Dinsdale Landen Movies

Based on the novel by Catherine Cookson, this made-for-TV drama, set in England shortly before the outbreak of World War I, concerns Agnes Conway (Claire Skinner), a beautiful young woman who works in her family's confectioner's shop. Agnes' natural beauty and spirited nature lead her into romantic entanglements with two men from a prominent family -- first Charles Farrier (Edward Atterton), then his brother Reginald (Julian Wadham) -- and later into a friendship with the Felton family, decent folks from a notoriously rough part of England, when her sister Jessie (Michelle Charles) falls in love with one of the Felton men. Produced for British television, The Wingless Bird was first shown on American television as part of the acclaimed PBS anthology series Masterpiece Theater. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Based on a novel by Edith Wharton, The Buccaneers follows four wealthy young women -- Nan (Carla Gugino), Virginia St. George (Alison Eliott), Conchita Closson (Mira Sorvino), and Lizzy Elmsworth (Rya Kihlstedt) -- throughout their eventful journey from America to London. Though they set off intending to hunt down potential husbands for themselves, what they find has less to do with love and more to do with the repressive nature of turn-of-the-century English society. Shunned as "new money" by London's elite and courted by a slew of noblemen lacking any code of personal honor, the quartet is forced to examine society's focus on social status and personal wealth. Directed by Philip Saville, this film also features Mark Tandy and Greg Wise. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

In the second episode of the four-part story "The Curse of Fenric," the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and Ace (Sophie Aldred) have arrived at a Northumberland secret naval base in the waning days of WWII. The ongoing efforts of a group of Russian commandos to steal a British code-breaking device has inadvertently triggered an ancient Viking curse -- and the results could prove fatal for everyone at the base, including the two time-travelers. Written by Ian Briggs, "The Curse of Fenric, Episode 2" originally aired on November 1, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and Ace (Sophie Aldred) materialize at a secret British naval base off the Yorkshire coast during the final months of WWII. Almost immediately, the two time-travelers are plunged into intrigue involving a revolutionary code-breaking device. As if this were not enough, the base has apparently been targeted for destruction at the hands of a Viking ghost. British TV quiz show host Nicholas Parsons is here cast as the local vicar. Written by Ian Briggs, episode one of the four-part Doctor Who adventure "The Curse of Fenric" originally aired on October 25, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Thirty-four years after the release of National Velvet, MGM came up with this attractively filmed sequel. Tatum O'Neal stars as the niece of Velvet Brown, Elizabeth Taylor's character from the first film (the Taylor role is played herein by Nanette Newman, the wife of director Bryan Forbes). Like her aunt, O'Neal is horse-happy, and hopes to become an Olympic equestrienne. There are a few tense moments when O'Neal fails to measure up to her aunt's overexacting standards, and when the girl evinces jealousy concerning auntie's live-in love Christopher Plummer. But with the help of crusty old trainer Anthony Hopkins, O'Neal proves herself every inch the horsewoman that Velvet had been so long ago. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The exploits of the title sheepdog provide the basis of this family-oriented comedy fantasy. Digby started out as an ordinary puppy but then one day got in to a bowl full of Project X, a special formula meant to grow larger vegetables. As he galumphs along in the countryside causing all kinds of trouble, the Army decides to blow the big woofer to kingdom come. Fortunately for Digby, his devoted owner is frantically searching for the serum that will save him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The Mosquito bomber was one of the more extraordinary developments of the Royal Air Force during World War II. A twin-engine plane made largely of wood, it flew faster than almost any fighter on the German side, carrying a maximum load of two bombs, and was employed on specialized missions that required pinpoint accuracy on a precise target -- obliterating a building or a small cluster of buildings rather than large tracts of enemy real estate. The men who flew them were among the elites of the Royal Air Force, some of the best of the best. Mosquito Squadron deals with such men and the kinds of missions they were assigned and the sacrifices they made. Quint Munroe (David McCallum) loses his oldest friend, Squadron Leader David Scott (David Buck), on a mission to destroy a group of German V-1 launchers -- he was like a brother to Scott, and must break the news to his wife Beth (Suzanne Neve), with whom Quint had once been involved. In the months that follow, he and Beth slowly rekindle their romance -- meanwhile, the German V-weapon program continues to advance, and they are getting ready to unveil the V-3. Quint is given the task of destroying the V-weapon plant at Charlon, a mission made possible by a new "bouncing bomb" called the "highball," invented by Dr. Barnes Wallis (of "Dambusters" fame). Just before the mission is to be undertaken, however, the Germans drop a film showing air prisoners, including a still-alive Scott, being moved to Charlon. Now the Mosquito crews will be killing their own colleagues and friends, and Quint must carry out his orders, which include hiding the fact that Scott is alive from Beth. The secret gets out to the squadron pilots, however, and a rebellion starts brewing in their ranks. Try as he might to find a way to save the lives of the prisoners, there seems to be no way for Munroe to avoid killing British pilots with British bombs. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

This wickedly hilarious British comedy series was a dead-on spoof of World in Action, a popular BBC investigative-reporting series. On each half-hour episode, the series' "correspondents" promised to tear the lid off a recent scandal, but generally found themselves struggling to make exciting television out of absolutely nothing in particular. The series was produced by Ned Sherrin of That Was the Week That Was fame. The World in Ferment was originally telecast from June 23 to July 28, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

They All Died Laughing plays for satire what any other film might have played for suspense. Leo McKern plays a college professor, of the addlepated rather than absentminded variety. McKern has come to the conclusion that certain people are leeching off society, and the world would be well rid of them. He heads for his laboratory to create the means of "purging" these useless people. He comes up with a poison that prompts his victims to laugh hysterically before joining the Choir Invisible. A little more heavy-handed than the British "dark farces" of the 1950s, They All Died Laughing was originally released in England as A Jolly Bad Fellow. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A British officer must save the Barbary apes on Gibralter at all costs in this WW II farce. He does this, because it is believed that if the apes leave the rock, Britain will fall. The trouble begins when the only male ape dies. To save the rest, the officer and his side-kick sneak in to Zurich and steal an ape from a German circus. This results in a promotion for the officer, and now he and his partner are assigned to protect the ravens in the Tower of London. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This was the last film for British director Wendy Toye whose special interests were always comedies and fantasies. In this light farce, the talented Kenneth More is Lt. Commander Bodger, a man with a penchant for honesty in moments when silence is much more diplomatic. Bodger offends the Navy higher-ups, and so he is first sent to work in Dartmouth, training cadets. That does not really keep him out of trouble and so the Navy, in desperation, sends him to work as a liaison officer with the American Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, Bodger goes with three aides that are just like him, and they create havoc -- made much worse when a revolution begins in one of the nearby countries. The British foursome get inadvertently mixed up in the events, never really knowing exactly what they are doing until the dust settles. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide