Keith Pyott Movies

The fine line between knowledge and insight becomes a battleground in this episode of the classic British television series The Prisoner. Number Six (Patrick McGoohan) becomes aware of a strange new innovation created by scientists in the Village -- a type of brain implant that allows the subject to readily absorb information, but eliminates their ability to process their own thoughts. The role of Number Two is played in this episode by Colin Gordon, with Betty McDowell and John Castle heading up the supporting players. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this blend of action-adventure and spy satire, the British government has been negotiating with the Middle Eastern nation of Ramaut to lease their oil fields for drilling by U.K. petroleum companies, but at the last minute, the deal collapses, and Col. Drexel (Jack Hawkins), a military leader who has worked with the authorities in Ramaut before, is given an unusual assignment. The young Prince Jamil of Ramaut (Christopher Witty) is scheduled to take the nation's throne and become the country's leader. Drexel and his men are to kidnap Jamil, hold him until he is of age, and then release him once they've persuaded him to sign the oil lease agreement. American operative David Frazer (Cliff Robertson) is called in to help, and he meets Drexel at the villa where Jamil is being held captive. However, shortly after Frazer is confronted by Sophie (Marisa Mell) and a gang of agents, he's knocked senseless and wakes up to find that Jamil is missing. Drexel's superiors think that Frazer was in on the plot to free Jamil, and while Drexel knows better, it just so happens that he has his own agenda -- Drexel has been negotiating with Jamil's family to release him in exchange for a cash payment that would go directly into his pocket. Incidentally, if you have trouble finding Ramaut on a map, don't worry -- it exists only in the mind of screenwriters William Goldman and Michael Relph. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In the third episode of the four-part story arc "The Aztecs," the followers of high priestess Yetaxa are still convinced that Barbara (Jacqueline Hill) is the reincarnation of their deity. Accordingly, Barbara is forced to mete out punishment when her travelling companion Susan (Carole Ann Ford) -- now a mere handmaiden -- commits a grievous error. Meanwhile, Ian (William Russell) is appointed chief of the Aztec warriors (and is forced to defend his new title to the death), while the Doctor (William Hartnell) unexpectedly finds a romantic soulmate. Written by John Lucarotti, "The Bride of Sacrifice" first aired on June 6, 1964. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the final episode of the four-episode story arc "The Aztecs," Barbara's misguided efforts to alter the course of history have discredited her in the eyes of the Aztec worshippers, who no longer believe that she is the reincarnation of the high priestess Yetaxa. Consequently, Barbara, Susan, and Ian are slated to be "guests of honor" at a human sacrifice. The Doctor (William Hartnell) endeavors to rescue his companions -- with the unexpected assistance of a total eclipse. Written by John Lucarotti, "The Day of Darkness" first aired on June 6, 1964. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The title refers to an astronomical phenomenon that might bring about the end of the world. The only scientist who knows for certain what's in store for mankind is brutally murdered, bringing Steed and Cathy in on the case. As the Avengers elude various villains and sidestep government cover-ups in order to get to the truth, the "dwarf" -- actually a meteor -- draws nearer and nearer to the Earth. An interesting precursor to the X-Files school of justifiable paranoia, "The White Dwarf" was written by Malcolm Hulke. First seen in England on February 16, 1963, the episode made its American TV debut exactly 28 years and nine days later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In another standard British comedy of the absurd with the usual eccentric characters who play off each other like tennis pros on a court, A Weekend with Lulu centers on the misadventures of the occupants of an ice cream truck and its rundown trailer. Because of a mix-up, the four inside the truck -- two men at odds with each other, a harridan, and her voluptuous daughter -- do not end up at the seashore as they planned. Instead, they are rattling merrily through France, chased by a wild variety of irate groups -- racing cyclists, rogues, and distraught police. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Something is seriously amiss in the tiny British village of Midwich. At 11 a.m. one morning, every village resident suddenly falls asleep -- and then, just as suddenly, everyone wakes up, completely unaffected by the phenomenon. Well, not completely: virtually every woman of childbearing years has become pregnant. All the babies are born on the same night, at precisely the same moment. All look the same, weigh the same, and even have the same curious cross-hatched hair and underdeveloped fingernails. Four years later, the children have all prematurely reached the age of nine or so -- and all behave in a weird, conspiratorial manner, comporting themselves more like adults than kids. Resident scientist George Sanders, one of the fathers, surmises that the bizarre manner of the children -- from their zombie-like movements to their cold, staring eyes -- is the result of radioactivity, possibly extraterrestrial in nature. One thing is certain: the children possess powers far beyond those of ordinary mortals. And they must be stopped. One of the most influential science fiction films of the 1960s, Village of the Damned was based on the equally eerie John Wyndham novel The Midwich Cuckoos. The more explicit 1995 remake was widely panned in comparison. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of the covert operations at the beginning of World War II is enacted in this fast-paced docudrama about a government-approved diamond heist. A Major from the British army (Tony Britton) joins up with a Dutch diamond expert (Alexander Knox) and another adventurous Dutchman (Peter Finch) to steal a fortune in diamonds from a bank vault in Amsterdam before the Nazis completely close off the city. The trio are launched under the covering fire of a British battleship in the harbor and then chauffeured into Amsterdam by Anna (Eva Bartok), one of many people they encounter who could be either friend or foe. There is no time to waste in emptying the bank vault because it is estimated that the city will be overrun by the Nazi army in just fourteen hours. Meanwhile, the war is intensifying all around them, and the Nazi soldiers already on patrol are a continual threat. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

During World War II, the impenetrable Colditz castle in Germany was selected as the site for a POW camp. The Germans reason that, since Colditz has been virtually impossible to get into or out of for centuries, it is ideal for housing the most contentious allied prisoners. British officer John Mills doesn't agree, and leads an escape through a subterranean tunnel. Only three of the prisoners (Mills included) survive the escape; the next step is to get out of Germany itself. Colditz Story is based on the reminiscences of P. R. "Pat" Reid, the real-life English officer portrayed in this film by John Mills. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Victor Hugo's Toilers of the Sea was none too faithfully adapted for the screen as Sea Devils. The hero is Guernsey-Island smuggler Gilliat (Rock Hudson); the heroine is glamorous British spy Drouette (Yvonne de Carlo). Set during the Napoleonic wars, the plot finds Gilliat and Drouette trying to outsmart one another for the first few reels. Gilliat even kidnaps Drouette at one point, believing her to be in league with the hated French. Eventually, of course, Gilliat must rescue Drouette from the French, thereby preventing Napoleon's planned invasion of England. Shot on location, Sea Devils was directed with verve by Raoul Walsh. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Derek Bond stars as a society doctor in the British A Distant Trumpet. Bond's more idealistic brother Derek Elphinstone tirelessly labors away as a missionary. When Elphinstone becomes to ill to work, Bond reluctantly takes over for his brother. In so doing, Bond finds his true calling in life. Costar Derek Elphinstone also coproduced and wrote the screenplay for this overambitious 61-minute programmer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Set at the dawn of the 20th century, this British melodrama follows the exploits of a female physician who goes to spend her honeymoon with her new husband in his exquisite Sicilian villa. There they meet a cynical, strange old man. The trouble begins when she is called away to help quell an epidemic in Tunis. Suddenly the old coot begins trying to get the husband to have an affair with a fisherman's beautiful daughter. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide