Nancy Price Movies
- 1952
Released in Britain as Crash of Silence, Mandy is a straightforward story about a handicapped child's efforts to adapt to a normal world. Born deaf, Mandy is mute for most of her childhood. Her desperate parents enroll her in special education classes. It's a slow, uphill climb, but by film's end Mandy is talking and playing happily with non-impaired children. A well-intentioned effort, Mandy unfortunately falls prey to corniness, save for the thoroughly convincing performance by child actress Mandy Miller (who was not deaf). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phyllis Calvert, Jack Hawkins, (more)
- 1950
The Naked Heart was also released as Maria Chapdelaine, which also happened to be the title of its source, a novel by Louis Hemon. Adapter-director Marc Allegret has fashioned the material into a vehicle for one of his most successful discoveries, Michele Morgan. This is the story of a young woman whose romantic fantasies begin spilling over into actuality. The film's novelty value is its setting: a remote village in Northern Canada. Filmed simultaneously in French and English-language versions, The Naked Heart was produced independently on a tiny budget; while the seams begin to show towards the end, for the most part the film works. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michèle Morgan, Kieron Moore, (more)
- 1948
In this crime drama, three ancient, weird sisters begin planning to kill their half-brother in order to scare up the cash they need to keep their ramshackle mansion running. Poet Dylan Thomas helped write the screenplay. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nancy Price, Mary Clare, (more)
- 1947
Set in Yorkshire in the 19th century, this period drama centers upon a family of mill owners. The story shifts from the well-to-do surroundings of the Crowther family to the less desirable conditions in the mill. While there are the usual crises, disasters, and labor clashes, the film manages to include a few humorous moments, mostly providing by top-billed comic actor Tom Walls. The production couldn't really hope for a profitable American run, but it did well in the provincial British cinemas. Master of Bankdam was based on the novel The Crowthers of Bankdam by Thomas Armstrong. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edgar K. Bruce, Anne Crawford, (more)
- 1946
Of the many films (English and American) bearing the title Carnival, only one was based on the Compton MacKenzie novel of the same name. This 1946 melodrama stars Sally Gray as a 19th century ballet dancer who makes an unfortunate career move by marrying a taciturn Cornish farmer (Bernard Miles). Sally soon longs for the bright lights of the big city, and for the arms of her artist lover (Michael Wilding). Her husband is all too aware of this; and when the lover comes calling to renew the affair, the husband shoots Gray to death. The first film version of Compton MacKenzie's Carnival was filmed in 1931 as Dance Pretty Lady. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Arundell, Marie Ault, (more)
- 1945
A classic in gothic-romantic excess, Madonna of Seven Moons was one of the most successful British films of its genre. Though she doesn't know it at first, young convent-bred Rosalinda (Phyllis Calvert) has been born under a curse: before her life comes to a close, she will be wife, mother and mistress all in one. As a child, Rosalinda is raped by a gypsy, an experience that renders her a schizophrenic. Years later, she is the seemingly contented wife of prosperous Italian businessman Giuseppe (John Stuart) and the mother of attractive teenager Angela (Patricia Roc). From time to time, however, Rosalinda disappears from her home and retreats to the slums of Florence, where she assumes the identity of lustful gypsy girl Maddelina, the mistress of criminal leader Nino (Stewart Granger). Then she returns to her husband and daughter, completely unaware of her "other" self or even that she's been absent. Understandably curious about her mother's long absences, Angela follows Rosalinda during one of her sojourns into the Florentine underworld. Far from home and hearth, poor Angela is targetted for seduction by Sandro (Peter Glenville)--the very gypsy who'd assaulted the younger Rosalinda! And just when it seems that things can't get any more unbelievable?..well, this one is definitely better seen than described. Originally released at 100 minutes, Madonna of Seven Moons was expertly cut to 88 minutes for US consumption. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phyllis Calvert, Stewart Granger, (more)
While awaiting access to England's Technicolor cameras for their upcoming super-production Stairway to Heaven, the producer-director team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger dashed off a delightful "personal" project, I Know Where I'm Going. Young middle-class Englishwoman Joan Webster (Wendy Hiller) is determined to have the finer things in life, and to that end she plans to marry Sir Robert Bellinger (Norman Shelley), a wealthy, middle-aged industrialist whom she does not love. En route to the Island of Mull, where her future husband resides, Joan is stranded in a colorful Scottish seacoast town. Inclement weather keeps her grounded for a week, during which time she falls in love with young, insouciant naval officer Torquil McNeil (Roger Livesey). Ignoring the dictates of her heart (not to mention common sense), Joan stubbornly insists upon heading out to sea towards her marriage of convenience, but the exigencies of Mother Nature finally convince her that her future resides on the Mainland. A winner all the way, I Know Where I'm Going is full of large and small delights, including a wonderful sense of regional detail and endearing, three-dimensional characterizations (even the mercenary heroine is a likeable character). The film is easily one of the best of the Powell-Pressburger films of the 1940s, and arguably the team's all-time best romantic drama. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wendy Hiller, Roger Livesey, (more)
- 1945
I Live in Grosvenor Square is better known by its American release title, A Yank in London. Anna Neagle, whose husband Herbert Wilcox produced and directed the film, stars as Lady Patricia Fairfax, who enters into a brief wartime romance with American air force sergeant John Patterson (Dean Jagger). The plot proper is based on a true WW II incident, wherein an Air Corps crew deliberately sacrificed their lives to save an English village of no strategic importance. The multinational supporting cast includes Rex Harrison, Robert Morley, Jane Darwell, and real-life American PFC Elliot Arluck. At the time of its release, I Live in Grosvenor Square was praised for the authenticity of its settings and characterizations. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Neagle, Dean Jagger, (more)
- 1942
In this WW II actioner, two British Intelligence agents and a French agent follow their leader into Nazi-occupied France to see how strong the invaders really are; unfortunately, the only way to get that information is to break into the German headquarters. They do so by pretending to be champagne vendors. As soon as the Nazis figure out their scheme, they begin chasing the Allied agents who are assisted by the French Resistance to make sure the information is given to the British who use it to destroy the German supplies and munitions. During their flight, one of the agents his killed; later his sister vows to do everything she can to stop those evil Nazis. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugh Williams, Carla Lehmann, (more)
- 1939
A case of mistaken identity is the basis for this drama. The trouble begins when a rich entrepreneur is accused of being the notorious thief, Jean Pelletier, who performed his infamous robberies in the years preceding the war. A court battle ensues. The industrialist states that he suffered amnesia during the war. His fiance found him from a newspaper picture. Pelletier's ex-lover then testifies that the man is indeed Pelletier. Another man swears that he had witnessed the robber's death during the war. The accused is acquitted and goes home. The witness waylays him and tells the man that he lied, and that if he doesn't pay him a large ransom, he will tell the court. The poor businessman is truly confused. His amnesia was quite real so there is a definite possibility that he is the thief. He becomes fixated with discovering the truth. He goes to Pelletier's ex-love, and the thief's mother. They convince him. He really is Pelletier. The man decides to turn himself in, but his lawyer convinces him not to do it. In the meantime, the mistress learning that the blackmailer is planning to spill the beans anyway, takes matters into her own hand. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Banks, Joan Marion, (more)
- 1939
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
- Starring:
- Michael Redgrave, Margaret Lockwood, (more)
- 1934
In this melodrama a wealthy, dying woman hires a young woman to care for her. After the aide accidently breaks a rare vase, the ailing crone refuses to pay her until she can pay for it. The old lady is actually dying when the aide steals a valuable cross. The police catch her, but she claims that the lady bequeathed the estate to her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1932
In this drama, set during the Depression, Charlie Stubbs tries to escape slum life by becoming a criminal. That doesn't work so he cleans up his act and becomes a cab driver for the woman he loves, Annie Collins. Trouble ensues when Annie's uncle frames him. Now Charlie may go to jail. It is Annie's mother who saves the day. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1931
Sherlock Holmes and Watson solve the murder of a young woman in this mystery that features Raymond Massey in the title role. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lyn Harding, Angela Baddeley, (more)
- 1930
A mother attempts to give her troubled daughter some sage advice in order to save her marriage in this domestic drama that was originally filmed as a silent and later had dialogue added to it. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1930
The life and times of 18th-century Scottish poet Robert Burns are dramatized in this semi-musical biography. Burns is played by operatic tenor Joseph Hilsop, obliging the screenwriters to come up with scenes in which the protagonist will be permitted to sing as well as recite his verse. Its expansive title notwithstanding, the film focuses on only two of Burns's romances. The first is with Jean Armour (Dorothy Secombe), whom he marries; the second is with Mary Campbell (Eve Gray), with whom he has an extramarital affair. Typically, the film never lets the facts get in the way of the story, offering a fascinating if historically suspect account of Burns's early demise. A bit wearing for anyone not already familiar with its subject, The Loves of Robert Burns is redeemed by its gorgeous location photography. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eve Gray, Dorothy Seacombe, (more)
- 1929
This costume drama is set in the midst of a European war during the early 1800s and follows the exploits of a young woman who is forced to marry the wicked man who is threatening to make her father pay a major debt. One day, she meets a wounded fugitive, an American prisoner who was injured while escaping from his French captors. She helps him recover, and by the war's end he is well, they have fallen in love with each other and flee together. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carl Brisson, Madeleine Carroll, (more)
- 1929
In this comedy, three GIs return home and discover that they have been officially listed among the dead. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Montgomery, Claud Allister, (more)
- 1929
The Doctor's Secret was adapted by director William C. DeMille from James M. Barrie's play Half an Hour. After marrying wealthy Richard Garson (H.B. Warner) for his money and prestige, Lillian Garson (Ruth Chatterton) grows weary of her stuffed-shirt husband and decides to run off with another man. While disembarking from a cab to meet Lillian, her lover is struck down and killed by a hit-and-run driver. On the scene of the accident is Dr. Brodie (Robert Edeson), who happens to be an old friend of Garson's. That evening, at a cocktail party held by Garson, Dr. Brodie begins relating the story of the unfortunate accident victim and his beautiful paramour. As the story unfolds, Garson begins to suspect that Lillian, who is late for the party, is the "woman in the case." When Lillian finally shows up, her husband confronts her with his suspicions. But Dr. Brodie saves the day by lying like a gentlemen, denying that he and the errant wife have ever met before. Doctor's Secret was one of the first Hollywood talkies to be simultaneously filmed in foreign-language versions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ruth Chatterton, H.B. Warner, (more)
- 1928
Yes, Tallulah Bankhead, she of the mighty-low voice and outrageous private life, did appear in silent films. The British His House in Order was lensed in 1928, at a time when Tallu was knocking 'em dead on the London stage. Ms. Bankhead plays a socialite who falls in love with handsome Ian Hunter. Our Heroine is caught in the middle when Hunter's wealthy father, David Hawthorne, raises Holy Ned upon finding that his son is illegitimate. His House in Order was adapted from a play by Arthur Wing Pinero. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sheila Courtney, David Hawthorne, (more)
- 1927
The great Scots entertainer Sir Harry Lauder made but a handful of movie appearances. One of the best of these was the 1927 British feature Huntingtower. Lauder plays a Scottish grocer who is much beloved by the kids in his neighborhood. When a visiting Russian prince is endangered by a Red assassin, the kids can't get the authorities to help. But Lauder believes the children, and uses his Scots wiles to rescue the prince and subdue the killer. Huntingtower is based on a novel by John Buchan, of 39 Steps fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Aherne
- 1923
British screen comedienne Betty balfour took a breather from her popular Squibs comedies to star as Tiptoes, a lowly chorus girl in this melodrama with an uncharacteristic (for Balfour) unhappy ending. But the charming Miss Balfour could do nothing wrong in those early years and the film was both a critical and popular success, one reviewer going as far as to compliment producer-director George Pearson "upon a production for the artistic equal of which one must go to the best French and Swedish pictures." High praise indeed! ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
