Diana Quick Movies

Set in 1978 England, AKA opens with 18-year-old Dean (Matthew Leitch) being kicked out of his working-class home by his abusive father. Shy but socially ambitious, Dean subsequently finds work with high society marm Lady Gryffon (Diana Quick), who introduces him to the privileged set. However, Dean does something to perturb the good lady, and is unceremoniously kicked out of her household. Loathe to part company with the perks of high society, he assumes the identity of Lady Gryffon's son, Alex, and relocates to Paris. There, he makes the acquaintance of Benjamin (Peter Youngblood Hills), a cute but drug-riddled American, and Benjamin's lover David (George Asprey), an older playboy who has the hots for Dean. What unfolds is a tale of deceit, class warfare, and the complexities of sexual identity. AKA was screened at the 2002 Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

A team of writers and artists from France, Great Britain, and Germany came together to create this animated fantasy about a monkey who unwittingly confronts the fears and superstitions that have held back his kind. In a lush jungle untouched by human civilization, monkeys are divided into two tribes -- the Woonkos, who live in the trees, and the Laankos, who live on the ground. Many years before, all the monkeys lived together, but a great flood separated them into two factions, and after the passing of several generations, no one remembers that they once lived in peace. The Woonkos believe that the monkeys living below them are demons, while the Laankos consider the tree-dwelling apes to be dangerous savages who must be executed if they are ever captured. Kom (voice of Matt Hill) is a free-spirited Woonko who doesn't put much stock in the tales of the demons living below, and one day, while swinging on a vine near a canyon, he falls in and is captured by a group of Laankos. The King of the Laankos (voice of Michael York) becomes curious about the invader, and asks that Master Martin (voice of Michael Gambon) examine Kom before he is put to death. Kom is certain that he is surrounded by demons at first, but as he adjusts to his surroundings, he is impressed with the Laankos' more advanced society -- and he becomes quite fond of Gina (voice of Sally-Anne Marsh), a servant working in the king's compound. A Monkey's Tale also features the voice talents of John Hurt as the devious Chancellor Sebastian and Rik Mayall as the buffoonish Gerard; top-selling British pop group Westlife contributed the film's theme song, "We Are One." ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rasputin is a dramatization of the life story of one of the most intriguing figures in all history. A crude peasant from Siberia, Rasputin (Alan Rickman) was a self-styled charismatic holy man who traveled widely, openly engaging in drunkenness, sexual indulgences, and general debauchery. In the early part of the 20th century Rasputin made his way to the troubled Russian capital of St. Petersburg, a hotbed of political discontent due to widespread poverty under a repressive government. There Rasputin met Czarina Alexandra (Greta Scacchi), and the film focuses on how he exercised power over her and her loving husband, Czar Nicholas II (Ian McKellen), by virtue of his mystical ability to stop the bleeding of their hemophiliac son. But in a nation beset by internal and external problems, Rasputin's uncouth presence at the opulent imperial court, coupled with his scandalous antics around the capital, came to symbolize the weak leadership of the czar. The movie goes on to show the tragic consequences that resulted from this volatile situation. Originally made for cable television, the film features Emmy-winning performances by Rickman and Scacchi. ~ Rovi

In this espionage thriller, American and British operatives team up to learn the real reason behind a KGB officer's defection. The two sides suspect that it's all part of an elaborate assassination conspiracy. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Jake (Clive Owen) and Ringe (David Thewlis) keep a 1950s American car under wraps in hopes of someday escaping their drab town. When Jake falls for divorcee Susan (Diana Quick), she joins Jake and Ringe on a joyride, but the excitement of their initial freedom is short-lived, as they are soon bilked of all their money. Jake realizes his two companions do not share in his idea of carefree motoring, and he brings the two back home. Jake symbolically flies in his vehicle over the town he left behind. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Fabled Japanese filmmaker Nagisa Oshima was the guiding hand behind the fast-paced French comedy Max, Mon Amour. The "Max" with whom the elegant Charlotte Rampling falls in love is a circus chimpanzee (played by a short-statured man in a monkey suit). Charlotte's British-ambassador husband Anthony Higgins has long suspected that his wife was cheating on him, but he certainly isn't prepared for her simian paramour. Amazingly, the film never descends into goofiness: Oshima uses his unorthodox plotline to poke holes in the self-protective pretensions of the Bourgeoisie. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Much of 1919 takes place in 1984, but the spectre of that year looms large over the proceedings. Paul Scofield and Maria Schell play two of the surviving patients of Sigmund Freud. Currently residing in the US, Schell happens to see Scofield being interviewed on a TV show. She decides to seek her fellow patient out and compare notes. As they recall their long-ago therapy, the film fades back to the past, with Colin Firth and Claire Higgins playing, respectively, the younger Scofield and Schell. Freud himself is never seen, though his voice is heard (courtesy of actor Frank Finlay). Concluding that Freud wasn't all that he was cracked up to be, Scofield and Schell emerge from their nostalgia session with a mutual affection and attraction. The first dramatic effort of documentary filmmaker Hugh Brody (whose recreation of Times Past is succinct and remarkably accurance), 1919 was originally a coproduction of Britain's Channel Four and the British Film Institute. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Written in 1860 and previously filmed in 1912, 1914, 1917, 1929, and 1948, Wilkie Collins' gothic novel The Woman in White eventually resurfaced in miniseries form for British television. The plot was set in motion by the diabolical Count Fosco (Alan Badel), who tried to get his grubby mitts on a fortune by marrying off the twin sister of an heiress to an unscrupulous squire (Ian Richardson) while the actual heiress languished in an insane asylum. Ultimately, handsome tutor Walter Hartright (Daniel Gerroll) came to the rescue of the imperiled bride-to-be. Debuting in the U.K. on April 14, 1982, the five-part The Woman in White was seen in America beginning on December 12 of that same year. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this dark British comedy, a despondent businessman (Graham Chapman) decides to end it all after his wife leaves him. Unfortunately, he lacks the courage to do it to himself and so hires a professional assassin, telling him to do the deed no matter what. A short time passes and things look considerably brighter for the businessman who suddenly decides he wants to live. Unfortunately, nothing he says can convince his would be killer to stop his pursuit, and comic mayhem ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The Duellists is based on a story by Joseph Conrad, variously titled The Duel and The Point of Honour. Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel play officers in Napoleon's army -- D'Hubert and Feraud, respectively -- who spend their off-hours challenging each other to bloody duels. This goes on for nearly 16 years, with neither man showing any inclination of calling a truce. The final clash finds the gentlemanly D'Hubert getting the upper hand of the obsessed Feraud -- but that's not quite the end of the story. The Duellists was the debut feature for director Ridley Scott; it won the Cannes Film Festival prize for Best First Film. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Nicholas and Alexandra covers the rise and fall of the last of the Russian Romanovs. We first meet Czar Nicholas (Michael Jayston) and his German bride Alexandra (Janet Suzman) at their 1894 wedding. Though Nicholas is devoted to Alexandra, the Russian populace is less politely inclined to having a "foreigner" as their Czarina. Alexandra gains favor when she gives birth to the much-loved Prince Alexis (Roderick Noble). Alas, Alexis suffers from hemophilia, a disease which strikes every second generation of Alexandra's family. When all conventional medical ministrations fail, Alexandra puts the fate of her son in the hands of mystical holy man Rasputin (Tom Baker, later famous for his portrayal of Doctor Who). As Rasputin's influence and power grows, the Russian peasantry becomes more restless and disgruntled. They are now willing to listen to the speeches of such rabble-rousers as Lenin (Michael Bryant) and Trotsky (Brian Cox), who sow the seeds of revolution. Even after the murder of Rasputin, the Bolsheviks are unsatisfied: The revolution finally comes to pass in October of 1917. At first, the moderate Kerensky (John McEnery) pleads with his followers to allow the Romanovs safe passage out of Russia. But the radicals seize control, and on July 16, 1918, the royal family is summarily executed. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi