William Layton Movies
- 1983
King Carlos II of Spain (r. 1665-1700) once sent his brother Luis to lead a military expedition into Albania and conquer that land for the Spaniards. Since Albania was a part of the dowry of Luis' wife, it seemed like a reasonable idea at the time. While that expedition and its final battle is the subject of this historical film, the scale involved can hardly do justice to the concept. The protagonists talk incessantly, and by the time they get down to the final grand battle, it turns out to be a skirmish between several dozen men. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Xavier Elorriaga, Klara Badiola, (more)
- 1983
In this inconclusive, confusing story about an aristocratic Majorcan family with connections to the Pope and much more darkly, to the secrets of a Masonic Order kept in a doll's room, the patriarch of the family (Fernando Rey) and his wife and cousin come to no good end for reasons that are never very clear. The entire story is told in flashbacks by the patriarch's son, who also has connections to the Catholic Church. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fernando Rey, Ángela Molina, (more)
- 1974
In Los Nuevos Espanoles, the slow-paced and happily inefficient lives of the "old" Spaniards is transformed as international corporations demand that they conform to more modern standards. In this spoof/satire, five "old Spaniard" insurance brokers suffer through the training techniques of the American company which has bought out the little company they worked for. Not only that, their wives come in for training too. Before long, they are "new Spaniards and are energetically selling insurance "the Bruster way." Though they win awards for being top salesmen, each meets with tragedy as a consequence of this radical change. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- José M. Sacristán, Maria Luisa San Jose, (more)
- 1974
- R
Though no longer fighting in the war, four deranged Vietnam vets continue to enjoy hunting people down and killing them. This violent exploitation drama tells the story of their latest two victims. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1972
- PG
In the lively comedy/adventure Travels with My Aunt, adapted from Graham Green's book, Henry (Alec McCowan), a timid, bookish accountant whose life seems to have died stillborn, discovers how to live with gusto thanks to the rough ministrations of his thoroughly eccentric aunt Augusta (Maggie Smith). Aunt Augusta bursts into Henry's life during the funeral for his mother, Augusta's sister. She whisks him to her apartment for a general cheering up, and he is thoroughly bemused by her bohemian ways and her much-younger black Caribbean boyfriend. In the next few hours, she manages to pry him from his dusty life and involve him in a series of incredible adventures involving old love affairs, espionage, kidnappings, and more money than he has ever dreamt of. Before the story ends, Henry has properly gotten into the spirit of his madcap aunt's adventuring. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maggie Smith, Alec McCowen, (more)
- 1972
Wim Wenders' The Scarlet Letter (German title: Der scharlachrote Buchstabe) may well be the most fascinating of the many screen versions of Nathaniel Hawthorne's 19th-century novel. Though the story is set in 17th-century Salem, Massachusetts, the film was lensed in Spain. Senta Berger is surprisingly well cast as Hester Prynne, whose sexual indiscretions have compelled her to wear the letter "A" (for adultery) on blouse--a symbol of shame to her neighbors, but a strange source of pride for Hester. Lou Castel plays the tortured Reverend Dimmesdale, the man who impregnated Hester but whom has been sworn to secrecy by the self-sacrificing heroine for the "good of the community." Hans Christian Blech portrays Hester's long-lost husband, whose reappearance sets the stage for the wrenching climax. Wenders' interpretation of the customs, behavior and inbred bigotry of the early American immigrants is eye-opening, as only an "outsider's" perception of what we take for granted can be. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
This shoot-em-up is set in Valencia, Spain at the end of the 19th century, and stars Terence Hill as a close-mouthed gunslinger. The bad guy in this case is the local landlord and aristocrat (Fernando Rey), who horribly abuses the laborers in his community. Romantic interest is provided by Maria Grazia Bucella, as the local inn-keeper. Efforts to depict an actual historical situation keep the pace from being too rapid, but otherwise this is a more-or-less standard western with an unusual locale. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1971
- PG
Not a sequel to Richard Harris' A Man Called Horse as is sometime alleged, 1971's Man in the Wilderness nonetheless bears a marked resemblance to that earlier film. Star Harris plays a trapper who joins a Northwest Territory expeditionary group. Left for dead after running afoul of a grizzly bear, Harris struggles to regain his strength and exact vengeance against John Huston, the man who deserted him. Flashbacks reveal who Harris is and how he's come to this. Man in the Wilderness alternates between a blood-spattered retribution tale and a gutsy one-man show for frostbitten Richard Harris. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Harris, John Huston, (more)
