Jonathan Lacey Movies
- 1993
The Baby of Macon is a sumptuous-looking but ultimately shallow tale of manipulation, greed, and religious fanaticism set in Peter Greenaway's favorite, the 17th century. In the city of Macon, an ugly woman suddenly bears a beautiful, healthy baby. Her fellow citizens perceive it as a wonder, with rumors circulating that she could not be the real mother of the child. Her 18-year-old virginal daughter (Julia Ormond) tries to use the situation, claiming that the baby is her own and was born as a result of an immaculate conception. The citizens start to worship the baby and the outraged Roman Catholic Church finally intervenes. Aiming at disclosure of the whole Christian mythology, which, according to Greenaway, always served to manipulate people, The Baby of Macon lacks passion or commitment. Even the much publicized violence, including an unseen multiple rape and the onscreen dismemberment of the baby, seems routine and uninspired rather than shocking. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julia Ormond, Ralph Fiennes, (more)
- 1985
This 5-part Masterpiece Theatre TV presentation was adapted from several short stories by Noel Coward. Though the personnel and settings change from week to week, the episodes are linked (sometimes very tenuously) by their relationship to the world of Theatre and the Performing Arts. In the first hour, a playwright (Peter Chisholm) is forced to cast a temperamental movie star (Susannah York) in his debut production. In the second, a married couple (Ian Holm and Judi Dench) do their "patriotic duty" by serving as the official British citizens in a faraway South Pacific isle. Episode number three finds an ageing homosexual musical comedy star (Tom Courtney) recalling his one romantic fling with a woman. The fourth installment is about a self-effacing old lady (Patricia Hayes) who dislikes being center of attention on her birthday. And the final playlet is set on a luxury cruise, where a playboy (Nigel Havers) has a tete-a-tete with an inquiring journalist (Judy Parfit). Star Quality was originally shown on PBS from March 29 through April 26, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Also released under the title Young Sherlock Holmes and the Pyramid of Fear, this film follows the adventures of young John Watson (Alan Cox) when he is shipped off to boarding school and meets up with the brilliantly bizarre Sherlock Holmes (Nicolas Rowe). The two boys strike up a friendship and promptly become involved in the investigation of a number of mysterious murders. When their curiosity gets them into trouble with a dangerous religious cult, Watson and Holmes must struggle to avoid capture while attempting to notify the authorities. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicolas Rowe, Alan Cox, (more)
This British Merchant-Ivory look-alike was adapted from a novel by Isabel Colgate. In the summer before World War I, British nobleman James Mason invites an assorted group of acquaintances for a weekend shooting party on his huge estate. Among the participants are longtime rivals Edward Fox and Rupert Frazer, Fox's occasionally unfaithful wife Cheryl Campbell, and staunch anti-hunting advocate John Gielgud. The film unfolds in a carefully calculated but seemingly spontaneous fashion, in the manner of its 1938 ancestor Rules of the Game. Also like the earlier film, The Shooting Party casts a jaundiced eye towards class consciousness--and ends with a sudden, senseless but not altogether unexpected tragedy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Fox, Cheryl Campbell, (more)
