George Belbin Movies
Having already been seen spying for the Nazis in 1979's The Eagle Has Landed, Donald Sutherland once more infiltrates wartime England on behalf of Der Fuhrer in Eye of the Needle. Willing to kill even the most innocent of bystanders to complete his task, Sutherland manages to remain in Britain until the eve of D-Day in 1944. Discovering that the invasion is to take place on Normandy, Sutherland scurries to rendezvous with a U-boat off the treacherous Isle of Storms. His mission is thwarted by Kate Nelligan, the frustrated wife of paralyzed RAF commander Christopher Cazenove. Though having fallen in love with Sutherland, Nelligan nonetheless prepares to turn the man in when he kills her husband. Tension mounts in the closing scene as Sutherland races against time to (a) make contact with the U-boat and (b) stop Nelligan before she blows the whistle on him. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald Sutherland, Kate Nelligan, (more)
One-time BBC radio personality Mike Raven hams it up in this off-the-wall horror oddity as a demon who is revived when the blood from a virgin's pricked finger is spilled on his grave, freeing his vile soul to stalk more innocent prey. This leads to a lot of messy ritual murders in which Raven tears out the hearts of several chaste young women, who then rise from the dead to become his zombie brides. Though this is often very amateurish-looking at times, there are some genuinely chilling set-pieces and a visual style that gives the film an otherworldly ambience; the simple story is propelled by clever dialogue and some truly demented moments of humor. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1971
While the title suggests that we're in for a bawdy bodice-ripper involving two of more notorious ladies of British fiction, the softcore sex comedy Lady Chatterly vs. Fanny Hill is actually set during the 1920s. Mrs. Hill (Diane Hart) and Lady Evelyn Chatterly (Nan Munro) are two competing brothel madams, who place a wager concerning the "talents" of their girls. Hill's girl Fanny (Joanna Lumley, of Absolutely Fabulous fame) attempts to seduce a portly bishop, while Lady Evelyn's girl Constance (Penny Brahms) goes after a staid wine seller. The latter is played by bespectacled Richard Wattis, who seems to be enjoying his close proximity to so much female flesh. The original release title of Lady Chatterly vs. Fanny Hill was Games That Lovers Play. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Moon (Michael Latimer) is the mercenary hired to steal 90 million dollars in gold from an Arab country decimated by political chaos. Sex, violence and mayhem accompany the group of double-crossing heavies who covet the purloined loot. Burgess (George Belbin) is the crook who poses as a cop, and Nixon (Derek Aylward) is the criminal who poses as a policeman. A bevy of females willingly submit to seduction, and a sadistic homosexual murderer trails Moon and his malevolent gang for the gold in this uneven crime drama. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Latimer, Luan Peters, (more)
- 1969
- PG
- Add Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed to QueueAdd Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed to top of Queue
The key image of this film occurs early on, as a hideous monster removes its face, only to reveal itself as Baron Frankenstein in a mask. Hammer's fifth installment in the series sees the transformation of doctor into monster complete. Peter Cushing's portrayal of the Baron here is all insanity and hatred, rather than the misunderstood (if unethical) genius of previous entries. Frankenstein transplants the brain of an insane doctor into Freddie Jones' body, creating a pathetic, misshapen beast, while using blackmail and rape to control the people around him. This was director Terence Fisher's favorite film, and his pacing and composition have rarely been better. Jones (the nasty showman in The Elephant Man) is great at communicating the disorientation and helpless agony of his condition, and while Cushing's character is more one-dimensional than usual, he does his normal excellent job as the Baron. Hammer's next installment was the silly Horror of Frankenstein before Fisher returned to end the series with Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Cushing, Veronica Carlson, (more)
- 1969
Detective Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is called on to investigate the activities of his arch enemy Carl Peterson (James Villiers). Carl tries to stop the British from testing a new and improved fighter plane. Drummond travels to Morocco to check into rumors of attempted tampering and espionage by Carl and his henchmen. Comedy relief is provided by Robert Morley as the cooking instructor Miss Mary. Sydne Rome play the delectable double agent whom Drummond is attracted to but whom he also suspects is up to no good. Carl gathers together a bunch of mini-skirted gun-toting mod girls to do his evil bidding in this lightweight spy saga. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Johnson, Daliah Lavi, (more)
