Virginia McKenna Movies

British actor Peter Howitt wrote and directed this British romantic comedy-drama with a "road not taken" premise recalling the 1921 play If by Lord Dunsany (1878-1957), Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946), and O.Henry's short story Roads of Destiny (1909). Howitt's storyline branches in two directions: Helen (Gwyneth Paltrow) loses her job at a classy London PR firm, has a run-in with a purse-snatcher, and just misses catching her boyfriend Gerry (John Lynch) in bed with his former girlfriend Lydia (Jeanne Tripplehorn). But what if it were one of those days when everything goes right? As the sliding doors close while she stands on a subway platform in the London underground, Helen ponders the events in her alternate reality. The plot of Lord Dunsany's If also hinges on a future determined by catching or missing a train. Sliding Doors was shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Good Neighbors co-stars Felicity Kendal and Paul Eddington reunite for director Ken Taylor's adaptation of Mary Wesley's popular novel concerning the innocent summer before war changed everything, and the relationship shared by five cousins as they gather to pay tribute to their deceased uncle years later. As the warm breeze of August blows in the summer of 1939, five cousins gather on the Cornish coast to spend their carefree summer days bonding in the lavish estate of their wealthy uncle. War looms ominously on the horizon, though, and as these five youngsters bide their time by exploring the hills and cliffs of the countryside, they remain blissfully unaware that their lives are about to be changed forever. Decades later, in the shadow of a death, the cousins return to their childhood playground to pay their respects and share stories of how their lives were forever changed in the dark days following that one, unforgettable summer. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The acclaimed Tony Palmer helmed this 1984 biopic on 19th and early 20th century Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, here portrayed by Robert Stephens. Palmer opts to focus not on the whole gestalt of Puccini's life, but on a devastating scandal that transpired in 1909, when Giacomo's wife, Elvira Puccini, accused maid Doria Manfredi of bedding her husband. The unfounded allegations prompted a massive lawsuit from the maid's family, and nearly toppled Giacomo's illustrious career. Judith Howarth co-stars. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Robert Caine (Kirk Douglas) is a wealthy and powerful industrialist, an engineer who develops nuclear power plants. A true believer in nuclear energy, he plans to make nuclear generation commonplace around the world. He is about to retire and turn over the running of his corporations to his son, Angel Caine (Simon Ward) when he begins having disturbing dreams. In one of these, the vision of the Apocalypse as spoken of in the Biblical book of Revelations comes to life in a horrifying way. After this, he begins to notice that his son is behaving in ways which identify him with the Antichrist. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This Hallmark Hall of Fame adaptation of the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast stars George C. Scott and his wife Trish Van Devere in the title roles -- and it should not take a rocket scientist to determine who plays what role. It all begins when Edward Beaumont (Bernard Lee) makes the fatal error of offending a bestial nobleman (Scott), whose ugly, boarlike countenance seemingly reflects a malevolent personality. To save her father from harm, Edward's gorgeous daughter, Belle (Van Devere), agrees to live as a permanent guest in the beast's huge, forboding mansion. Although he has all the resources of magic and mysticism at his beck and call, the Beast comes to the melancholy conclusion that the otherwise dutiful Belle will never consent to become his bride. But miracles do happen, and the virtuous Belle is able to burrow through the Beast's hideous façade and reveal the kindly, fragile soul within -- and in so doing, she herself grows and matures as a human being. Filmed in England, this production originally aired December 3, 1976, on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Swallows and Amazons is based on the popular children's book by Arthur Ransome. The film is set in Britain's Lake District in the 1920s. The "swallows" and "amazons" are the members of an Our Gang-ish group of kids. They enjoy a variety of outdoor adventures, linked together more by locale than plotline, and buoyed by the engaging personalities of the children. Swallows and Amazons was followed a decade later by a sequel, Swallows and Amazons: Coot Club. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This lavishly costumed historical epic had an estimated $100 million price tag. Spectacularly photographed battle action contrasts with often plodding individual scenes that bog down the plot. Fearing his growing power, European monarchs force Napoleon Bonaparte (Rod Steiger) to abdicate as Emperor and retire to Elba, and the French are concerned they will be outnumbered by a force of combined armies from many countries in Europe. Napoleon no sooner says goodbye to his loyalist troops than he begins to rally his men and prepare for another takeover. King Louis XVIII (Orson Welles) sends Marshal Michel Ney (Dan O'Herlihy) and his men to counter Bonaparte, but upon seeing his old commander (and ally), Ney thrusts his sword to the ground and takes up arms with the deposed emperor. They all return to Paris by popular demand, defying the orders of Louis (who flees from the palace) and running the monarchy tout seul. Soon England, Austria, Prussia and Russia unite to try and stop the dictator. Wellington (Christopher Plummer) readies his troops near Waterloo, refuses to retreat anymore, and waits for Prussian Marshall Blucher (Sergei Zakhariadze) and his army to join up with the British as the only hope to stop the French juggernaut. Jack Hawkins and Michael Wilding portray key military commanders Picton and Ponosby, respectively. Napoleon and his troops cut into the Prussian and British forces dramatically, weakening their power, but three problems arise. First, Ney refuses to lead his segment of the troops onward; and second, Bonaparte's men are plagued by the wet weather, which causes
the cannon brigade to become immobilized in mud (when Wellington strategically gives Bonaparte's troops the lower ground) rendering it ineffective until late in the day. And even more calamitously, Bonaparte - growing increasingly ill -- insists on leading his men from the rear, which causes the information to become outdated as soon as it gets to him. The Russian version of this film was nearly four hours long, while western audiences saw an edited version slightly over two hours long. Unfortunately, Waterloo bombed at the box office. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

When a man buys an otter for a pet, he gets more than he bargained for as he tries to keep the animal in his bathtub. He and his pet soon find life in London is not the place for such and animal, so the two head for the coast. The man enlists the help of a local female doctor to help in the care and feeding of his beloved otter in this family feature from the writers of Born Free. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Born Free is the heartwarming true story of a British couple who teach their pet lioness how to survive in the wilds of the African jungles. Joy and George Adamson (portrayed by real-life married couple Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers) involuntarily domesticate several lions while living in Kenya. They keep one, named Elsa, until she is fully grown, and rather than turn her over to a zoo, they decide to train her to live like a wild animal so that they can release her into her natural habitat. Geoffrey Keen is a sympathetic government official who convinces the Adamsons that they should set Elsa free to avoid being ordered to place her in captivity. The film, based on Joy Adamson's book, is poignant and emotional without ever becoming banal or overly sentimental. The title song and film score both won Academy Awards. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

Talented special effects and adventure director Michael Anderson (Around the World in 80 Days, 1956) keeps the suspense going in this drama about the wreck of the Mary Deare. John Sands (Charleton Heston) is the captain of a salvage ship that is almost rammed by the apparently abandoned Mary Deare. Sands boards the ship in search of plunder but as it is tossed on the high seas, he discovers a half-crazed captain aboard (Gary Cooper). The captain of the Mary Deare, Gideon Patch, tells Sands his story and in the end, the ship is scuttled and sinks. While Sands believes the story, the court does not believe it and Captain Patch is devastated. Determined to prove his innocence, the two captains dive down to the sunken Mary Deare to dredge up the evidence they need -- building up to a slam-bang climax. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

For reasons unknown, Storm in Jamaica has been overlooked by many British film historians. It certainly wasn't treated thus by local television programmers: if TV Guide is any indication, this British drama is a Late Late Show audience favorite. The husband-wife team of Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna star, with Eileen Barrie in support. Travers plays a handsome, progressive young schoolteacher assigned to a post in Jamaica. The film details his efforts to help troubled student Barrie. Mostly, however, the story concerns Travers' various romantic adventures with stewardess McKenna and with his headmaster's wife, Yvonne Mitchell. The latter's jealous, obsessive nature leads to tragedy, with innocent young Barrie as the victim. Originally titled Passionate Summer, Storm in Jamaica was also released as Storm Over Jamaica. The film was based on The Shadow and the Peak, a novel by Richard Mason. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

First filmed in 1934 with Norma Shearer, Fredric March and Charles Laughton, Rudolf Bessier's stage hit The Barretts of Wimpole Street was lavishly remade in CinemaScope and Metrocolor in 1957. This time around, Jennifer Jones stars as the beautiful invalid Elizabeth Barrett, who lives under the despotic rule of her Victorian-era father Edward Moulton Barrett (John Gielgud). Literally swept off her feet by dashing, romantic poet Robert Browning (Bill Travers), Elizabeth's hopes for happiness are dashed by her autocratic, implicitly incestuous father until Browning takes decisive action. Virginia McKenna, wife of star Bill Travers, plays Elizabeth's rebellious sister Henrietta. The Barretts of Wimpole Street was the final directorial effort of Sidney Franklin, who also helmed the 1934 version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide