Keith Marsh Movies
- 1979
- R
This routine espionage drama is based on a novel by Graham Greene about a low-level British informant who is caught in a trap. Castle (Nicol Williamson) has a desk job in British intelligence. Around him are heavyweights like Col. Daintry (Richard Attenborough), Sir John Hargreaves (Richard Vernon), and Percival (Robert Morley) who will cold-bloodedly stop at nothing to do their jobs as they see fit. And Castle certainly is a nobody compared to them. One day when a friend of his in Africa needs some help, Castle is conned into supplying the Eastern block countries with info on demand. No one suspects him because of his low position, but when his office partner is hauled off, Castle begins to rethink his situation. This was director Otto Preminger's last film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Attenborough, John Gielgud, (more)
- 1977
The New Avengers wrapped up its first season with an episode which writer Dennis Spooner has confessed was based on "Attack of the Alligators",an installment of the "Supermarionation" series Thunderbirds (with, it would seem, a bit of "Monty Python" thrown in). An illicitly developed growth liquid seeps into the London sewer system, creating a giant, deadly rat. Kidnapped by the scientists who created the liquid, Purdey (Joanna Lumley) is set up as bait for the king-sized vermin--and our girl must also contend with a passel of killer tomatoes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Patrick Macnee, Gareth Hunt, (more)
Scrooge was designed as a follow-up to 1968's Oliver!, the Oscar-winning musicalization of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. The umpteenth musical version of Dickens' 1843 novelette A Christmas Carol, Scrooge features several sprightly Leslie Bricusse songs, including the bona fide hit "Thank You Very Much." Buried under mounds of latex, Albert Finney is Ebenezer Scrooge. The Three Ghosts who turn the miserly Scrooge's life around on Christmas Eve are portrayed by Edith Evans (Past), Kenneth More (Present) and Paddy Stone (Yet to Come). Sir Alec Guinness also appears as a fussy, slightly effeminate Marley's Ghost. Intriguingly, Finney performs his many songs live, without post-production dubbing. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Albert Finney, Alec Guinness, (more)
One of the more accomplished entries in Hammer's Dracula series (which would soon lapse into creative anemia during the 1970s), this fourth installment finds Christopher Lee in top form as the Count, who returns to menacing life after three middle-aged swingers decide to dabble in black magic to bolster their sagging sex lives. Dracula is reborn when the trio's blood-drinking rituals lead to the destruction of his devil-worshipping colleague Lord Courtley (Ralph Bates), whereupon the Count unleashes his deadly wrath on those responsible, even involving members of their families in his scheme of revenge, which culminates in a dramatic finale in a recently reconstructed cathedral. Fine direction from Hammer regular Peter Sasdy enlivens a middling script, and an early appearance from the lovely Linda Hayden (later to star in the eerie Blood on Satan's Claw) is a definite plus. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
- Starring:
- Christopher Lee, Geoffrey Keen, (more)
- 1967
Nigel Kneale's Quatermass TV series spawned a brief film series produced over an eleven-year period; 1967's Quatermass and the Pit, released in the US as Five Million Years to Earth, was the third and (until 1979's Quatermass Conclusion) last of the features. As with previous chapters in the Kneale saga, the film begins with a baffling scientific discovery. This time it's an alien ship, alive after 5,000,000 years, discovered during the excavation of a new subway line. The craft is able to cause psychic disturbances in individuals genetically connected to the machine; it also prompts them to see dead Martians as ghostly entitites nearby. In time, conclusions drawn from these events lead scientists to shocking conclusions about the origins of the human race.
~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Donald, Andrew Keir, (more)
- 1966
- Add Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. to QueueAdd Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. to top of Queue
This entertaining sequel to 1965's Dr. Who and the Daleks has been released under several titles: Invasion Earth 2150 AD, Daleks Invade Earth: 2150 AD, and Daleks-Invasion Earth 2150 AD. So guess when the story takes place? Peter Cushing returns as eccentric time-traveller Dr. Who, idol of millions of BBC viewers and PBS pledge drive fans. This time, Dr. Who, his niece Susan (Roberta Tovey) and a flustered London bobby (Bernard Cribbins) are whisked into the future via the Doc's TARDIS call box. In 2150, London is under siege from the extraterrestrial Daleks, with whom Dr. Who has crossed swords in the past. The Daleks intend to convert the earth into a huge spaceship by activating the planet's metallic core. Props essential to the action include flying saucers, death rays and robots, all of which look a lot more expensive than those silver-painted tinker toys seen on the Dr. Who TV series. Coproducer Milton Subotsky based his screenplay upon a Dr. Who television continuity written by Terry Nation. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Cushing, Bernard Cribbins, (more)
The 1965 Othello is literally a photographed stage play: a filmed record of the National Theatre Production of 1964, as staged by John Dexter and starring Laurence Olivier. As the easily led, fatally jealous Moor of Venice, Olivier wears thick black-faced makeup and speaks in an uncharacteristically deep, bellow-like voice. Some considered his portrayal of Othello to be an unflattering stereotype; others regard Olivier's interpretation as one of the finest Shakespearean performances ever captured on film. Less flamboyant, but no less effective, are Frank Finlay as Iago, Maggie Smith as Desdemona, Derek Jacobi as Cassio, and Joyce Redman as Emilia. Oscar nominations went to Olivier, Finlay, Smith, and Redman. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Laurence Olivier, Frank Finlay, (more)
