The plot hinges on three Roman houses next door to each another. One is the home of Pseudolus' masters: the philandering Senex (Michael Hordern), his domineering wife, Domina (Patricia Jessell), and their handsome but empty-headed son, Hero (Michael Crawford). The second house is a brothel belonging to unctuous procurer Lycus (Phil Silvers). The third house has long been empty, in that its owner, the senile Erronius (Buster Keaton), has gone on a long journey to find his children, who were kidnapped in infancy by pirates. Other principals include Pseudolus' fellow slave, the aptly named Hysterium (Jack Gilford); vain warrior Miles Gloriosus (Leon Greene), who marches triumphantly into Rome declaring "I am a parade!"; and the virginal Philia (Annette Andre), a resident of Lycus' "domicile" who is loved by Hero but who has been promised in marriage to Miles Gloriosus. There are also acrobats, transvestites, a phony funeral, and an outsized climactic chase. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi