Tim Preece Movies

William Makepeace Thackeray's witty assessment of the British class system, as seen through the experiences of one young woman, is brought to the screen with some serious star power in this period comedy drama. Becky Sharp (Reese Witherspoon) is a bright and ambitious girl born to a poor British family. Becky is determined to make something of herself however she can, and after accepting a job as a nanny for the children of the powerful and aristocratic Sir Pitt Crawley (Bob Hoskins), she wastes no time ingratiating herself with the family. Pretty Becky catches the eye of Crawley's handsome and eligible son Rawdon (James Purefoy), and becomes chummy with sharp-tongued Aunt Matilda (Eileen Atkins). Between the two of them, Becky is introduced to London's most exclusive social circle, where she becomes re-acquainted with Amelia Sedley (Romola Garai), a former school chum who is amused by Becky's efforts to scale the ladder of social influence. Becky weds Rawdon, but following initial happiness, the social and economic stability she dreamed of begins to collapse when he begins drowning his troubles in gambling and drink, and soon she turns to the powerful Marquess of Steyne (Gabriel Byrne) for support. Meanwhile, Amelia's fortunes fall even harder following the death of her husband. Vanity Fair was directed by Mira Nair, who enjoyed a surprise international success with 2002's Monsoon Wedding. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This two-part British miniseries was based on a classic gothic novel by Sheridan J. LeFanu. Having inadvertently caused the death of one of his tenants, wicked Squire Fairfield (Derek Jacobi) adopted the dead man's daughter Alice (Naomi Watts). No sooner had Alice grown to womanhood that the satyr-like squire attempted to "have his way" with her. Escaping the Squire's clutches, Alice eloped with Fairfield's virtuous son Charles (Iain Glen) -- but she was not quite out of the wood yet, thanks to a series of disturbing nightmares, a wraithlike mystery woman, and the machinations of Charles' diabolical brother Harry (Jack Davenport). The Wyvern Mystery originally aired on March 5 and 12, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A real-life incident involving two major literary figures was dramatized for British television in 1985 under the title Shadowlands. Joss Ackland stars as English author C.S. Lewis, who in 1950 begins a correspondence with American poet Joy Gresham, here played by Claire Bloom. Though Lewis is a confirmed bachelor and Gresham is a wife and mother, their long-distance friendship blossoms into something deeper. In 1952, Gresham, newly divorced, moves to England to be nearer Lewis, who has no inclination to marry. A spiritual crisis profoundly affects the relationship--and completely alters Lewis' outlook on life. Shadowlands premiered in America over PBS on October 29, 1986; screenwriter William Nicholson later adapted his script into a play, which was filmed by director Richard Attenborough in 1993, with Anthony Hopkins as Lewis and Debra Winger as Gresham. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

As the Earth-Draconia war introduced in the previous adventure "Frontier of Space" threatens to break out at any moment, the Daleks pitch camp on the planet Spiridon, where their warriors have been kept in a cryogenic state. Also showing up on Spiridon are the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and Jo (Katy Manning), who aren't about to let the Daleks carry out their plans to deplete the Earth and Draconia of their resources, then take over the universe. Written by Terry Nation, "Planet of the Daleks" inaugurated its six-episode run on April 7, 1973; at present, only episodes one, two, three, four, five, and six are available in their original color versions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the fourth episode of the six-part story "Planet of the Daleks," the Daleks have enslaved the inhabitants of the planet Spiridon, in hopes of learning their captors' secret of invisibility. Meanwhile, the Doctor (Jon Pertwee), Jo (Katy Manning), and a group of Thals step up their efforts to prevent the Daleks from conquering the universe. The highlight of this episode is a terrifying evening in the Spiridon jungle. Written by Terry Nation, "Planet of the Daleks, Episode 4" first aired on April 28, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the second episode of the six-part story "Planet of the Daleks," the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and Jo (Katy Manning) arrive on the planet Spiridon, whence the Daleks intend to inaugurate their takeover of the Universe. Having placed himself in a coma to recharge his energies, the Doctor is in danger of freezing to death. Meanwhile, Jo, determined to carry on the Doctor's efforts to stop the Daleks, is knocked out by a falling rock. Written by Terry Nation, "Planet of the Daleks, Episode 2" first aired on April 14, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This ambitious four-part adaptation of Dostoevsky's 19th century novel The Possessed was originally telecast in Britain in 1970. A savage attack on the Russian radical movement of the 1870s, the story was set in a peaceful bourgeois village terrorized by a roving gang of revolutionists. The head of the gang, the grotesquely caricatured Peter Verkhovensky (David Collings), was based on real-life rebel Sergei Nechayev, who thought nothing of selling out friends and family alike for the good of "the cause." The actual protagonist of the piece was not, however, the insanely nihilistic Verkhovensky, but the mild-mannered, aristocratic Stavrogin (Keith Bell), whose phlegmatic personality may well have been a smokescreen for a revolutionary spirit of uncommon fervence. Though intended as a burlesque of those who would topple the Czarist regime, the novel curiously reemerged as a paragon of "rebellious idealism" (in the words of critic Irving Howe) to the radical youths of the 1960s and 1970s. Reedited as a six-parter, The Possessed was seen in America as a component of PBS' Masterpiece Theatre beginning May 2, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide