Miriam Margolyes Movies

Director David Moore collaborates with screenwriter Sarah Williams to explore the forbidden love that ultimately drove King Edward VIII to become the only British monarch ever to voluntarily step down from the throne. It was at a fashionable party in 1931 that Edward, Prince of Wales first met outspoken American Wallis Simpson. Though married at the time of their initial meeting, Simpson and her husband would subsequently accompany Edward to numerous parties and social gatherings. Aware of Edward's increasing infatuation with his unquestioningly faithful wife but unwilling to give up the perks that come with being in the royal inner circle, Simpson's husband willingly went along with the ruse before eventually abandoning the marriage to be with another woman. Much to the consternation of the royal family - who viewed a twice-divorced American as an improper match for the future king - Edward and Simpson would subsequently enter into a romance that was still going strong when Edward's father died in 1936. Now faced with the prospect of abandoning the woman he loves for the sake of fulfilling his royal birthright, Edward's refusal to end his relationship with Simpson was seen as a baffling and infuriating weakness driven by selfishness and recklessness by the rest of his family. Later, as Simpson is demonized by the press, the royal family, and the public at large, she offers to leave the country quietly so that Edward can assume his rightful position on the throne. But her offer had fallen on deaf ears, and on December 10, 1936 Edward renounced the throne for both himself and his descendents in order to follow his heart and be with the woman he truly loved. As a result of his decision, not one member of the royal family would attend the wedding of the Duke and Dutchess of Windsor. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The often-troubled life of one of the greatest comic actors in the history of the British cinema provides the basis for this biopic. Peter Sellers (Geoffrey Rush) was raised by a domineering mother (Miriam Margolyes) and meek father (Peter Vaughan), and at an early age discovered he liked to hide behind the emotional curtain of playing a character. In time, Sellers put this skill to use as an actor, and discovered he had a great gift for comedy. In the late '50s, Sellers rose to fame on the wildly popular radio series The Goon Show alongside Spike Milligan (Edward Tudor Pole) and Harry Secombe (Steve Pemberton), but as his success on radio gave way to stardom on the big screen, Sellers' ego began to get the better of him. While working on a film with Sophia Loren (Sonia Aquino), Sellers fell in love with the great Italian beauty, and eventually left his wife Anne (Emily Watson) to pursue her; when it became clear that Loren wanted nothing to do with him, Sellers fell into an affair with her stand-in instead. Professionally, Sellers career hits a new high when he agrees to take a role in a picture being directed by American filmmaker Blake Edwards (John Lithgow) called The Pink Panther, and personally he finds a new love with the beautiful Britt Ekland (Charlize Theron). But Sellers' mood swings eventually put paid to their marriage, and while he finds commercial success as a funnyman onscreen, he achieves little in the way of happiness or respect. Produced for the American premium cable service HBO, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers was screened in competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A local bingo emporium finds itself competing against the big boys in this easygoing comedy. The La Scala is a theater in Wales that has offered drama, music, and movies to local audiences over the years, but is now being used as a bingo hall. The hall's manager, Giovanni Anzani (Freddie Jones), serves up free pasta in a bid to keep his dwindling clientele happy, but when it's announced that a major national chain, Mega Bingo, is opening a brand new hall just down the street, things look grim for Anzani and his staff. Linda (Kelly Macdonald) is especially upset. She's deep in debt following her mother's death, and her boyfriend Gavin (Jason Hughes) has just taken a job as a caller for the new bingo hall. Desperate, Anzani cuts his staff's salaries and scrapes up the money to use La Scala as part of a National Bonanza bingo tournament. If one of his patrons wins the million pound jackpot, his share would pull the hall out of debt and put him squarely in the black. In the midst of all this, Linda has recently discovered that she has a sort of ESP that allows her to predict the numbers before they're pulled, though she's not sure if or how she should put this gift to work. House! was directed by Julian Kemp, a newcomer to feature films with a strong background in children's television. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Previously adapted for British television in 1976, Edith Nesbit's 1904 children's novel The Phoenix and the Carpet was again brought to the small screen by the BBC beginning November 16, 1997. The plot remained the same, with five Victorian-era children coming into possession of an enchanted carpet and a magical egg, which hatched into a garrulous Phoenix. David Suchet of Poirot fame was heard as the Phoenix's voice this time out. Dramatized by Helen Creswell, this version of The Phoenix and the Carpet ran for six 30-minute episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Balto is an animated trifle, based loosely on a true story from the 1920s, that may offer some amusement for young children. A live-action intro and outro set the stage for the story of Balto (voiced by Kevin Bacon), a stray who's half dog and half wolf, who is shunned as a half-breed outcast by both humans and his own kind. Balto does have some friends, like the goose Boris (Bob Hoskins) and two polar bears named Muk and Luk (Phil Collins), but he is particularly resented by canine pack leader Steele (Jim Cummings), with whom he is competing for the affections of Jenna (Bridget Fonda). He eventually becomes a hero when he guides a medication-carrying sled to a townful of sick kids in the wilds of Alaska. The film features a number of positive messages (subtlety is not its strong point), but it may not feature enough humor or excitement to keep anyone but the very smallest viewers engrossed. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

This documentary effectively focuses on the Allied war effort and in particular how it related to the liberation of Jews immured in concentration camps. It is narrated by some well known and popular actors (including Patrick Stewart and Whoopi Goldberg), and seeks to answer the question "Who knew about the killings, and when, and what did they do about them?" In addition to archival footage, vivid anecdotes by people who lived during the period are recounted, including one telling about an British matron who, after extending an invitation to American soldiers to come to lunch at her house, saw fit to add "no Jews, please." In response to her offer of hospitality, she was horrified to find that on the day in question six black servicemen were her guests. Protesting that there surely had been a mistake, the servicemen responded: "Colonel Cohen doesn't make mistakes." ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This is a modern-dress rendition of Shakespeare's famous "comedy," a semi-serious drama with a story featuring mistaken identities and confused declarations of love. Though it screens far more of the classic play's dialogue than the 1936 version featuring Laurence Olivier, some reviewers asserted that the movie's anachronistic modern settings and costumes made the play's references to ancient forms of clothing and customs confusing to those unfamiliar with the play, and irritating to those who are. Other viewers may find the amount of elaborate verbiage Shakespeare used to convey even the simplest sentiment tiresome. Despite these drawbacks, connoisseurs may enjoy the interpretations of these well-known roles by some of the better performers gracing the British stage in the 1990s, including Emma Croft, James Fox, Cyril Cusack and Celia Bannerman. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Little Dorrit was intended as the cinematic equivalent to the mammoth, eight hour Royal Shakespeare Company's staging of Dickens' Nicholas Nickelby. The film was released to theatres in two parts, each running approximately three hours. The first part, subtitled "Nobody's Fault," introduced us to the seamstress title character (Sarah Pickering), who chooses to live in debtor's prison with her father (Alec Guinness). Good samaritan Derek Jacobi endeavors to help both father and daughter. The second part, also known as "Little Dorrit's Story," details Dorrit's escape from penury to lasting happiness. Eschewing the usual 19th century-style British music often heard in Dickensian adaptations, director Christine Edzard creatively-and effectively--opts for the strains of Giuseppe Verdi. Edzard's eye for period detail is also deserving of unbounded praise. Unfortunately, Part Two of Little Dorrit spends nearly half of its running time recapping Part One, utilizing much of the same footage. For those familiar with "Nobody's Fault," "Little Dorrit's Story" is more a redundancy than a continuation. Still, taken together, parts one and two all fully deserving of the enthusiastic critical commentary that greeted them upon their original release-not to mention the multiple Academy Award nominations bestowed upon the project and its participants. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The cast and crew of the satirical British comedy series Blackadder reunited for this perverse one-hour spin on Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Rowan Atkinson stars as Ebeneezer Blackadder, a kindly and beloved London businessman. Alas, Ebeneezer is too warm-hearted and generous to suit his greedy, grasping ancestors, who on Christmas Eve appear in spectral form to force their descendant to live down to Blackadder family tradition. Also appearing are Tony Robinson as Baldrick, Robbie Coltrane as The Spirit of Christmas, Miriam Margoyles as Queen Victoria, Jim Broadbent as Prince Albert, and Miranda Richardson in the dual role of Elizabeth I and Asphyxia XIX. A Blackadder's Christmas Carol made its British TV bow on December 22, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Anthony Hopkins stars in The Good Father as a publishing executive whose wife Julie Walters has left him, taking their son with her. Walking around like a zombie after this blow, Hopkins is brought back to life by involving himself in the profound problems of his friend Jim Broadbent. Feeling that his misguided pro-feminist stance has caused him all his trouble, Hopkins encourages Broadbent, whose own wife is leaving him with their son in tow, to fight for custody of the child in court. Hopkins even agrees to finance Broadbent's legal fees. As Broadbent's custody battle intensifies into a bitter, all-out war, Hopkins becomes more relaxed concerning his own domestic difficulties. Allowing Broadbent to be his emotional surrogate, a becalmed Hopkins feels secure enough to try to reconcile with his ex-wife Walters. But she is aware, even if he isn't, that his problems stem not from his relationship with women, but from his resentment of his son, whose birth was the beginning of the end of his marriage. Contrary to the title and his own self-deceptions, Hopkins is not "the good father." The film was scripted by Christopher Hampton from a novel by Peter Prince. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

It is now the year 1492: Edmund (Rowan Atkinson) is still jockeying to become King of England, while the actual monarch, Richard IV (Brian Blessed), is busily making enemies of everyone in Europe. In order to prevent a war with Spain, Edmund is ordered to marry that country's Princess Maria (Miriam Margoyles). This, he figures, will put him in an excellent position to fulfill his dream of ruling England -- but things don't quite work out as planned. The episode's funniest moments belong to Jim Broadbent as the Princess' interpreter, Don Speekingleesh. "The Queen of Spain's Beard" first aired on July 6, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

English archaeologist Matthew Corbeck (played by the emphatically-American Charlton Heston) undertakes an expedition to find the tomb of the Egyptian princess Kara, despite his awareness of a nefarious curse that is said to befall anyone who disturbs the tomb. Eighteen years after Corbeck's discovery of the burial site, his teenage daughter (who was born at the very moment of the tomb's violation) begins to behave strangely. Turns out she's been possessed by Kara's malevolent spirit, carrying out the princess's revenge by causing several deaths and developing a less-than-healthy obsession with Daddy. Based very loosely on Bram Stoker's novel The Jewel of Seven Stars (itself the inspiration for Hammer's superior Blood from the Mummy's Tomb), this is basically Warner Brothers' attempt to jump on the big-budget horror bandwagon in the wake of The Omen's staggering success. The result is a good-looking but artistically hollow film -- with elaborate sets, lush cinematography and a sweeping musical score, but little in the way of logic or suspense. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, two soldiers stationed in Singapore set off in pursuit of the fairer sex instead of carrying out their orders. Soon after their arrival on the exotic island, the two visit a local brothel and there encounter a pair of lusty nurses who have also come in for a bit of erotic R&R. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide