Esmond Knight Movies

A detective plagued by headaches goes to a hypnotist and relives his investigation into a serial killer case in Lars von Trier's first feature, The Element of Crime. Fisher (Michael Elphick), a retired policeman, returns to Europe at the behest of his mentor, Osborne (Esmond Knight of The Red Shoes). Osborne, the author of an influential textbook called The Element of Crime, has given up his investigation into the Lotto Murders, in which a number of lottery ticket salesgirls have been killed and mutilated. The new chief of police, Kramer (former Benny Hill Show regular Jerold Wells), is a trigger-happy lunatic who objects to Fisher's methodical approach to crime solving. Osborne, meanwhile, seemingly losing his grip on reality, insists that the killer, Harry Grey, died in a car crash. Using Osborne's methods, Fisher tries to delve into the mind of Grey by following the path of a trip the killer took three years earlier, while Osborne was investigating him. Along the way, Fisher hooks up with a prostitute, Kim (Me Me Lai), who also has a link to Grey. As he gets closer to unraveling the mystery, Fisher finds himself taking on more and more aspects of the killer's persona. Von Trier uses a traditional film noir style voice-over, while visually, his film is a monochromatic sepia tone with occasional flashes of fluorescent blue. This film brought von Trier international attention, paving the way for his success with Zentropa and The Kingdom. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

The Greeks laid siege to the city of Troy after Paris (David Firth) of Troy abducted the beautiful Helen (Ann Pennington) from Sparta. In the city, Troilus (Anton Lesser), brother of Paris, is courting the lovely Cressida (Suzanne Burden), who is playing hard to get so that his interest will be heightened. Outside the walls of Troy, the Greek forces are growing weary of the war. Leader Agamemnon (Vernon Dobtcheff) even finds his prize warrior Achilles (Kenneth Haigh) to be sullen about the proceedings, and is concocting a plan to promote Ajax (Anthony Pedley ) as the Greeks' greatest hero, thereby goading Achilles back into action. To this end, Ajax is chosen when the Trojans suggest a wrestling match with Hector (John Shrapnel), another brother of Paris and Troilus. Meanwhile, Troilus and Cressida consolidate their feelings for one another and spend the night together. The next day, however, Cressida's traitorous father arranges for her to be given to the Greeks in exchange for a captured Trojan. Troilus vows vengeance on Diomedes (Paul Moriarty), the Greek who seduces Cressida, and goes on a rampage in the Greek camp. The fighting spreads, with Hector killing Patroclus (Simon Cutter), beloved of Achilles, and Hector viciously slain in turn by Achilles. The film ends with the war far from over, and Troilus bemoaning the meaninglessness of love and life. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

This 3-hour TV adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet features Patrick Ryecart and Rebecca Saire in the title roles. Though these names may not be familiar to the casual viewer, the same cannot be said of the supporting cast. Celia Johnson appears as the Nurse, Michael Hordern is Lord Capulet, Laurence Naismith is Prince Escalus, and Alec Guinness is the Chorus. Also appearing are stars-to-be Anthony Andrews as Mercutio (his "Queen Mab" speech is a singular highlight) and Alan Rickman as Tybalt. Originally presented as part of PBS' "Shakespeare Plays" series, Romeo and Juliet was first aired March 14, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Though the story told in Robin and Marian is unfamiliar to most audiences, it is actually quite faithful to several of the ancient Robin Hood legends. During the Crusades, Robin (Sean Connery) is still loyal to King Richard the Lionheart (Richard Harris), but even he has trouble adjusting to the monarch's ever-increasing paranoia and lunacy. After Richard's death, Robin returns to England, his first visit to his home turf in 20 years. He looks up his beloved Maid Marian (Audrey Hepburn, last seen in 1967's Wait Until Dark), who is now a middle-aged nun. No sooner do Robin and Marian renew their relationship than the aging Merry Men demand Robin's services in thwarting their old foe, the Sheriff of Nottingham (Robert Shaw). Marian is aghast that the long-standing feud between Robin and the sheriff threatens to expand into wholesale bloodshed. The two venerable enemies agree to one last mano a mano battle -- only to watch helplessly as the all-out war they'd tried to avoid commences anyway. Both the tragic climax and Robin's last, defiant arrow shot are drawn directly from authentic Robin Hood ballads of the 14th and 15th centuries. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the fifth episode of the six-part story "The Space Pirates," the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) and his friends are once more in the clutches of Argonite pirate leader Craven (Dudley Foster). Salvation arrives from an unlikely source: Madeleine Issigi (Lisa Danniely), the daughter of Craven's partner Dom (Esmond Knight). But the Doctor has precious little time to enjoy his freedom: He now faces an even deadlier peril than the pirates. Written by Robert Holmes, "The Space Pirates, Part 5" originally aired on April 5, 1969. This episode apparently no longer exists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Anne of the Thousand Days is the belated film adaptation of Maxwell Anderson's 1948 stage play. The story concentrates on the romance between Britain's King Henry VIII (Richard Burton) and his ill-fated second wife Anne Boleyn (Genevieve Bujold). After holding out for marriage rather than an illegitimate union, Anne marries Henry after he sheds himself of Katherine of Aragon -- causing a rift between the Crown and the Church in the process. Anne's inability to produce a male heir leads Henry to look about for other suitable mates. Henry's sinister right-hand man Cromwell (John Colicos) arranges for Anne to be condemned on a charge of adultery. She is beheaded, while Henry disconsolately sits in Windsor Castle, regretting this callous example of political expediency. Richard Burton is ideally cast in Anne of the Thousand Days, but it is Genevieve Bujold who delivers the best, most complex performance in the film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This feature is a filmed stage production of the tragedy by William Shakespeare. Laurence Harvey stars as Leontes, the jealous king who eventually repents his wrongdoings. Moira Redmond is Queen Hermione who is victimized by the indiscretions of her monarch husband. Jane Asher is the village peasant girl Perdita and Diana Churchill plays Paulina. The role of Autocylus is played admirably by Jim Dale, who also provided the music for this production. The performance comes from a television show produced at the Intertel Wembley studios. Along with Romeo and Juliet, 1968 was a good year for the immortal bard, whose timeless plays were being received by a younger, receptive audience through shrewd production and prudent casting with an eye towards capturing a more youthful audience. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Michael Powell's controversial meditation on violence and voyeurism effectively destroyed his career when it was first released, but later generations have come to regard it as a masterpiece. Karl Heinz Boehm stars as Mark, the son of a psychologist who kept a video journal of the boy's upbringing for research purposes. The constant intrusions profoundly affected the boy, who grew up to be a photographer himself; but his principal subject matter consists of women whom he murders before the camera. He then runs the films of his victims in their final throes so that he can study their reactions to death--a perverse extension of his father's experiments, which tormented Mark to analyze his reactions to raw fear. The British press had long been hostile to the unorthodox films of Powell and his partner Emeric Pressburger; when Peeping Tom came around, they used the film to castigate him as "sick" and tawdry. The passage of time has proven Peeping Tom as profound and accomplished as any of Powell's earlier films, and it ranks with Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window (1954) and Vertigo (1958) as a landmark exploration of the links among voyeurism, violence, and male sexual desire. Powell himself plays the evil father in the flashback sequences, and his son Colomba plays Mark as a child. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After inexplicably destroying his anti-gravity formula, eminent British researcher Dr. Stephens (Geoffrey Keen) vanishes without a trace. Stephens' daughter Pat (Joanna Dunham) asks Peter Brady, aka "The Invisible Man", to locate her father and find out why he was so willing to ruin his life's work. But Peter had better hurry: a man named Wilson (Esmond Knight is likewise searching for Stephens--and his intentions are anything but honorable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The title of the Anglo-American The Prince and the Showgirl could well have alluded to the genuine stations in life of stars Sir Laurence Olivier and Marilyn Monroe. Based on the Terence Rattigan play The Sleeping Prince, the film casts Olivier as Charles, prince regent of Carpathia, who is in London to attend the 1911 coronation of King George V. Monroe is deceptively dizzy American chorus girl Elsie Marina, who while performing in a West End revue catches Charles' eye. The prince arranges for Elsie to attend an "intimate supper" at his hotel suite. Though Elsie successfully wards off Charles' advances, she drinks too much bubbly and ends up falling asleep. Comes the dawn, and Prince Charles is anxious to show the awkward Elsie the door. She, however, has fallen in love with the prince, and sticks around long enough to upset a plan to overthrow the Carpathian throne, and to patch up a feud between Charles and his son Nicholas (Jeremy Spencer). Olivier directed as well as starred in The Prince and the Showgirl; he knew he had his work cut out for him in dealing with the mercurial Marilyn Monroe, but he managed to hold his temper and to extract a delightful comic performance from the actress. Alas, the film was a box-office disappointment, leading many Hollywood insiders to moan and wail that Monroe was "washed up" in films -- at least until her spectacular comeback in Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot (1959). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rossana Podesta may not quite possess the face that would launch a thousand ships, but she is otherwise convincing in the title role of Helen of Troy. Filmed in Italy, this super-epic costars Jacques Sernas as Paris of Troy, who sails to Sparta to secure a peace treaty between the two powerful Greek city-states. When he falls in love with Helen, Queen of Sparta, Paris loses all sense of diplomacy. Helen is willingly "abducted" by Paris and spirited off to Troy, thereby sparking a long and bloody war, which culminates with the legendary Trojan Horse. Torin Thatcher costars as warrior leader Ulysses, while Sir Cedric Hardwicke plays Priam, the pacifistic king of Troy who is overwhelmed by circumstances beyond his control. Also on hand is Stanley Baker as Achilles (who ends up with an arrow you-know-where) and Niall MacGinnis as Helen's husband Menelaus. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, a funeral director, thinking himself quite clever, hides his cash in his wife's girdle. Trouble ensues when she gives it away. While the director makes a mad dash to find it, it seems that his wife may be attracted to another. Fortunately peace is restored when he finds his money and his wife comes back. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide