Sandy McDade Movies

Charlotte Brontë's classic romance is revived once again with this Ruby Films production directed by Cary Fukunaga (Sin Nombre) and adapted by screenwriter Moira Buffini. Raised by her aunt Sarah (Sally Hawkins) after her parents die of typhus, young Jane Eyre (Amelia Clarkson) is later shipped off to a stark boarding school as the result of her perceived insolence, and suffers greatly at the hands of the cold, unusually strict administration. Upon turning 18 and completing her education, Jane (Mia Wasikowska) finds work as a governess for Adèle Varens (Romy Settbon Moore), the ward of Edward Fairfax Rochester (Michael Fassbender), master of Thornfield Hall. It doesn't take long for the young Adèle to warm to Jane, and upon returning home the charming Rochester, too, falls under the spell of his modest yet captivating governess. Later, he ends his courtship with the beautiful Blanche Ingram (Imogen Poots) in favor of proposing to Jane, who excitedly accepts. On what was supposed to be the happiest day of Jane's life, however, a scandalous secret is revealed, and the emotionally shattered governess takes flight. Subsequently taken in by kindly clergyman St. John (Jamie Bell) and his two sisters, Jane begins a new life as a teacher under an assumed name. But her passion for Rochester still burns bright, prompting Jane to make a life-altering decision after learning a crucial secret about her own family. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The second British TV miniseries based on the semi-autobiographical stories of H.E. Bates, My Uncle Silas 2 was, like its predecessor, built around the exploits of a cantankerous, imbibing, and slightly libidinous farm laborer of the early 1900s. The series was told from the viewpoint of young Edward (Joe Prospero), who had recently come to live with his roguish Uncle Silas (Albert Finney) in England's North Country. In the tradition of the original Uncle Silas, this series was inspired by five separate Bates short stories. In "Shandy Lil," Silas tried to pair off the titular Lil (Sandy McDade) with the shy Pikey (Tony Maudsley); in "The Race," Silas challenged archrival Goffy Windsor (Tim Preece) to a five-mile foot race; in "A Funny Thing," Silas' efforts to match wits with his worldly cousin Cosmo (Oliver Ford Davies) found him posing for an exceedingly amorous female sculptor; in "Finger Wet, Finger Dry," our hero was enmeshed in a compromising situation with the wife (Lesley Dunlop) of the local police constable (Gary Wheelan); and in "A Happy Man," it's Silas vs. old campaigner Walter (Bryan Pringle) at the annual flower show. Originally telecast by Yorkshire Television in 2001, My Uncle Silas 2 premiered as a component of the American PBS anthology Masterpiece Theatre on January 12, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi