Michael Kitchen Movies
Since performing in a play at the City of Leicester Boys School, Michael Kitchen has done practically all there is for an actor to do: motion pictures, TV films, TV miniseries, stage plays, radio plays, and audio cassettes. International film audiences probably know him best as Chief of Staff Bill Tanner in the Pierce Brosnan James Bond productions, although he has played major roles in other high-profile movies, such as Out of Africa (1985) and Mrs. Dalloway (1997). He is also well known to worldwide TV audiences for major roles in popular miniseries, including The Brontes of Haworth (1973), A Fall of Eagles (1974), Freud (1984), and Oliver Twist (1999). 2000 was a remarkable year for Kitchen -- incredibly, he completed the following productions during that year: Proof of Life, a major film in which he shared the screen with Russell Crowe and Meg Ryan; Lorna Doone, a three-hour TV miniseries; Always and Everyone, an eight-hour TV series resembling America's ER; The Secret World of Michael Fry, a TV miniseries; The Railway Children, a TV film shown in the U.K. and in the U.S. on Masterpiece Theatre; New Year's Day, a major motion picture; and Second Sight: Parasomnia, another TV film. For an encore in 2001, he played the title role in Foyle's War, an eight-hour TV series about a World War II-era detective, then played Foyle again in another eight-hour series in 2002. He also signed on for another James Bond film, his third. Between 1971 -- when he appeared in the film Unman, Wittering and Zigo -- and the present, Kitchen has never wanted for work. The reason, quite simply, is that he is one of Britain's finest and most versatile actors. He has walked across the stages of the most prestigious playhouses in England, performing the works of Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and other important playwrights. In motion pictures, he has also acted parts in productions based on the works of Franz Kafka (The Trial, 1993), Robert Louis Stevenson (Kidnapped, 1995), John Le Carre (The Russia House, 1990), and Nevil Shute (Crossing to Freedom, 1990). ~ Mike Cummings, Rovi
Based on the famously missing chapter in Colin Clark's memoir The Prince, the Showgirl and Me, My Week With Marilyn reveals the enchanted week that the then-lowly production assistant spent with the most famous celebrity of the era during the production of the classic 1957 comedy romance The Prince and the Showgirl. The year was 1956. Colin Clark was an ambitious 23-year-old determined to make a name for himself in film. As summer gets underway, Clark manages to land a position as a production assistant on the film The Prince and the Showgirl, starring Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) and Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh). Monroe had just gotten married to playwright Arthur Miller (Dougray Scott), and the newlyweds were on their honeymoon as production got underway. Later, when Miller leaves, young Clark seizes the opportunity to befriend the platinum blonde beauty, and give her a taste of everyday life in England -- far away from the bright lights of Hollywood and the suffocating pressures of fame. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, (more)
Coronation Street scribe John Fay pens this three-part conspiracy thriller concerning a mobile phone engineer who blames his job for giving him an inoperable brain tumor, and who becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation when a drug dealer is shot dead and a mobile phone mast is destroyed. Set against the backdrop of the Iraq War, the film opens as mobile phone engineer Eddie (Neil Fitzmaurice) is diagnosed with a deadly brain tumor. Though his wife Donna (Julie Graham) and their two children vow to make his final days truly memorable, all vengeful Eddie can think about is making sure that someone pays. Eddie's efforts to track down the responsible party backfires though when a murdered drug dealer and a destroyed cell phone mast lead police to suspect that he may be responsible for a series of murders around the city. Also hungry for vengeance is broken soldier Maurice Stone (Jamie Draven), whose wife and son were killed by a driver that was talking on their cell phone. That driver has never been found, and Maurice won't rest easy until he's gotten his revenge. Later, when the identity of the hit-and-run driver is finally revealed, the true mastermind behind this mobile phone terror plot finally steps out from the shadows as a labyrinthine conspiracy slowly comes to light. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Kitchen, Jamie Draven, (more)
- 2005
A weary London novelist looking to escape her failing marriage flees the city for her Yorkshire cottage only to find that country charm can mask menacing intent in director Tristram Powell's tense tale of romantic deceit. Daisy Langrish (Penelope Wilton) has finally broken free of her straining marriage, and upon arriving at her country cottage she is warmly greeted by her outwardly charming neighbor Henry Kent (Michael Kitchen). Though by all appearances a polite and respectable gentleman, Henry's benevolent offer to maintain Daisy's long-neglected garden masks decidedly malevolent intent. As the manipulative and obsessive Henry carefully conceals his all-consuming fondness for drink and erotica while setting a deadly emotional trap for his unsuspecting new neighbor, Daisy discovers all too late that her flight from the city was only the beginning of her harrowing journey. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Kitchen, Penelope Wilton, (more)
The psychological thriller Alibi stars Michael Kitchen as Greg Brentwood, who, as the story begins, throws a surprise party for his wife, Linda (Phyllis Logan). Marcey (Sophie Okonedo), a woman who worked for the catering outfit that supplied food for the party, goes back to the house after the party has ended to discover Greg standing over a dead body. He convinces Marcey that he had nothing to do with the person's death and to help him hide the body. As they attempt to get rid of the corpse, Marcey grows to have less and less faith in Greg's version of the events and begins to think she may be in danger. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Kitchen, Sophie Okonedo, (more)
Michael Kitchen stars as the titular detective in this short series of mysteries set amidst the backdrop of England at the dawn of World War II. Foyle's War: The White Feather revolves around The White Feather, a pro-fascism group that's gaining some support in Foyle's part of town. But when one of the group's most prominent members is shot at a rally, Foyle is left to sort out who did it: the young Jewish man beaten by some of the group's members, the boyfriend of a girl who's been indoctrinated into the group, or someone else entirely. The White Feather co-stars Anthony Howell as Foyle's home-from-the-war partner Paul Milner. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
Michael Kitchen stars as the titular detective in this short series of mysteries set amidst the backdrop of England at the dawn of World War II. Foyle's War: The German Woman examines the effects of nationalist paranoia in the normally sleepy burgh of Hastings, where Foyle is stationed. It seems that a German immigrant has been interned by the local authorities in a manner so traumatic, it causes his wife to suffer a severe heart attack. As Foyle investigates the death, he learns that the town's detainment of Germans is more selective than one might think, and he begins to uncover suspicious activities that may have led to the woman's death. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
- 2002
Michael Kitchen stars as the titular detective in this short series of mysteries set amidst the backdrop of England at the dawn of World War II. In Foyle's War: Eagle Day, he and partner Milner (Anthony Howell) struggle to uncover the killer of a young cab driver found stabbed to death in the midst of an air raid, with nothing on his person but a golden locket. But as Foyle tries to trace the memento, complications arise as his pilot son Andrew (Julian Ovenden) arrives in Hastings, transferred by the R.A.F. to help test its radar system, the latest advance in British warfare. Andrew stumbles upon a cover-up of his own at his station, and soon both father and son are embroiled in a mystery larger than they could have ever imagined. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
- 2002
- Add Foyle's War: A Lesson In Murder to Queue Add Foyle's War: A Lesson In Murder to top of Queue
Michael Kitchen stars as the titular detective in this short series of mysteries set amidst the backdrop of England at the dawn of World War II. Foyle's War: A Lesson in Murder concerns the mysterious circumstances involving the death of a conscientious objector to the war effort. It seems that he died while in police custody, and the man who had him arrested, Judge Gascoigne (Oliver Ford Davies), is coming under a lot of scrutiny since the incident. Gascoigne rules over his court -- and his family -- with an iron fist, and as a result has made many a citizen more than a little perturbed. What's more, when Foyle learns of the secretive nature of the victim's former workplace -- a munitions factory -- he discovers yet another wrinkle to the case. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
A man who knows the importance of clearing out the weeks in one's garden begins to wonder if the same principles apply to the people around him in this made-for-TV drama, inspired by a true story. Maj. Herbert Armstrong (Michael Kitchen) was an attorney and clerk to the magistrate in the Welsh community of Hay-on-Wye in the early 1920's. One of Armstrong's great passion was gardening, and he took unusual pride in the appearance of the greenery around his home. Cursed with a patch of stubborn dandelions, Armstrong purchased a large supply of an arsenic-based weed killer to put an end to the problem once and for all. But when Armstrong's wife Catherine (Sarah Miles) and rival in business Oswald (David Thewlis) -- both of whom had recently raised Armstrong's ire -- both turned up dead, apparently poisoned with arsenic, investigators began to wonder if this was really a mere coincidence. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Filmed in London and Wales, this two-part adaptation of the oft-dramatized R.D. Blackmore novel Lorna Doone was praised for its realism, though one or two nitpickers pointed out that the costumes were not all "in period" for 17th century Scotland. This time around, Amelia Warner starred as the titular Lorna, whose romance with young John Ridd (Richard Coyle) was imperiled by the bloody, long-standing feud between the Doones and the Ridds. The show was stolen by Martin Clunes in the flashy role of the redoubtable Jeremy Stickles. Lorna Doone aired over BBC1 on December 24 and 26, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
A Masterpiece Theatre remake of the 1970 screen adaptation of E. Nesbit's beloved children's book, The Railway Children follows the fortunes of three resourceful children in turn-of-the-century England. An affluent family, the Waterburys fall upon difficult times when Mr. Waterbury (Michael Kitchen) is hauled away by the police for reasons not readily apparent. Forced to move to a small village, the family is held together by Mrs. Waterbury (Jenny Agutter, who played one of the Waterbury children in the 1970 film version), who ekes out a living by selling her stories to magazines. The three Waterbury siblings -- Bobbie (Jemima Rooper), Peter (Jack Blumenau), and Phyllis (Clare Thomas) -- try to help their mother make ends meet and take to spending time by the railroad, where they meet a host of eccentric acquaintances. Among them are the Station Master (Clive Russell), and a magnanimous railroad maven (Richard Attenborough), both of whom take a shine to the children. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jenny Agutter, Michael Kitchen, (more)
A woman whose marriage is in trouble finds herself falling for a new man as her husband's life hangs in the balance in this thriller. Peter Bowman (David Morse) and his wife Alice (Meg Ryan) have relocated to a small Latin American nation called Tecala; Peter works for an American engineering and construction firm, and his latest assignment has him building a dam that is intended to bring power to the developing nation. The ELT is a radical Marxist faction gearing up for political revolution in Tecala that has turned to kidnapping as a way to raise capital, and Peter is chosen as its next target. When Peter is ambushed on his way to work, his firm brings in Terry Thorn (Russell Crowe), a former Australian intelligence operative who now works as a private "kidnapping and ransom" negotiator. Alice is told Terry is her best hope for bringing Peter back safe and sound, but when Terry's employers run into a tight squeeze financially, they cancel their K&R insurance (which is considered a standard benefit for American employees assigned to South America), leaving Alice to rehire Terry on her own, especially since she can't possibly pay the $3 million ransom demanded by the kidnappers. As Terry and his partner Dino (David Caruso) map out a rescue plan, Alice and Terry find themselves increasingly attracted to each other. Alice's marriage to Peter was going through a rough patch when he was kidnapped, and while she's deeply concerned for his safety, she must reconcile her fears for Peter's life with her new feelings for Terry. Proof of Life is based on Adventures in the Ransom Trade, an article by journalist William Prochnau that was published in Vanity Fair, as well as on the case of real-life kidnapping victim Tom Hargrove. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Meg Ryan, Russell Crowe, (more)
This one hour documentary takes a look at Martin Bormann, Hitler's deputy and one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany. The film chronicles his climb through the ranks and the way in which he earned Hitler's trust. The film also delves into the more convoluted areas of Bormann's life such as his mysterious end and the allegations that he was a Soviet spy. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Kitchen
British director Suri Kishnamma follows his quiet character study A Man of No Importance (1994) with this raucous feel-good suicide-pact comedy-drama. The film opens with buddies Jake (Andrew Lee Potts) and Steven (Robby Barry) enjoying a little joie de vivre on French ski slopes during a school holiday until a freak avalanche kills everyone in their high school class except, of course, Jake, Steve, and an adult chaperone who remains in a coma throughout the movie. The two cogent survivors return to their coastal community with much tabloid attention. Jake's divorced mother Shelley (Anastasia Hille) is barely able to keep it together with anti-depressants and welfare checks. She leans on Jake, her eldest son, for emotional stability. Steven, on the other hand, loathes his ice queen socialite mother (Jacqueline Bisset) and his anal-retentive politico father. Traumatized in two different ways -- Steven slides into steely cynicism while Jake delves into weepy despondency -- the two agree to a blood pact: they will spend the following year living it up in nihilist glee, after which time they will duly off themselves. As the year of mayhem unfolds -- including robbing banks, torching schools, and eating ice cream in Timbuktu -- their friendship and their fidelity to their pact is questioned. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marianne Jean-Baptiste
This 2000 television adaptation of Charles Dickens' Victorian classic was originally released as a six-hour, three-part miniseries on PBS. Adapted by Alan Bleasdale, this version of Oliver Twist gives viewers a new look at an old story, waiting 90 minutes to even introduce its eponymous hero (played by Sam Smith), and taking pains to establish the background of Oliver's parents, good-hearted Agnes Fleming (Sophia Myles) and all-around coward Edwin Leeford (Tim Dutton). All of the resolutely Dickensian touches are here, from greedy relatives to secret wills, to stolen lockets containing valuable information, and all are ably brought to life by a talented cast that includes Julie Walters as Mrs. Mann, Michael Kitchen as Mr. Brownlow, Lindsay Duncan as Elizabeth Leeford, Marc Warren as Monks, and Robert Lindsay as Fagin. As an added bonus, the miniseries' score, by Paul Pritchard, contains additional music by none other than Elvis Costello. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sam Smith, David Ross, (more)
James Bond, the world's greatest secret agent, is sent once more into the breach in the name of Queen, Country, and a dry martini. In the 19th Bond adventure, 007 (Pierce Brosnan) must resolve a potentially deadly power struggle between two unstable nations, with control of the world's oil supply as the ultimate prize. Bond is assigned as bodyguard to Elektra King (Sophie Marceau), the daughter of a petroleum magnate who was brutally murdered, and is trying to foil the fiendish plot of Renard (Robert Carlyle), a villain who was shot in the head with an unusual result: he cannot feel physical pain, an apparent failing that proves to be a considerable asset. Denise Richards appears as Dr. Christmas Jones, an expert on nuclear weapons, alongside Desmond Llewelyn as Q, Judi Dench as M, Samantha Bond as Miss Moneypenny, and John Cleese as R. Alternative rock band Garbage performs the theme song. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, (more)
- 1998
This sequel to the popular TV series finds Owen (Robson Green) and Anna (Francesca Annis) making an impulsive decision to marry. Their plans are thwarted by Anna's ex-husband, Richard (Michael Kitchen), who wants to break up the couple. Will their union survive Richard's dastardly schemes? ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
- Starring:
- Francesca Annis, Robson Green, (more)
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