Alec McCowen Movies

Written by British TV screenwriter, Malcolm McKay, this is the second of three movies that revolve around the concept of forgiveness. In this comedy, a dancer becomes pregnant. Discovering that her live-in boyfriend has been cheating on her, she kicks him out, but since he is not the Father of this child, his ejection really doesn't change the problem of whether or not she should keep the child. Vacillating back and forth, she imagines a dialogue with her baby. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide

An embittered, lonely old widow reluctantly tends her late husband's garden and discovers that more than flowers can bloom there when she encounters her East Indian neighbor, a woman with an ailing husband. This touching drama chronicles their friendship. The story opens as the widow returns from India where she and her recently deceased spouse spent many years working on a tea plantation in Assam. Soon after settling into her British home, she begins planting the garden her husband had always wanted to have in India. As the woman bore no children, there is no one to comfort her until she meets her neighbor and begins their tumultuous friendship. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

After a brief introduction by J.M. Barrie (Alec McCowen) and shots of the young Daisy Ashford (Carina Radford) working on a book, this children's fantasy film about the aristocracy in England at the end of the 19th century begins its surreal journey. Comedian Tracey Ullman plays Ethel Monticue, a woman who must decide between two suitors: the suave and worldly Bernard Clark (John Harding) or the clod Alfred (Kenny Ireland), sent off to London to learn how to become a gentleman. Unreal sequences, such as entering the chambers of the aristocratic elite through caverns, or a train that is really a horse stable, take the narrative of the film away from logic and into the fantasy of a child's imagination. Ullman and Ireland are excellent as the comic Ethel and Alfred, and in general this make-believe tale is one that could be appreciated by parents as well as children. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Part of the TV series entitled "The Shakespeare Plays," this is one of the subtlest and most enjoyable of the Shakespearian plays. Portraying the different types of love, it is set in a country house of aristocrats and there are practical jokes, poetry and songs that make this a most entertaining view. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide

This film was a pet project of Joan Fontaine, based on a novel by Peter Curtis. It was her last feature film. Fontaine stars as teacher Gwen Mayfield, who is in charge of a missionary school in Africa. A witch doctor puts a curse on her, and she has a nervous breakdown. Returning to England, she takes a job running a small rural school. In the village, there is an active voodoo cult. They have targeted a young woman named Linda (Ingrid Brett), whom they plan to offer as a virgin sacrifice. The cult members are led by journalist Stephanie Bax (Kay Walsh), whom Mayfield discovers is the head witch. Mayfield's student Ronnie Dowsett (Martin Stephens) is being harassed by the cult to keep him from protecting Linda, his girlfriend. This British production was titled The Devil's Own in the U.S. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

This 1961 adaptation of Shakespeare's magical comedy of errors was performed entirely by puppets. Let's qualify that: the puppets are of the stop-motion variety, expertly manipulated into "humanity" by Czech animator Jiri Trnka. The adaptation is faithful to the text, while the technique allows a wider range of visual delights than any previous movie Midsummer--and an eminently convincing man-to-jackass transformation for vainglorious amateur thespian Bottom. The English-language version of this Czech animated feature was directed and adapted by Howard O. Sackler, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Great White Hope. Richard Burton provided the narration for this version, which was issued in 1963 and is still in circulation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Silent Enemy is based on Commander Crabb, a book by Marshall Pugh. This is the true story of young Lieutenant Crabb (Laurence Harvey), who in 1941 arrives in Gilbaltar to learn the rudiments of deep-sea diving. Crabb isn't interested in recreation, however; there's a war on, and it is common knowledge that a band of Italian frogmen have been sabotaging the British naval forces. Without official permission, Crabb and a band of hardy volunteers take on the task of scuttling the enemy's guerilla activities. Silent Enemy is at its best during its underwater sequences, in which both British and Italian frogmen deploy an astonishing variety of deep-sea weaponry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This meticulous re-creation of the sinking of the Titanic was adapted by Eric Ambler from the best-selling book by Walter Lord, and it preceded the blockbuster Titanic by almost 40 years. The film covers the life and death of the huge vessel from its launching celebration to that fateful night of April 14, 1912, when the "unsinkable" ship struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic. Of the 2224 passengers on board, 1513 were drowned as a result of the bad planning of lifeboats and escape routes. Kenneth More heads a huge and stellar cast, with 200 speaking parts, as second officer Herbert Lightoller, from whose point-of-view the story unfolds. Also in the cast are Laurence Naismith as the ill-fated Captain Smith; Michael Goodliffe as conscience-stricken ship's designer Thomas Andrews; Tucker McGuire as feisty American millionaire Molly Brown, whose courage and tenacity saved many lives; and Anthony Bushell as the captain of the Carpathia, who launched a noble but vain rescue mission once he was apprised of the disaster. Also appearing are two future TV favorites: The Avengers' Honor Blackman as a woman who believes that she has nothing to live for, and The Man From UNCLE's David McCallum as a wireless operator. The climactic sinking of the vessel is re-created with painstaking accuracy; filmed in "real time," it is a mere 37 minutes shorter than the actual tragedy. Two years before the film's release, an American TV adaptation of A Night to Remember set a precedent as the most elaborate and technically complex "live" broadcast of its time. Some viewers will find this movie a more accurate and gripping representation of this sea disaster than the romance-heavy Titanic. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Town on Trial! begins with the murder of a good-time girl in a small suburb of London. Scotland Yard inspector John Mills is called on the scene, immediately launching his investigation by bullying everyone in sight. Mills is particularly aggravated by the prejudicial, hypocritical attitude of most of the suspects. He is so determined to blame the whole town for the poor girl's death that he nearly lets the actual killer slip through his fingers. Town on Trial! was based on a series of magazine articles by Francis Durbridge, published under the umbrella title The Nylon Murders. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

1957's The Good Companions was the second film version of the well-known J. B. Priestly play. The story revolves around the Dinky Doos, a provincial musical troupe living from hand to mouth. Eric Portman, Celia Johnson and John Fraser are three Britons from various classes and walks of life who become involved in the fortunes of the Dinky Doos. Pooling their resources, the diverse "good companions" save the troupe from disbanding. Good-natured and high-spirited, Good Companions might have even been better had the director adopted a more intimate and less showbizzy approach. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Adapted from the play by Terence Rattigan, The Deep Blue Sea stars Vivien Leigh as the troubled wife of a London attorney (Emlyn Williams). Racked with emotional problems, Leigh turns her back on her loveless marriage and sets up house with a handsome RAF officer (Kenneth More). When her lover proves to be shallow and unreliable, Leigh attempts to kill herself. She is rescued by a gambler (Eric Portman), who'd once been a doctor before being drummed out of his profession in disgrace. The kindly ex-doctor builds up Leigh's confidence in herself, allowing her to go on with her life without relying upon men to define her self-image. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide