Terence Bayler Movies

Filmed with the usual meticulous attention to period and detail of films from Ismail Merchant and James Ivory, The Remains of the Day is based on a novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. Anthony Hopkins plays Stevens, the "perfect" butler to a prosperous British household of the 1930s. He is so unswervingly devoted to serving his master, a well-meaning but callow British lord (James Fox), that he shuts himself off from all emotions and familial relationships. New housekeeper Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson) tries to warm him up and awaken his humanity. But when duty calls, Stevens won't even attend his own dying father's last moments on earth. The butler also refuses to acknowledge the fact that his master is showing signs of pro-Nazi sentiments. Disillusioned by Hitler's duplicity, the master dies an embittered man, and only then does Stevens come to realize how his own silence has helped bring about this sad situation. Years later, regretting his lost opportunities in life, he tries once more to make contact with Miss Kenton, the only person who'd ever cared enough to seek out the human being inside the butler's cold veneer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Two young orphans escape their evil guardian to search for a magic stone in this sentimental children's adventure tale. Nine-year-old Pablo (Kamlesh Gupta) and his younger sister Maria (Laura Jane Goodwin) escape the fearsome metal hook of a pirate (Edward Kelsey), and are helped by the delightfully drunken Captain (Frank Grimes) in their search for the treasure. Terence Bayler plays the inept town constable, with Sydney Bromely playing the Old Man. Younger, more sensitive children may be frightened by the danger, suspense, and mild violence. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Pictures is an expansive biopic about pioneer photographers Walter and Alfred Burton. Through the eyes of the ubiquitous Burton brothers, we are treated to the history of New Zealand's colonial era. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A mockumentary of a Beatles-like singing group called the Rutles, The Rutles is a collaboration between Monty Python alumnus Eric Idle and Saturday Night Live filmmaker Gary Weis. The members of the "pre-Fab Four" are Nasty, Barry, Stig, and Dirk. There really isn't any plot, just a series of vignettes, unctuously narrated by Idle, which mercilessly skewer the Beatles mythology. Under the guidance of agent Leggy Mountbatten (before he tragically takes a teaching post in Australia), the Rutles rise to the top with such hit songs as "Please Please Let Me Hold Your Hand" and "I Am the Waitress." Mention is made of the Rutles' film successes: "A Hard Day's Rut," "Ouch!," "Tragical History Tour," "Yellow Submarine Sandwich," and "Let It Rot." We also see such career highlights as Nasty's declaration that the Rutles are more popular than God (he meant "Rod," as in Rod Stewart), the rumor that Dirk is dead (whereupon Stiggy starts his own rumor that he is dead), and Nasty's unfortunate liaison with a Yoko Ono counterpart (depicted as a Neo-Nazi dominatrix). The Rutles gains an added veneer of verisimilitude through the participation of such rock stars as Paul Simon, Mick Jagger, and Ron Wood, as well as George Harrison himself, who shows up as a BBC commentator. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The longest and (in retrospect) most significant of the sixth-season Doctor Who adventures, "The War Games" began its ten-week run on April 9, 1969. The TARDIS materializes on a planet that bears a remarkable resemblance to Earth. But there are a few differences: For one thing, the landscape seems to be festooned with battlefields; for another, the combatants are garbed in costumes from a vast and dizzying array of countries and centuries. But the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) hasn't the time to find this out in episode one: He's too busy trying to rescue himself and his companions Jamie (Frazer Hines) and Zoe (Wendy Padbury from their mysterious assailants. "The War Games" was written by Malcolm Hulke and Terrance Dicks. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi