Norman Beaton Movies
During the 1960s, actor Norman Beaton ranked among Britain's premiere black theatrical actors. Born in the British West Indies, Beaton immigrated to the U.K. in 1960. In the 1970s, he launched his television career with a starring role in the long-running series The Fosters (1970). In 1978, he starred in the series Empire Road. Other series work followed and he made his feature film debut with a supporting role in Pressure (1976). After that, he only periodically appeared in feature films. Beaton made his final film appearance in The Mighty Quinn (1989). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Cliff (Bill Cosby), Russell (Earle Hyman) and a pair of Negro Baseball League veterans named Frank (played by real life Major League hall-of-famer Frank Robinson) and Joe (Joe Black) spend a delightful afternoon swapping baseball stories. Miffed by this plebian conviviality, Cliff doctor friend Jim (Sullivan Walker) and his snobbish cohort Carleton (Norman Beaton) begin trading stories about the "gentleman's" game of cricket. One thing leads to another, and ere the sun sets Jim has challenged Cliff to a winner-take-all cricket match--in the Huxtable living room. Sportscaster Ahmad Rashad, the husband of series costar Phylicia Rashad, appears as a TV game-show host in a subplot involving a suddenly "brilliant" Olivia (Raven-Symone). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Xavier Quinn (Denzel Washington) is police chief of a tiny Caribbean island. Quinn's efforts to straddle the fence between the local blacks and the moneyed whites have lost him the respect of both groups. When a murder is committed, Quinn suspects that the killer is Maubee (Robert Townsend), a notoriously elusive criminal who has become a folk hero to the locals. Despite various political pressures -- and the fact that he and Maubee were childhood friends-Quinn vows to solve the murder, and, if necessary, bring Maubee to justice. A mess of merry plot twists distinguish this diverting fox-and-hound caper. Filmed entirely on location, The Mighty Quinn was based on Finding Maubee, a novel by A.H.Z. Carr. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Denzel Washington, Robert Townsend, (more)
- 1987
Not to be confused with the 1960s British TV series of the same title, the BBC one-off drama Airbase nonetheless shares the same WWII trappings. The scene is an underground hangar in England, where a USAF bomber crew is billeted for the duration. Their movements severely limited by the exigencies of war, the American crew is suffering from acute boredom, with things reaching the boiling point early on. Airbase was first broadcast in 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anton Lesser, Clive Mantle, (more)
- 1986
Cultures collide at a cricket match in this British drama that begins when an inner-city London team comprised of West Indian immigrants accepts an invitation to play a match in stuffy Snedington, an upscale country village, as part of their "Third World Week" celebration. The story is divided into three sections. The first introduces each team as they prepare for the match. Both teams have many internal clashes between their disparate members. The middle of the story chronicles the festival itself, as the members' attempts to end racism and cultural misunderstanding only manage to increase it. Finally there is the match itself, in which the teams hash out their differences once and for all. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norman Beaton, Robert Urquhart, (more)
- 1984
In this British romance, a lively London lad decides to create a little excitement by dreaming up a convincing story involving the theft of a Rembrandt; he then tells the story to a local newspaper. According to the imaginative imp, the painting was stolen by a motely gang who worked for a powerful South African guerilla leader. Unfortunately for the boy, there is a real Rembrandt thief about, and he is out to get the boy before his lies end up getting the crook captured. Meanwhile, the boy is in love with a pretty girl, about whom he frequently fantasizes. He does get together with the girl for a while, but the she jilts him. Fortunately, by the story's end, the crook is captured, she returns, and happiness ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rupert Everett, Cristina Raines, (more)
A reclusive, unhappy gold magnate finds his isolated tropical paradise threatened by the intrusion of organized criminals in director Nicolas Roeg's convoluted, arty drama. Gene Hackman stars as Jack McCann, a one-time gold prospector who his parlayed the discovery of a rich deposit in the Canadian wilderness into an immense fortune. Instead of satisfaction, McCann's wealth leads to depression and paranoia, and he moves to a remote island and withdraws from the world. The bulk of the film centers on what has become of McCann some thirty years later, as he attempts to deal with a troubled daughter (Theresa Russell) and the attentions of the Mafia, who want to build a new casino on his tropical home. As the pressures increase, his efforts to protect his property and maintain his family become increasingly desperate, culminating in an extended public trial. Even stranger and more stylized than most of Roeg's work, the disjointed Eureka will seem incomprehensible and painfully pretentious to those with little patience for his indirect narratives and purposefully exaggerated approach. Devoted fans, however, will find further proof of the director's impressive visual sense, especially during the film's earlier sequences. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Hackman, Theresa Russell, (more)
- 1977
Black Joy is the lightly ironic title of this British culture-clash comedy. Trevor Thomas heads the cast as a Guaynan youth who is under the delusion that life will be easier for him in London. No sooner does Thomas set foot in England than he gets tangled up in one disaster after another. The catalyst for most of Our Hero's travails is "assimilated" Caribbean Dave Beaton, who delivers an antic performance as a streetwise con artist. Black Joy has its melodramatic moments, but it's worth enduring the more intense sequences to get to the exuberant climax, wherein Thomas finally learns to stand up for his basic rights. Black Joy was adapted from Dark Days and Light Nights, a stage play by Jamal Ali. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norman Beaton, Trevor Thomas, (more)
- 1976
In this drama, Britain's first all-black film, the son of Caribbean émigrés does all he can to adopt the ways of the whites, but encounters racism nonetheless. Not only does he have difficulty with the Anglo-English, his renunciation of his heritage causes problems in his family. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Herbert Norville, Oscar James, (more)
