Cecil Parker Movies

Jean-Pierre Aumont heads the largely British cast of Affairs of a Rogue. Set in the years just following the Napoleonic wars, the film casts Aumont as Leopold, a poverty-stricken German prince. Leopold casts his romantic spell upon Charlotte (Joan Hopkins), the daughter of England's Prince Regent (Cecil Parker). What began as another fortune-hunting expedition for Leopold culminates in true romance and startling tragedy. Swamped in period costumes and decor, Affairs of a Rogue is consistently good to look at, even when the plotline begins to drag. The film was released in the U.S. by Columbia Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this ironically titled British WW II drama, a widowed housewife provides housing for two navy men while her daughters serve as Wrens and her son serves in the military. The woman and one of the daughters end up falling for the sailors and marrying them. Following D-Day and the end of the war, the son returns home. All must now deal with the grim possibility of yet another world war. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The dazzlingly handsome Stewart Granger is at least physically well cast as the charismatic 18th century violinist Paganini. The fact that the illusion explodes whenever he opens his mouth mattered not at all to Granger's legions of British female fans. Luckily for the screenwriters, Paganini was as celebrated for his many love affairs as for his musical accomplishments, so it wasn't necessary to cook up a romantic plotline from whole cloth. The actual Paganini solos are performed by Yehudi Menuhin, and in this respect (and this respect only) the film is worthwhile. Magic Bow was another guilty pleasure from Gainsborough Productions, England's principal purveyor of bodice-ripping romances. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The misery caused by a long-term feud between two Irish families provides the framework in this drama based on a book by Daphne du Maurier. The saga begins in 1840 as the father of the Donovan clan rebels against the Brodrick family, the owners of the copper mine located on what was formerly Donovan land. In the ensuing conflict, the mine is destroyed and the eldest Brodrick son is killed. His younger brother then becomes the clan leader. He cares not a fig for mining; instead he would rather spend his time wooing a beautiful local girl whom he marries. They have four children and when the brother dies, his eldest son succeeds him. The new patriarch and his mother are terribly greedy and eager to take control of the mine. His mother is distraught when her son suddenly rejects her. The unwanted woman goes to London where she soon gets involved with gambling and drugs to ease her broken heart. One day, her son travels to the city and runs into her. To ease his aching conscience he asks her to return home. Just as she gets there, the eldest son is killed by another Donovan during a labor dispute. She then has one Donovan arrested. An aging servant manages to talk the bereaved mother into dropping the charges so that the feud may finally end. She does. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this British WW II drama, a British housewife proves herself to be as patriotic and courageous as any soldier. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This stirring wartime morale-booster stars John Clements in a virtual reprise of his "redeemed hero" role in The Four Feathers. Clements is cast as Lieutenant Stacey, a Fleet Arm Pilot whose recklessness causes the death of a fellow airman. Cashiered from the Service, Stacey becomes a mercenary charter pilot in the Mediterranean Island of Palmos. When the Nazis take over the island in the early stages of WWII, Stacey remains, but only because of his romance with cabaret singer Kay Gordon (Ann Todd). After his best friend (Edward Chapman) is murdered by the Nazis, Stacey's long-suppressed patriotism resurfaces, prompting him to embark upon a suicide mission to destroy a German dam site. Reportedly in production for 18 months, Ships With Wings was largely filmed on the decks of such authentic British aircraft carriers as the Ark Royal. At 140 minutes, the film is too long by half, but it never fails to come to life during the heart-stopping aerial sequences. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this thriller, a corrupt talent agent's illegal actions are discovered by his partner. To silence him, the agent kills the partner. Unfortunately, the killing is witnessed by a young woman. Now the agent is after her. He makes one attempt but fails. Fortunately for him, the encounter rendered her an amnesiac. She is sent to her home to recover. The agent follows and decides to try again before her memory returns. Fortunately, a detective and his clever wife take the case and stop him before it is too late. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this lively spy caper, the male half of a married song-and-dance duo moonlights as a government spy. The trouble begins when he is assigned to monitor a sexy foreign spy, something he must keep from his wife, who soon gets jealous when she sees the two constantly together. To monitor her own husband, the wife gets herself hired as a maid to the seductive secret agent. Her husband, impressed by her natural surveillance skills, finally gives in and allows her to help. Using their special talents, the two investigate and expose a master-spy who has fitted a new kind of carburetor on his airplane. To get at it, the couple dresses up like mechanics and hides upon the plane. Once airborne, they force the pilot out and head back for England. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A. J. Cronin's novel was brought to the screen by director Carol Reed. The film is set in a northern England mining town (far more realistically depicted than the back-lot Welsh village in John Ford's How Green Was My Valley. The parents of Michael Redgrave have labored long and hard so that their son can escape his grimy environs and make something of himself. While away at school, Redgrave is trapped into marriage by Margaret Lockwood, previously the lady friend of ill-tempered Emlyn Williams (the actor was himself a product of the Welsh mining community). When Lockwood and Williams resume their romance, the disillusioned Redgrave returns home, where he becomes deeply involved in a labor dispute. He ultimately decides that it is best for all if he remains in the village of his birth, working tirelessly on behalf of his friends, relatives and neighbors. Denied the larger budgets indigenous to Hollywood films, Carol Reed invested a gritty documentary "feel" into The Stars Look Down; the film brought him international acclaim, serving as a stepping stone for even greater cinematic accomplishments. Curiously, Reed himself didn't subscribe to A. J. Cronin's opinions vis-a-vis the nationalization of the coal mines; he was simply attracted to the dramatic possibilities of the tale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Lady Vanishes, Alfred Hitchcock's comedy-thriller, came at the end of his British period; this film's success brought Hitchcock to the attention of Hollywood. He would complete only one other British production, Jamaica Inn, before crossing the Atlantic to working for David O. Selznick on Rebecca. The film concerns the young Iris Henderson (Margaret Lockwood), heading home on a train after spending the holidays in the Balkans. Iris becomes friends with a kindly old lady, Miss Froy (Dame May Whitty) after Iris gets hit in the head with a flowerpot meant for Miss Froy. On the train, recovering from the blow, Iris falls asleep. When she awakens, Miss Froy has vanished, replaced by someone else in Miss Froy's clothing. Iris talks to the other passengers, a bizarre collection of eccentrics who think that Iris is crazy for insisting on there even being a Miss Froy -- everyone denies having ever seen the old woman. Finally, Iris finds a young musician, Gilbert (Michael Redgrave), who believes her and the two proceed to search the train for clues to Miss Froy's disappearance. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, an impoverished bumbler becomes a waiter at a fancy party and finds himself mistaken for one of the wealthy guests by another drunken guest. Soon he is mingling with the elite and meets a beautiful girl. He decides to make the illusion real and after the party goes to his banker and blackmails him into hiring him. Soon he is promoted to a higher position until he is transferred the Paris branch where he begins living a happy, financially secure existence with the beautiful girl in his arms. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

American stage and film star Otto Kruger heads the cast of the above-average British comedy The Housemaster. Kruger, in the title role, presides benevolently over the students of a private boys' school. A new headmaster, who is as rigid and rule-bound as Kruger is kind and understanding, gives the housemaster all sorts of grief. When the nasty headmaster pulls strings to get Kruger transferred, the students take matters in their own hands. The Housemaster was based on a play by Ian Hay. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide