Aubrey Richards Movies

Adapted for television by Russell Lewis from the novel by Ellis Peters, "Monk's Hood" was the fourth in a series of 90-minute Cadfael mysteries. In 12th century Shrewsbury, a young man is murdered, apparently so that the killer can get his or her hands on the victim's inheritance. Investigating the case, warrior-turned-monk Brother Cadfael (Derek Jacobi) is enmeshed in the bureaucracy of conflicting Welsh and Norman Laws. Complicating matters is the fact that the dead man was killed by one of Cadfael's own poisonous concoctions -- and, even more intriguing, the victim's widow Aldith (Sophie Lawrence) was Cadfael's childhood sweetheart. First broadcast in England on June 19, 1994, "Monk's Hood" appeared in America a few months later as part of the PBS anthology Mystery. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This mystery, adapted from an Agatha Christie story, tells the tale of an ambitious British chauffeur who marries his American employer, one of the richest women in the US and persuades her to buy a palatial country estate. She literally loves it to death and that is where all the real trouble begins. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Basil Dearden's final film is a psychological thriller, adapted from an episode of the Alfred Hitchcock Presents television series. Roger Moore stars as wealthy business executive Harold Pelham, who becomes involved in a terrible car accident. While recovering from his injuries, his alter ego is unleashed and begins to live Pelham's life where he left off. When Pelham returns to his home and his job, he discovers his alter ego has not only undermined his business, but began an affair with a minor acquaintance and revitalized his previously unexciting sex life with his wife. This was Moore's final film before he took over the role of James Bond with Live and Let Die. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of the four-part story "The Tomb of the Cybermen," the titular villains unleash their Cybermat army on the members of an expedition on the planet Telos. Among those threatened is the Doctor (Patrick Troughton), who fortunately has the wherewithal to destroy the Cybermen. Unfortunately, he is also armed with the knowledge that if the Cybermen are indeed wiped out, the consequences could be devastating. Originally telecast September 23, 1967, Doctor Who: The Tomb of the Cybermen, Episode 4 was written by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the second episode of the four-part story "The Tomb of the Cybermen," the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) and his friends have joined an archeological expedition on the planet Telos. Upon finding the ice tombs of the dreaded Cybermen, the Doctor also uncovers a horrible secret. Without giving the game away, it can be noted that there are at least three other members of the expedition who have their own agenda. Originally telecast September 9, 1967, Doctor Who: The Tomb of the Cybermen, Episode 2 was written by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This silly twist on the silent classic Der Golem stars Roddy McDowall as Arthur Pimm, assistant museum curator and would-be Norman Bates who, among other things, preserves the body of his late mother in his home. When Pimm and museum director Grove (Ernest Clark) discover a grotesque statue left intact after a fire at one of the museum storehouses, they transport the stone behemoth to the museum for study. After finding Grove mysteriously crushed to death under the statue, Pimm's curiosity is piqued, leading him to investigate its origins. He discovers that the figure is actually the legendary Golem, an indestructible creature of 16th-century Yiddish myth capable of destroying the enemies of any man who becomes its master. Pimm is eventually able to control the monster with his deranged mind, leading it on a rampage of murder and destruction that devastates half of London. Aside from McDowall's typically eccentric performance, this stodgy film is a fairly tedious exercise, shambling along more slowly than the monster itself and punctuated only by occasional over-the-top moments, particularly at the laughable climax. Director Herbert J. Leder's earlier horror film The Frozen Dead is much more enjoyable. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Michael Caine made his first appearance as novelist Len Deighton's bespectacled British-spy Harry Palmer in The Ipcress File. Palmer has no real love of espionage, but he doesn't really know any other life. With studied insolence, he takes on the case of locating missing doctor Radcliffe (Aubrey Richards), who has in his possession a valuable file that would prove injurious to the Free World should it fall in the wrong hands. The government also fears that Radcliffe will be brainwashed by the enemy, as has happened to two previous British scientists. While Palmer is off doing everyone else's dirty work, his superior, Nigel Green, is making a deal with duplicitous information "broker" Frank Gatliff to win Radcliffe's release. The price for this would seem to be Palmer, who is captured by the enemy and subjected to a grueling brainwashing session. Palmer escapes, whereupon he confronts a traitor in his midst in the climactic exchange of gunfire. Advertised as "The Thinking Man's Goldfinger, The Ipcress File offered a far more realistic view of the morally ambivalent world of espionage than did the like-vintage James Bond films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A movie based on a true story, this is the story of a man who was exiled as a thief from his village but later returns for revenge. He plans to buy the entire district up as part of a water reservoir project but an old woman and her stepson stand in his way. Revenge, murder, desperation and love all intertwine in this moving account. This was Richard Burton's first screen role, having been a stage actor prior to his stint in the Royal Air Force as a navigator during WWII. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide