Carl Bernard Movies
- 1972
- PG
The phenomenon of Tales from the Crypt seems to have no endings, only changes. This successful pun-filled style of presenting ironic horror tales had its beginnings in William Gaine's E.C. comic series. At one time, outlandish E.C. Comics were at the heart of a national furor over the "evils" of comic books, which were thought to lead to moral degeneracy. The big comic-book publishers were frightened into freezing E.C. out of their distribution network, which killed the business. This British movie was based on the Tales from the Crypt series, which spawned several subsequent movies (and many imitators), at least one television series, and a whole new wave of comic books. Released in 1972, this movie has five episodes based on Gaines' stories, each introduced by Sir Ralph Richardson as the eerily cheery Crypt Keeper. His comedic approach to the role was misunderstood at the time, as reviewers expected a more solemn approach to horror. In "All Through the House," Santa Claus is someone to avoid. In "Reflection of Death" it takes some people a while to realize the truth about themselves. In "Poetic Justice" death cannot prevent one man's revenge. The episode "Blind Alley" demonstrates a new use for razor blades. "Wish You Were Here" cautions against taking native artifacts lightly (among other things). Among the stars featured are Peter Cushing, Joan Collins and Patrick Magee. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
Liv Ullman portrays a female pope -- based on a long-held rumor that the papacy was held by a woman between the reigns of Leo IV and Benedict III -- in this rambling saga directed by Michael Anderson. The British version of the film has been cut, not only removing twenty-one minutes of the film but also an entire contemporary framing story. In the full version, a modern-day woman evangelist, played by Ullman, who feels an affinity to the legendary Pope Joan, pays a visit to her psychiatrist (Keir Dullea). Searching through her past lives to see whether she is the reincarnation of Pope Joan, the film then flashbacks 1000 years to pick up Joan (Ullman in an earlier incarnation of her character) undergoing a succession of trials and tribulations. Joan then meets up with and becomes the mistress of Adrian (Maximilian Schell), a monk with an artistic bent. After the death of Charlemagne when roving bands of Saxons are raping women and ransacking the countryside, Joan flees the country by cutting her hair short and dressing like a man. Together Joan and Adrian escape to Greece. In Greece, Joan's street-corner preaching draws the attention of Pope Leo IV (Trevor Howard), who is impressed by her impassioned rendering of the Gospel. Still disguised as a man, Pope Leo, clueless as to her true sex, hires her as his secretary. From there, she rises up the ladder of the Roman Catholic Church, becoming a cardinal and then Pope Leo's successor. But then she becomes pregnant by a lover from her past (Franco Nero) and Joan must hide her delicate condition from the papal authorities and the rowdy masses. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liv Ullmann, Trevor Howard, (more)
- 1972
The Darwin Adventure stars Nicholas Clay as 19th century British naturalist Charles Darwin. The film covers the whole of Darwin's life, with emphasis on his volatile evolutionary theories. The "adventure" of the title is Darwin's 1831 fact-finding voyage on the good ship Beagle, in search of nature's secrets in the darker corners of South America. The story ends in Darwin's declining years, during which time many of his theories have been adopted and refined by younger, more broad-minded naturalists. The Darwin Adventure plays like a Cliff's Notes version of the subject's life, packing far too much into its 91 minute running time to be properly digested by the average filmgoer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
This unsavory British programmer stars Ian Hendry as a hustler who seduces anything in skirts. He launches his sexual adventures by trying to put the make on his married boarding house neighbor June Ritchie. She spurns him until he agrees to find her young daughter, who has wandered off. Hendry moves on to Ritchie's sister Annette Andre, but this affair is squelched by Ritchie, who threatens to kill herself and tell all to her husband. Hendry leaves to find new conquests elsewhere. A novel by Nan Maynard was the launching pad for This Is My Street. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- June Ritchie, Avice Landone, (more)
- 1961
Lois Maxwell, best remembered as Miss Moneypenny in the "James Bond" films of the 1960s, is here cast as Esther Hollis. Though she and her husband want to have children, Esther is afraid of conceiving because of a history of insanity in her family. Late one night, Esther hears the sound of sobbing child, emanating from a room in her house that has never been used or even furnished. Open the door, she finds that the "room upstairs" has been converted into a nursery. . .whereupon the crying intensifies at a maddening rate. This is one of several One Step Beyond episodes filmed in England. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this spooky film, three American exchange students visit an English castle purported to be haunted. The lads want to see if the local legend is true. At sundown the boys are accosted by a spirit who leaps down from a portrait. He asks the lads if they will help a second ghost locate his missing head. They agree to help, but they find themselves plagued by a third spirit. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1959
This enjoyably twisted British thriller was shot back-to-back with the equally warped Haunted Strangler and is one of the first films of any genre to address the subject of drug addiction. It stars Boris Karloff as Dr. Thomas Bolton, a London surgeon who believes he has developed a safe and effective anesthetic serum which he hopes will revolutionize the world of medicine. Unfortunately, a demonstration of the drug before a panel of his peers ends in a horrific mishap -- with his patient awakening under the knife -- and he is forced to leave his position in disgrace. To complicate matters, Bolton has become addicted to his own concoctions and is forced to enter an illicit arrangement, forging death certificates for a pair of grave-robbers (including Christopher Lee) in exchange for a regular fix and the means to continue his experiments. As one would imagine, this shady partnership leads him further down the road to ruin, culminating in his unwitting participation in murder -- for which he becomes the victim of a blackmail scheme. Karloff's multi-layered performance is one of his finest, bringing a great deal of pathos to his tragic character. This film was also something of a turning point for Lee, who had already risen to international fame in many Hammer productions by the time this film was acquired by MGM for American distribution. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee, (more)
- 1957
The always reliable Griffith Jones is afforded the leading role in the British Account Rendered. Jones plays a victim of circumstance, accused of murdering his wife Ursula Howells. With the police breathing down his neck, Jones endeavors to prove his innocence. He is aided in this effort by the lovely Honor Blackman ("Pussy Galore" in Goldfinger and the first female star of the long-running TVer The Avengers). Account Rendered is based on a novel by Pamela Barrington. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
In this thriller, a newspaper columnist is killed and another reporter looks into it. He is shocked when his investigation implicates his own wife. Unable to believe this, he begins a more thorough search to reveal the true killer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1957
In this British mystery, set backstage at a theater, a beautiful actress is starring in a successful playwright's newest hit. Unbeknownst to her, the writer is in love with her. Because he is jealous of all those who might steal her away, he refuses to allow her to break her contract and work in an American playwright's newest show. Trouble ensues when the jealous playwright is found stabbed with a pair of the actress's scissors. The American is afraid that she is being framed and so helps her move the body. When the police find it, everyone becomes a suspect until it is learned that the actress was guilty all along. The American, who also loves her, takes the rap for her crime. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dale Robertson, Lois Maxwell, (more)
- 1957
Three Men in a Boat is the second film version of the comic novel by Jerome K. Jerome. The titular trio is played by popular British comedian Jimmy Edwards, up-and-coming leading man Laurence Harvey and stalwart character actor David Tomlinson. Escaping their dull weekday pursuit, the three pals take a pleasure excursion down the Thames in a small boat, encountering all sorts of comic and romantic complications. Jill Ireland makes an early screen appearance as a young lady who briefly bewitches the bookish Harvey. Though dated, Three Men in a Boat was just as capable of eliciting laughter as it had been in its first cinematic incarnation in 1933. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laurence Harvey, Jimmy Edwards, (more)
- 1956
In this location-filmed domestic seriocomedy, Rosanno Brazzi and Glynis Johns play an accountant and his new wife, honeymooning in Monte Carlo. With the casino in full view and ready for action, the couple would be remiss if they didn't give the gaming tables a try. Besides, Brazzi is certain that he's worked out a "system." Sure enough, the couple's marriage suffers mightily as the lure of the casino becomes stronger than their devotion to each other. Based on a story by Graham Greene, Loser Takes All was remade in 1990 as Strike It Rich, with Robert Lindsay and Mollie Ringwald. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rossano Brazzi, Glynis Johns, (more)
- 1953
In this drama, an ex-con, who served time for a crime he did not commit, attempts to return to his home village and lead a peaceful, hard working life. Unfortunately, a murder victim is found in town and the ex-con is naturally blamed. Fortunately, he is able to clear his name by solving the murders. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1947
The hard lives of those living on the rugged Hebrides are chronicled in this drama that is partially comprised of footage from a documentary. The story centers on a farmer's wife who becomes miserable when her husband loses his livelihood and is forced to become a herring fisherman on those barren isles. The woman loathes life near the sea, and after her husband is forcibly inducted into the Navy, she moves in with her aunt. In the new village, she meets the handsome captain of a herring boat and they fall in love. Unfortunately, a cholera outbreak erupts. She must also cope with her son's desire to become a fisherman. Storms also wreak havoc in her life, but fortunately, she weathers it all and at last is able to be with the man she truly loves. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carl Bernard, Clifford Evans, (more)
