Clyde Pollitt Movies
- 1987
The title of this Anglo-Canadian TV production is tinged with irony. So far as the main characters are concerned, home is a still a long way to go. Set in the months following World War I, the film takes place in a squalid Welsh "halfway" camp, where Canadian soldiers are kept for an interminable period of time before the British government deigns to ship them home. Fed up with go-nowhere bureaucracy and the shabbiness of their surroundings, the Canadians stage a violent revolt. Based on a true story, Going Home represented the directorial debut of veteran costume designer Terry Ryan. Heading the cast are veteran Canadian actors Nicholas Campbell, Paul Maxwell and Eugene Lipinski. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
- PG
This modest and engaging story, set in a dormant south Wales town (with the unique distinction of having Welsh dialogue), has much to offer in the way of setting and cultural background. Trevor (Dafydd Hywel) works at the local movie theater as a projectionist and Mona (Iola Gregory) tends the confection stand selling ice cream. The patched-up theater is in terrible shape and the owner finally decides to put it out of its misery and shut it down. This leaves Trevor and Mona without a source of income. Desperate for a way to support his ex-wife and their three children, Trevor borrows several hundred pounds from the manager of the theater, promising to pay him back as soon as he can. Circumstances conspire to force repayment much quicker than Trevor planned, so he and Mona hit upon a scheme to raise mushrooms in the dank, dark interior of the movie house as a novel way of paying their bills. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dafydd Hywel, Iola Gregory, (more)
Lady Jane Grey, the 16-year-old girl who for nine days in the 16th century was Queen of England, is here portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter. Lady Jane Grey's sickly cousin, who becomes Edward VI upon the death of Henry VIII, is on the threshold of death himself. The Protestant powers-that-be, fearing that England will fall under Catholic rule, contrive to marry off Edward VI's most likely successor Lady Jane to the wastrelly Guilford Dudley (Cary Elwes), the future Duke of Suffolk. The dying Edward is coerced into naming Jane as his successor. Jane is forced to assume the throne, attempting to impose reforms on the corrupt Protestant government during her brief reign. A coup led by Jane's cousin Princess Mary (Jane Lapotaire) results in the ouster, and eventual execution, of Queen Jane and her consort. The story is told through anti-establishment themes; teen-agers Lady Jane and Guilford Dudley are seen as the only hope for a brighter future, making their deaths all the more tragic. An earlier version of the same story, Tudor Rose, was filmed in 1936. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helena Bonham Carter, Cary Elwes, (more)
- 1973
In the second episode of the four-part story "The Three Doctors," the present Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and his two predecessors (William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton) investigate the strange, roving black hole in space which has been depleting the Time Lords of their energy. It turns out that the instigator of this crisis is the vengeful Time Lord Omega (Stephen Thorne), who intends to destroy his brethren for abandoning him in time and space -- and to either control the universe, or dash it to bits. First telecast on January 6, 1973, Doctor Who: The Three Doctors, Episode 2 was written by Bob Baker and David Martin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, (more)
- 1972
Doctor Who celebrated its tenth year on television with the epochal four-part adventure "The Three Doctors." Attacked by an unknown entity, the Doctor (Jon Pertwee), Jo (Katy Manning), the Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney), and Sgt. Benton (John Levene) take refuge in the TARDIS. Worried that the vessel will not accommodate the Brigadier, the Doctor contacts his home planet Gallifrey for advice -- only to discover that the power of his fellow Time Lords is being syphoned off by a mysterious black hole in space. It is up to the "third" Doctor and his two previous incarnations (played by William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton) to save their species, and, by extension, the rest of the universe. According to legend, this adventure came into being when former Doctor Who star William Hartnell approached the series' producers, asking for a guest spot; though this is inaccurate, it is unfortunately true that Hartnell's illness prevented him from appearing in the same scenes with his successors Troughton and Pertwee. Debuting December 30, 1972, Doctor Who: The Three Doctors was written by Bob Baker and David Martin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, (more)
- 1969
In the conclusion of the pivotal ten-part story "The War Games," the Doctor has successfully thwarted the universe-conquering schemes of the War Lord (Philip Madoc). In doing so, however, he has violated his own ethics, and now finds himself hunted down by his own race, the Time Lords. Captured, the Doctor is subjected to a trial, the outcome of which will profoundly alter not only his own existence, but also the lives of his traveling companions Jamie and Zoe. It can be safely stated that every Doctor Who fan in good standing already knows how this particular story ended. For the benefit of the uninitiated, we will observe only that "The War Games, Episode 10," written by Malcolm Hulke and Terrance Dicks, was originally telecast on June 21, 1969 as the final episode of Doctor Who's sixth season, and represented the series swan song for regulars Patrick Troughton (the Doctor), Frazer Hines (Jamie), and Wendy Padbury (Zoe). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines, (more)
