Moira Lister Movies

In this supenseful and provocative high-seas drama, the captain of a luxury liner is suddenly faced with life or death decisions when his ship sinks, leaving himself and a few survivors floating at sea in an overcrowded lifeboat that does not contain enough food, water and medical supplies to support them all. The captain, Alec Holmes (Tyrone Power) is a decent fellow, and initially intends to save everyone. But it soon becomes clear to one of the ship's men, Frank Kelly (Lloyd Nolan) that this is impossible. As Kelly sacrifices himself by leaping overboard and into the sea, he shouts out a warning to Holmes that it will be necessary to rid the boat of its ill passengers if the rest are to survive, as not enough food and water exists to provide for everyone. Defying the requests of his sweetheart, Nurse Julie White (director Mai Zetterling), and his buddy and fellow officer, Will McKinley (Stephen Boyd), Holmes disposes of the sick individuals on board. He initially gains the support of the rest of the passengers, but when a rescue ship finally turns up, their support turns to contempt and hostility. In Great Britain the story is titled Seven Waves Away. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This time around, Steed and Peel come up against an "invisible man." Actually, he only feigns invisibility, but his deception is enough to nearly bankrupt the British government, as the villain merrily steals important documents on behalf of a pair of sinister foreign agents. Roy Kinnear, best known for his work in director Richard Lester's films, guest stars as Quilby. Written by Philip Levene, "The See-Through Man" was first telecast in England on February 4, 1967 -- one day after its American TV debut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A trilogy of short stories based on true Scotland Yard cases entitled "The Lady's Companion," "The Telephone" and "The Interrogation." ~ All Movie Guide

In this British wartime comedy, a group of captured con-artists must choose between jail terms or military service. Naturally they choose the army. Once they are assigned to a post they set up successful gambling and liquor operations. When they go overseas, they do the same thing. They are then asked to start a social club to boost morale. They do so, and the operation is only a hair's breadth away from being a brothel. They attempt to keep the joint a secret from visiting Parliamentary members, but it is not long before the cathouse is out of the bag. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

No relation to the 1970 box-office blockbuster of the same name, the 1944 British film Love Story was originally released in the US as The Lady Surrenders. Margaret Lockwood stars as one of those brilliant but troubled concert pianists, so beloved of British wartime filmgoers. Knowing that she suffers from a potentially fatal heart condition, Margaret has one last fling with RAF pilot Stewart Granger, who is slowly going blind. As in such earlier romantic dramas of the One Way Passage variety, Margaret and Stewart keep their afflictions secret from each other. When the truth comes out, Granger agrees to a dangerous and experimental operation to restore his sight. This sets the stage for a war of wills between Lockwood, who wants Granger to undergo the surgery, and Gragner's fiancee Patricia Roc, who, for reasons of her own, does not. Love Story was cowritten and directed by Leslie Arliss, son of eminent British stage star Sir George Arliss. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Veteran French character comedian Francois Perier is almost the whole show in Mon Phoque et Elles. Almost, because Perier is obliged to share many of his scenes with another stellar comedian, who bills himself only as Moustache. No, it isn't the same Moustache who played minor roles in such films as How to Steal a Million. This moustache is a trained seal, and a most endearing one. The plot concerns the efforts of a seal-loving man (Perier) to protect his pet from the evil machinations of the film's heavies. Incidentally, the French word for "seal" has a double meaning, leading to several risque verbal exchanges. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Filled with lots of WW II-era propaganda, this tuneful war drama tells the syrupy tale of a strong and beautiful Scottish lass who works in a Glasgow factory while her true love is in the Navy. One day she receives word that her beau is missing in action and presumed dead. Unable to believe this she continues her war-efforts, saving the factory from a strike and making efforts to boost the workers' flagging spirits on the stage. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, a married man in the fur business gets in trouble after he finds himself attracted to a gangster's moll. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Bonar Colleano, who spent the war years playing featured roles in British films as likeably cocky Americans, heads the cast of Pool of London. Ever his brass, cheeky self, Colleano is cast as Dan MacDonald, a sailor who dabbles in a bit of smuggling, just for the fun of it. The fun is over when he gets mixed up with a gang of jewel thieves who have a habit of framing others for their crimes. At the risk of his own neck, MacDonald must extricate his best friend Johnny (Earl Cameron) from a murder charge. Pool of London ran into censorship troubles in the U.S. because of its depiction of a romance between Cameron, a black actor, and Susan Shaw, a white actress. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The British Something Money Can't Buy offers a few smaller-scale variations on themes previously explored in the 1946 Hollywood Oscar-winner The Best Years of Our Lives. Harry Wilding (Anthony Steel), a high-ranking wartime military officer, has trouble adjusting to his go-nowhere civilian job and the monotony of his home life. Harry's wife Anne (Patricia Roc) tries to make things easier for her husband, but there are no easy answers to his plight. The inherent drama of the situation is leavened by moments of gentle humor, not to mention the warm rapport between stars. The supporting cast includes hirsute comic actor (and longtime David Niven crony) Michael Trubshawe and the venerable A. E. Mathews, at the time billed as England's oldest working actor. Director Pat Jackson co-authored the perceptive screenplay of Something Money Can't Buy with James Lonsdale Hudson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ten Little Indians, the classic mystery by Agatha Christie, is again adapted, with enjoyable results. The setting of the now familiar mystery is moved to Africa, where the ten guests of a mysterious host are killed one by one as they travel on safari. None of the guests, played with great fun by a cast including Donald Pleasence, Brenda Vaccaro, Frank Stallone and Herbert Lom, know why they have been invited, but as they begin to be murdered, one by one, they fear for their safety and begin to suspect each other. The ending of this wonderful mystery should never be divulged, and the story remains surprisingly fresh despite its many adaptations. This film, while only average, remains highly enjoyable because of the charm and surprise of Christie's wonderful plot and great surprise ending. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide

Future Dr. Who star William Hartnell heads the cast of the 1949 sociopolitical melodrama The Agitator. Set in a British industrial town, the film stars Hartnell as idealistic union organizer Peter Pottinger. His value as an agitator is compromised when Peter falls heir to the very factory where he works. Now that he's "Capital," Peter finds that he hasn't a friend in the world: his old co-workers despise him for what he represents, while his new colleagues can't forget his previous radicalism. Perhaps to avoid movie-industry ramifications, Capital and Labor are treated with equal fairness in The Agitator. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide