Eric Portman Movies

An aboriginal man is torn between the modern world in which he lives and the ancient culture in which he was brought up in this British drama. Kisenga (Robert Adams) is a musician and composer who has risen from his humble birth in a primitive African tribe to popular and critical success in Europe. However, when he learns that a conjurer, Magole (Orlando Martins), has put a dangerous spell on his tribe, he rushes home to offer help to his loved ones. Kisenga confronts Magole, who responds by placing a curse on Kisenga that will cause his death the next time the moon is full. Despite the education he received in Europe, Kisenga is still ruled by the superstitions of his tribespeople, and his new friends have a difficult time convincing him that his fears are groundless. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Set not in the 14th century milieu of Geoffrey Chaucer but in wartime Britain, A Canterbury Tale begins with rural justice of the peace Eric Portman adopting a "lock up your daughters" policy when the American soldiers are stationed nearby. To escape the arbitrary edicts of Portman, British tank sergeant Dennis Price, American GI John Sweet and shopkeeper Sheila Sim head down the road to Canterbury. Each of the principals finds their lives changed by the journey. In particular, Sweet (a real-life American sergeant, rather than the usual stereotyped "yank" common to British war films) encounters genuine romance. A product of the always adventuresome "Archers" (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger), A Canterbury Tale contains some extremely creative cinematic moments, though it is the quieter scenes which work best. Esmond Knight narrates the film and shows up in a couple of amusing cameos. A ubiquitous presence on American TV, Canterbury Tale is available in two versions; the American release version, cut from 124 to 95 minutes and including several arbitrary scenes with Kim Hunter, is the lesser of the two. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Erich Kohler (Eric Portman) is a decorated Luftwaffe pilot recruited for a daring propaganda mission in Belgium -- to drop bombs on a civilian target in Ghent and then parachute out wearing an British Royal Air Force uniform and, once on the ground, spread the story that the RAF is attacking civilian targets in the Nazi-occupied nation. Kohler, a dedicated Nazi who was educated in England and speaks unaccented English, is perfectly prepared to carry out his orders, but his mission goes awry when he immediately gets "rescued" by the Belgian underground, and put in with a group of real British flyers who are being returned to their homeland that very night. Now, with his life at risk, he must hide his real identity and fall in with them, going along for the trip to England. Once there, he tries to re-establish contact with people he knew who were sympathetic to Hitler, but discovers that those German emigres whom he could trust most are being interned. He looks up an old girlfriend (Ann Dvorak), who had some sympathy for the Hitler government, only to discover that he has begun thinking a lot more clearly about the Nazis, and for a time takes shelter with an emigre couple (Martin Miller, Beatrice Varley) whose cooperation is a result of coercion. But he needs more than shelter -- Kohler is already fearful of being caught by British intelligence, but soon learns that the German agents operating in England have orders to kill him, as well. Having failed in his mission, he is, at best, an embarrassment to the German nation, and a liability. He has no choice but to make the best escape he can, the way he knows best, into the air, and the safe neutral territory of Ireland. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

In this espionage film, a Danish double-agent is assigned by the Nazis to sneak into to England and abscond with the secret plans for a European invasion. Unbeknownst to the Nazis, the man is really and agent for the Allies. He is pursued by an English agent who exposes him. She then takes part in a plan to trick the German navy into leaving the port with fake documents. The ruse works. Unfortunately, the double-agent dies. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This subtle, unadorned British war drama was the second collaboration between "The Archers," Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Six British bomber crewmen are obliged to bail out over Holland. To escape detection from the Nazis, the crewmen accept the hospitality of several Hollanders, all dedicated to the freedom-fighting activities of the Underground. The film is constructed along the lines of the earlier Powell-Pressburger film The Invaders, except that the escapees are British rather than German and their Dutch contacts are willing rather than reluctant co-conspirators. The six male stars are Godfrey Tearle, Eric Portman, Hugh Williams, Bernard Miles, Hugh Burden, and Emrys Jones; among those who aid them in their flight to freedom are Googie Withers, Joyce Redman, and Peter Ustinov. The austere photography by Ronald Neame is complemented by the to-the-point editing of future director David Lean. Adding to the verisimilitude of One of Our Aircraft Is Missing is the utter absence of a musical score. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In 1882, Mark Twain published a delightful fairy tale "for young people of all ages"; 45 years later, Warner Bros., inspired by the real-life coronation of Edward VII, created a lavish screen version starring radio favorites Billy and Bobby Mauch in the title roles and Errol Flynn as their dashing savior. As Jane Seymour (Helen Valkis), consort of King Henry VIII (Montagu Love), gives birth to the heir to the throne, the later Edward VI (Bobby Mauch), Tom Canty (Billy Mauch) is born in the nearby slums. Years later, as King Henry is near death, providence brings the two together and they discover that they share a striking resemblance. Having changed clothes with Tom during play, Edward Tudor is mistaken for a pauper by the Captain of the Guard (Alan Hale) and evicted from the palace. In contrast, Tom is believed to be the Prince of Wales by all of sundry and, when protesting, is treated as mentally unsound. Only the Earl of Hertford (Claude Rains), the king's scheming advisor, realizes the truth but keeps quiet to further his own career. With a price on his head, the real Edward lives the life of a pauper among the thieves and beggars of London, befriended only by Miles Hendon (Flynn), whom he, to Miles' great amusement, creates an earl. But despite his skepticism, Miles is right there to rescue Edward from the murderous Captain of the Guard and return him to the palace just as Tom is about to be crowned king. Proving his true identity by locating the missing Seal of England, Edward is restored to the throne and Hertford is banished from the realm. Miles is recognized for his bravery and Tom is made a ward of the king for life. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Shortly before his desultory political career, famed Polish concert pianist Jan Paderewski starred as himself in the British romantic drama Moonlight Sonata. The bulk of the film is set in Sweden, where Eric Molander (Charles Farrell) professes his love for beautiful young baroness Lindenborg (Marie Tempest). Nearby, a plane carrying Paderewski and several other passengers is forced to land due to bad weather. The travelers take refuge on Lindenborg's estate; one of them, worldly Mario de la Costa (Eric Portman), sweeps Lindenborg off her feet. With Paderewski's implicit assistance, Molander proves that de la Costa is a fortune hunter, paving the way for a fade-out clinch for the hero and heroine. In addition to the title song, we are treated to such Paderewski "standards" as Chopin's Polonaise and the pianist's own composition Minuet in G Major. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this British comedy, set in the City of Light during 1904, a singer and regular at Maxim's finds herself entangled in the marital travails of a doctor married to a shrew. Eventually, the doctor begins taking the seductive chanteuse around town introducing her as his wife. Mayhem and mistaken-identity ensue. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Set in 15th-century Italy, The Cardinal stars Matheson Lang as one Cardinal de Medici. Bound by the rules of the confessional, the cardinal is unable to disclose the multitude of sins revealed to him by one of his most influential parishioners. De Medici's dilemma is compounded by the fact that the confessor has committed a murder for which the Cardinal's brother has been arrested. The basic plot gimmick was good for another go-round in the 1953 Hitchcock flick I Confess. This 7-reel British film was based on a play by Louis N. Parker. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

"Old Roses," an elderly small town gardener with a love of the fragrant blossoms becomes friends with two young lovers. Such a true friend is he, that when the young man is accused of murder, he takes the rap for him. Fortunately, in the end, the kindly fellow confesses his ruse and is free to continue growing roses. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The film opens on a theatrical stage where the principal players are introduced in a manner that suggests the audience already knows the story about to be played out. It begins inside the Red Barn in Polstead, Suffolk, where local girl Maria Marten (Sophie Stewart) dances with local, middle-aged squire and magistrate William Corder (Tod Slaughter) during a merry barn dance. Stealing a moment from the festivities, Carlos, a gypsy (Eric Portman) declares his love for Maria, but she rebuffs him and does not disclaim her interest in Corder. Corder is angered when a gypsy palm reader gives him a bad fortune and all of the gypsies are ejected from the party. Maria catches up with Corder later and shares a drink with him at his home; meanwhile, her father (D.J. Williams) notes Maria's absence and suspects her out with the gypsy. Corder, in the meantime, has become intimate with Maria and sends her home, promising marriage. A chance encounter with Carlos is interrupted by Maria's father, who pleads with Corder to have the gypsy barred from the locality. Corder then travels to London and loses big with a disastrous tumble of the dice; Corder schemes to recoup his losses through wooing a local widow of means, plans that do not include Maria.

Over time, Maria's delicate condition becomes apparent and her father casts her out of the family home. Maria approaches Corder for help, but becoming aware of her dire situation threatens to tell her father the truth. Corder renews his pledge to marry Maria and tells her to meet him at the Red Barn in couple of hours. Once there, Corder shoots Maria with a pistol and buries her body under the floor, but misplaces a damning piece of evidence at the scene. Disarmed by the pleas of Maria's grieving mother (Clare Greet, a favorite actress of Alfred Hitchcock's), Maria's father resumes the search for her. Carlos appears at Corder's and begins to pressure him about Maria's whereabouts; they are interrupted and Corder sets a trap for the gypsy which he barely escapes. Carlos, Corder, Mr. Marten and a number of police constables all end up at the Red Barn; at first it looks bad for Carlos, but when Corder's own dog begins sniffing around in the barn, Corder finds himself facing a spell of misfortune that will make his poor luck at the dice table seem insignificant by comparison.
~ David Lewis, Rovi