Kenneth Benda Movies

John Cleese co-wrote and stars in this satiric comedy as the less-than-spectacular progeny of the world's greatest detective. A mysterious super-villain announces across the globe that the world will come to an end in five days unless their demands are met. Research reveals that the fiend in question is descended from the infamous evil-doer Dr. Moriarty, so Scotland Yard takes the logical approach and contacts Arthur Sherlock Holmes (John Cleese), the grandson of the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes who ferreted out Moriarty so many times in the past. However, Arthur soon reveals himself to be dim-witted, inept, and not in especially good control of his drug habit, while his sidekick William Watson (Arthur Lowe) is even more pathetic, despite his dependence on his electronically altered testicles. Realizing he needs help, Arthur calls upon the world's best known detectives to come to his aid, though by bringing them all to one place, he's also created an irresistible target for the young Moriarty. The Strange Case Of The End Of Civilization As We Know It also features guest appearances by Denholm Elliott, Ron Moody, Connie Booth, and Bert Kwouk. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

An institutionalized schizophrenic with a Messiah complex inherits the position of an English Earl in this cutting satire of British society, based on a play by Peter Barnes. The film's irreverent tone is established with the disturbingly hilarious death of the thirteenth Earl of Gurney during a bizarre attempt at auto-erotic asphyxiation. To the dismay of the earl's family, the title passes to his son Jack (Peter O'Toole), who has been locked away for eight years after claiming to be the second coming of Jesus Christ. Mad but harmless, Jack is released to assume his seat. However, his embrace of Christianity proves incompatible with a position of power in "normal" society, where peace and love are considered serious weaknesses, and a somewhat unhinged psychiatrist is called to help him adjust. Meanwhile, Jack's scheming uncle, Sir Charles (William Mervyn), works on developing a complex scheme to trick Jack out of his position. Loaded with idiosyncratic touches from eccentric camera angles to unexpected outbursts of song, the film creates an experience nearly as inspired and mad as O'Toole's brilliantly hilarious central performance. The film's devilish invention may at times seem overloaded, but most drawbacks are redeemed by the sharpness of the satire, particularly during the memorably disturbing finale. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Strange and terrible things are afoot and the police are helpless to stop them in this taut, complicated thriller. First a heart attack victim goes to the hospital and awakens to find limbs missing, and later, the body of a rape victim is found with two strange puncture wounds upon her wrist. Meanwhile in Europe, a military officer is murdered by someone with inordinate strength. After another girl is murdered, Inspector Bellaver gets on the case. The trail of clues has many twists and turns and before he is led to the mysterious estate of Dr. Browning, another dies. There he discovers that the insane scientist has engineered a master race of emotionless, mindless beings as part of an international conspiracy. Now Bellaver and his cohorts must somehow stop the doctor and his friends from taking over the world. This marks one of only two features to include all three great horror actors Christopher Lee (as the head of British Intelligence), Peter Cushing (the leader of a fascist government) and Vincent Price (mad Dr. Browning) in the cast. (The second was 1983's House of Long Shadows). Interestingly, except for one brief moment at the end with Lee and Price, the actors never appear in the same scene together here. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Skin, shocks, and suspense are all on the menu in this arty sexploitation opus from Great Britain. A mummy who has risen from the grave (voice of Valentine Dyall) serves as our guide through a series of stories illustrating the ongoing conflict between men and women. A photographer (Dorothy Grumbar) working on a sadomasochistic photo spread goes to special lengths to see that her model (Anthony Rowlands) has just the right look. An elderly man (Kenneth Benda) dating a female scientist (Yvonne Quenet) is in for a surprise when they have a child. A strange young man (Elliott Stein) hires a call girl for the evening, but the lady in question (Sue Bond) objects when he makes a request that seems rather unusual...or is it? Female secret agent Lindy Leigh (Maria Frost) has a hard time keeping her clothes on as she sets out to capture an enemy military attaché. A cat burglar (Cathy Howard) finds an unusual way of avoiding arrest after she's caught in the act by her latest victim (Mike Briton). And an aging woman (Laurelle Streeter) demonstrates how she's kept in touch with her many lovers over the years. Originally released as Secrets of Sex, Bizarre also appeared in edited form as Tales of the Bizarre, with most of the sexual material and nudity removed; the film was also distributed as Secrets of Sex. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Two German spies and a woman physician (Suzy Kendall) are taken by submarine to Scotland where they enter the country at nightfall. Their mission is to assassinate the British Field Marshall Lord Kitchener. The woman's male companions are captured, but she escapes with the knowledge of what boat the Marshall is on. Boarding the submarine, the Germans make plans to bomb the boat with a series of strategically placed land mines. She travels from Russia to Germany to Britain and Spain as she double-crosses double agents in a cat-and-mouse game of espionage. A gruesome scene shows a German gas attack that peels off the flesh of the Allied soldiers as they writhe in agony. James Booth, Capucine, and Kenneth More also star in this World War I drama. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Steed and Emma are called on the scene when several members of the British Venusian Society, an astronomical organization, suddenly die of extreme old age. It turns out that all of the dead stargazers had been looking directly at Venus, which, according to "expert" testimony, is poised to invade the Earth. The truth is a bit more prosaic, but no less threatening for our hero and heroine. The first full-color Avengers episode, "From Venus with Love" was also the initial offering of the series' fifth season. Written by Philip Levene, the episode first aired in England on January 14, 1967; six days later, it was seen on American network television. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi