Tom Bell Movies
With his lean, tough, chiseled face, sallow complexion, and dark brow, Liverpudlian character actor Tom Bell consistently found himself at the mercy of producers eager to cast him as shady, sinister types - an image he never quite outgrew. Born August 2, 1933 in one of the seedier outlying areas of London, and shuttled north to Morecambe during World War II, Bell participated in drama during secondary school, then received his formal training as a thesp at the Bradford Civic Theatre, alongside Billie Whitelaw (The Omen) and Robert Stephens (The Bonfire of the Vanities). He performed in regional repertory stage productions for a term, then took his initial television bow in 1959, in episodes of Armchair Theatre and on an episode of the popular American series The Virginian.Bell then fell in with the 'kitchen sink' school of filmmakers, such as Bryan Forbes, Tony Richardson and Karel Reisz, who at the time were single-handedly defining the British New Wave with the 'Angry Young Man' movement. Bell appeared in several of the more noteworthy cinematic productions during this time, including The Kitchen (1960), The Concrete Jungle (1960), and The L-Shaped Room (1962). He left a particularly memorable impression in the latter, as Toby, the prospective suitor of Leslie Caron's Jane Fosset -- a man who turns from a sympathetic emotional anchor into a complete bastard when he discovers that Caron's character is pregnant with another fellow's baby. Bell appeared in well over forty-five additional films throughout the sixties, seventies, and eighties. After The L-Shaped Room, his two highest-profiled turns were probably the role of Adolf Eichmann in the 1978 TV miniseries Holocaust, and the Eric in David Leland's Wish You Were Here, a sleazy suitor who gleefully defiles Emily Lloyd's flirtatious sixteen-year-old Lynda.
Bell teamed up with former schoolmate Whitelaw in Peter Medak's The Krays (1990), as a low-level gangster knifed to death at the hands of thug Reginald Kray (Ronald Kemp). A year later, he portrayed Antonio in Peter Greenaway's revisionist Shakespeare outing Prospero's Books. He played Henry Harding, an MP of Parliament who hires a computer hacker to break into London's S&M underground, in Stuart Urban's Preaching to the Perverted (1997).
Tom Bell died on October 5, 2006, in Brighton, East Sussex, England, of unspecified causes, just two months after his seventy-third birthday. His ex-wife was actress Lois Dane, with whom he had a son. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
- R
Director Ken Russell returns to the D.H. Lawrence territory that had earlier served him well in Women in Love. Sammi Davis plays Lawrence's Welsh heroine Ursula Brangwen, daughter of a wealthy mine owner, who is first seen as a child given to literally chasing rainbows. Disappointed that she can never have the real thing, the older Davis seeks out figurative rainbows in the form of sexual fulfillment. Neither heterosexual nor homosexual affairs fully satisfy Davis, because no one lover can match the "ideal" the girl has created in her imagination. Davis' disappointment in the world is paralleled with the sorry lot of the wives of the local coal miners, who have adapted to their lives--something Davis can never do, will never do. Stately despite its raw subject matter, The Rainbow was filmed just before Russell's outrageous sword-and-sorcery fantasy Lair of the White Worm; since both films utilize many of the same cast members, the two pictures might make an astonishing double feature. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammi Davis, Paul McGann, (more)
- 1988
Based on the novel by D.H. Lawrence, the BBC miniseries The Rainbow starred Imogen Stubbs as Ursula Brangwen, the beautiful, naïve daughter of a wealthy country squire. Ursula's sexual awakening came about as the result of her very close friendship with Winifred Inger (Kate Buffery), her swimming instructor. Desperately struggling to suppress her preference for romantic partners of her own sex, Ursula entered into marriage with Anton Skrebensky (Martin Wenner), a career soldier. The ensuing unhappiness of this union led to even more trials and tribulations for the hapless heroine, whose only "crime" was being born in the wrong place and the wrong time. Engendering a great deal of audience interest thanks to a brief nude scene, the three-part The Rainbow aired in 1988. One year later, a more explicit theatrical-feature version of the property was directed by Ken Russell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Imogen Stubbs, Tom Bell, (more)
- 1988
The first directorial effort of British screenwriter Paul Greengrass, Resurrected is based on a true story that came to light during the Falklands War. David Thewlis plays an Army private who, after being listed as missing and presumed dead, wanders back into camp, a victim of amnesia. The army, embarrassed at the situation and not fully believing the boy's story, downplays Thewlis' return. His British home town had planned to give him a hero's welcome, but a newspaper story has intimated that the boy was a deserter. The general consensus is that it would have been better if Thewlis had really died, thus saving his neighbors from embarrassment. With no one, not even his parents, willing to believe the amnesia story, Thewlis is persona non grata, and to add to his troubles he is severely beaten by several of his former army buddies. An ironic coda caps this unpleasant glimpse at the darker side of human nature. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Thewlis, Tom Bell, (more)
- 1987
- R
The British Wish You Were Here served as the auspicious film debut for 16-year-old Emily Lloyd. The scene is a British seaside community of the 1950s, where the local adults are shocked and embarrassed by the libertine Lynda (Lloyd), who dresses provocatively, behaves outrageously, and swears like a sailor (her favorite epithet is "Up your bum"). Lynda's mother is dead, and her father has given up trying to do anything with her. She attempts to hold down several jobs, but messes them all up through insolence and carelessness. Excessively promiscuous, Lynda has an affair with a middle-aged friend of her father's. She becomes pregnant, only to use her "fallen" state to gleefully shock and annoy her elders even more. Despite her bravado, there's an underlying sadness about Lynda: the title Wish You Were Here refers to her feelings concerning her late mother. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emily Lloyd, Tom Bell, (more)
- 1986
Not a film for children, this downbeat, violent drama is about three orphans who come to live with their sadistic uncle and his family in a London toyshop. The uncle makes life-size mannequins and then forces the family to watch as he portrays them in violent, sexual scenes. The sex and violence of the mannequins and the behavior of the family members as they eventually rebel against their uncle and his stage props blend into a dream-like world of disputed reality. Themes of incest, abandonment, and murder take over the film as fantasy and reality mix together. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Bell, Patricia Kerrigan, (more)
- 1985
- R
This densely-packed film is based on a book by Tom Hart about the struggles of a young Yorkshire boy trying to come to grips with squabbling parents, a doctor who wants to institutionalize him because of his epilepsy, and a mother who refuses to accept that he is different in any way -- and that is only the half of it. The boy, Tim (Andrew Hawley), also acts as a go-between for his friend Carns (Liam Neeson) who is having an affair with a married woman (Miranda Richardson). Eventually, things start to sort themselves out, and Tim sees life getting more interesting when he and his friend Win (Kate Foster) slowly get a relationship going. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Bell, Liam Neeson, (more)
Purporting to be loosely based on Hamlet, Strange Brew is about an evil braumeister at the Elsinore Brewery who has discovered an additive that when guzzled in beer, allows the drinkers to be easily controlled. Braumeister Smith (Max von Sydow) has a plan to take over the world with his new brew, and only the Great White hosers of the North, Bob and Doug McKenzie (Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas) -- with their plaid shirts, ski toques, fur-lined parkas, and addiction to beer -- can stop the dastardly plan, sober or not. There are several jabs at "hoseheads" and the business of movie-making, including an epilogue that critiques the film itself. Strange Brew found a cult audience with fans of the Second City comedy troupe, of which Moranis and Thomas were members. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis, (more)
- 1980
In this provocative British drama, a young Yorkshire woman discovers a radioactive leak at the nuclear power plant where she works. At first, her lover encourages her make public her find, but when the resulting pressure gets too strong, he leaves her to fight alone. Despite her pleas and insistence, no one believes her story. The frustration eventually causes the crusading woman to go insane. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francesca Annis, Tom Bell, (more)
- 1978
Based on a novel by David Garnett, Sailor's Return is a British Victorian-era domestic drama, with plenty of domesticity and precious little drama. Tom Bell stars as a sailor who returns to his home village with his new bride (Shope Soleinde). The bride is black; the village is aghast. Struggling against the prejudice of the townsfolk and his own doubts about the wisdom of his union, Bell opens a pub. No distributor wanted to have anything to do with Sailor's Return, a dilemma due less to the film's subject matter than to its production ineptitudes. The film finally got its first showing on British television, two years after its completion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Bell, Shope Shodeinde, (more)
- 1978
Tom Bell starred in this six-part British miniseries as Frank Ross, a nasty career criminal freshly released from prison. Hardly the better for his experience, Ross was consumed with the desire to get even with the person responsible for his incarceration. The "hero" was surrounded by such equally odious characters as his unhinged wife Anne (Lynn Farleigh) and his lowlife buddies Chris (Brian Croucher) and Ralph (John Junkin). Out was broadcast by Thames Television from July 24 to August 28, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Bell
The now-legendary miniseries Holocaust first aired as a presentation in NBC's Big Event series. Written by Gerald Green, the story begins in the Germany of 1935. We are introduced to the family of Jewish doctor Joseph Weiss (Fritz Weaver) his wife Berta (Rosemary Harris), his brother Moses (Sam Wanamaker), his sons Rudi (Joseph Bottoms) and Karl (James Woods), and his daughter Anna (Blanche Baker). We also meet struggling lawyer Erik Dorf (Michael Moriarity), who is urged by his ambitious wife to join the SS. As the Nazis' persecution of the Jews is stepped up, most of the Weiss family is deported to the Polish ghetto--then to Auschwitz, which is overseen by Erik Dorf. Rudi and his Jewish girlfriend Helena (Tovah Feldsuh) witness the 1941 Baba Yar massacre, then join the Russian partisans in their battle against the Nazis. Also appearing in Holocaust is Meryl Streep as Karl Weiss' Christian wife Inga. The winner of eight Emmy awards, Holocaust was originally telecast in four parts on April 16, 17, 18, and 19, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fritz Weaver, Rosemary Harris, (more)
Novelist George MacDonald Fraser penned the script for this swashbuckling, picaresque adventure tale. The story is based on one of the books in his "Harry Flashman" series, loose sequels to "Tom Brown's Schooldays" that followed that story's central bully character through his checkered post-graduate military career. Malcolm McDowell plays Captain Harry Flashman, a cowardly, lascivious poseur who desperately seeks entry into high European society. Recognizing an opportunity to advance their own sinister political agendas, scheming Otto Von Bismarck (Oliver Reed) and Rudi Von Sternberg (Alan Bates) convince Flashman to masquerade as a Prussian noble and marry a beautiful duchess (Britt Ekland), a flawed plan to which Flashman agrees. Inevitably, the transparent ruse is discovered, and Flashman is forced to try to escape across 19th century Europe, narrowly missing one disaster after another and experiencing first-hand some of history's most momentous events. Director Richard Lester and Fraser used similar baroque settings, tongue-in-cheek characterizations, elaborate stunts and breakneck pacing for The Three Musketeers (1973) and its sequel, The Four Musketeers (1974) with similar efficacy. Fraser would try again with analogous material three years later with Crossed Swords (1978), a lavish version of The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Malcolm McDowell, Alan Bates, (more)
In this thriller, a naive young woman travels from Liverpool to London to search for a man willing to sire her child. She meets a perfectly charming fellow and decides that he is the one. Unfortunately, "Mister Perfect" turns out to be a psychotic killer. The film is also titled Til Dawn Do Us Part. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Tom Bell plays a disgruntled young Brit who becomes bored by his job and his marriage. Bell impulsively launches an affair with 15-year-old actress Olivia Hussey. But fear not: this isn't going to be "The Joey Buttafuco Story". Rather, both Bell and Hussey are brought to their senses when she thinks she's pregnant. Judy Carne, at the tail end of her Laugh-In-generated fame, is adequate as Bell's loving wife. Director Gerry O'Hara based the screenplay for All the Right Noises on his own novel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Bell, Olivia Hussey, (more)
- 1971
This science fiction/fantasy is loosely based on a story by John Wyndham (best known for The Day of the Triffids). Scientist Collin (Tom Bell) stumbles across a parallel world in which President Kennedy is not shot, Vietnam hasn't happened, and Ottilie (Joan Collins), the woman he loves, dies unexpectedly of a heart condition. While he is happy enough with the rest of his new world, he can't stand by and let his true love die in his original world, and he determines to return to his own place and time to save her. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1969
In this suspenseful crime drama set in war-torn Ireland, IRA terrorists conspire to blow up a British power station. Fortunately, a British supporter escapes from captivity and is able to stop them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1969
- R
Three sailors on shore leave engage in a series of comedic sexual pursuits in Lock Up Your Daughters!. Jim Dale, Ian Bannen, and Tom Bell hit dry land with one thing on their minds -- something that lands everyone in jail in this comedic romp. Susannah York, Glynis Johns, and Elaine Taylor become the objects of the lovesick sailors' alleged affections. The farcical proceedings are witnessed by Lord Foppington (Christopher Plummer), the aristocratic dandy who shudders in horror over the trouble the three salts cause in their efforts to spice up their love lives. This film version is taken from the musical of the same name, sans the music. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Plummer, Susannah York, (more)
- 1968
Occasionally listed as In Enemy Hands (evidently a working title), In Enemy Country is a war film with "A" ambitions and a TV-movie budget. Wartime secret agents Col. Charles Waslow-Carton (Tony Franciosa) and Lt. Col. Philip Braden (Guy Stockwell) infiltrate enemy lines, posing as POWs. Their mission is to destroy a deadly new type of torpedo, hidden in a Nazi stronghold in France. Their contact is Denise Marchois (Anjanette Comer), whom Waslow-Carton had coerced into marrying a German baron (Paul Hubschmid) before the outbreak of war, thus allowing her to continue her spying activities unimpeded. Upon the completion of their mission, Marchois chooses to remain behind with her husband, whom she has grown to love. Too many peripheral characters, way too many plot twists, and a "French" village obviously constructed on the Universal back lot: for these and other reasons, In Enemy Country is a must to avoid. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Franciosa, Anjanette Comer, (more)
- 1968
In this somber drama set during WWII, John (David Hemmings), Cliff (Tony Beckley), and Tom (Tom Bell) are three British soldiers trapped in German territory while waiting for their commanding officer to rescue them. John detests war, Cliff revels in it with a perverse enthusiasm, and Tom is simply weary of the whole business. While trying to avoid capture, the three find a German officer, Helmut (Alan Dobie), and take him prisoner. While they consider executing him on the spot, Helmut pleads with the Britons that if they'll let him live, he'll guide them to his commanders. They agree, but while Helmut proves good to his word, they're too late -- to the shock of all four, they discover that the German general has been murdered, leaving the Englishmen and their captive to find their own way behind enemy lines. The Long Day's Dying won awards at the 1968 Cannes and San Sebastian International Film Festivals for its director, Peter Collinson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Hemmings, Tom Bell, (more)
- 1966
Tom Bell stars in this tight little British thriller as a mercurial cat burglar. So long as things are going his way, Bell is calm and collected. Let anything upset his equilibrium, and he's an accident waiting to happen. Bell's one chance at redemption is his romance with pretty social-worker Judi Dench. When she rejects him, Bell returns to his crime spree, telling Dench to get lost when she offers to give him a second chance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Bell, Judi Dench, (more)
- 1966
Originally titled Blues For Lovers, Ballad in Blue was the last of actor Paul Henreid's theatrical-film directorial efforts. R&B legend Ray Charles plays himself, attempting to help a newly blinded British boy adjust to sightlessness. Charles is no actor, but he has a natural ease and grace that many "real" movie stars might envy. As a bonus, we get to hear him perform such favorites as "What'd I Say?" and "I Got a Woman". Monika Henreid, the daughter of the director, can be seen in a minor role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ray Charles, Tom Bell, (more)
- 1966
The Arab-Israeli conflict provides the backdrop for this political drama that tells the story of an American gentile woman who goes to Israel to find the place where her Jewish fiance died during the 1948 conflict. There she meets the dead man's best friend and eventually they fall in love. The man works in a potash factory, but he is also a gun runner for Israel. One day an Arab terrorist ambushes the gun runner. Later the terrorist's father, tired of all the violence, takes the gun runner in. When his son discovers this, he attacks his father's house. During the scuffle, the terrorist is killed and the gun runner wounded. Fortunately, his American love is there to help him heal. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Arabs resentful of the creation of Israel carry out terrorist missions in this action drama set in 1949. They harass the Jews with land mines, robberies, and general chaos in a wave of reactionary righteous indignation over their displacement. David Opantoshu plays the venerable Arab leader Daoud, who calls for the murder of a local policeman suspected of selling out to the Jews. Susan (Diane Baker) is an American girl who travels to Israel to pay respects at the grave of her sweetheart who died in the fight for Israeli independence. She later falls for the Jewish boy Dan (Tom Bell). ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diane Baker, David Opatoshu, (more)
Damn the Defiant! is an 18th-century seafaring drama from director Lewis Gilbert. Alec Guinness plays the stern but compassionate captain of a British warship, engaged in the Napoleonic wars. Guinness is popular with his men, which is more than can be said for his new second-in-command Dirk Bogarde. When Guinness tries to modify Bogarde's sadistic adherence to discipline, Bogarde responds by mistreating Guinness' cabin-boy son, knowing that the captain cannot intervene under the edicts of British maritime law. During an incipient mutiny, Bogarde is accidently killed, and Guinness knows that the crewmen responsible must hang once they reach shore. But after these same men perform courageously in battle, Guinness suffers a crisis of conscience: How can he condemn these fearlessly patriotic men to death, as he knows he must? Based on the novel Mutiny by Frank Tilsley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alec Guinness, Dirk Bogarde, (more)
