Anton Rodgers Movies
British character actor, onscreen from the '60s; he often played underdogs. ~ All Movie Guide
Academy-award-winning actor Jim Broadbent portrays controversial British campaigner Lord Longford in this biopic that details the former government minister and then-House of Lords leader's notorious encounter with infamous Moors Murderer Myra Hindley (Samantha Morton). A lifelong Christian who approaches every person he meets with the goodness and innocence of a child, Frank Packenham (aka Lord Longford) receives a letter from convicted child killer Myra Hindley requesting that he drop by her prison cell for a visit. Despite the vehement disapproval of his wife, Longford casually accepts the invitation and forms an unexpected bond with the woman due in large to their mutual Catholic upbringing. When his established notions about Hindley are challenged during a subsequent visit with her demonically manipulative partner-in-crime Ian Brady (Andy Serkis), the humble social campaigner finds his faith put to the ultimate test as public outcry mounts as a direct result of his meeting with the despised couple. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Broadbent, Samantha Morton, (more)
- 2001
Siblings attempting to flee religious persecution in Europe near the close of the 15th century find themselves torn apart by greed and jealousy in this historical drama. Isabel (Katherine Borowitz), Clara (Tara Fitzgerald), and Victoria (Hannah Taylor-Gordon) are three sisters from a family of Portuguese Jews who have been forced to fend for themselves after their wealthy parents died while trying to escape the wrath of the Spanish Inquisition. Isabel has appointed herself head of the household, acting as teenaged Victoria's guardian and giving Clara little say in the family's affairs. The sisters have relocated to Italy while trying to arrange a passage to Istanbul, where greater tolerance is shown to Jews; in Venice, they are allowed to live outside the city's dilapidated Jewish ghetto only as long at they attend Catholic services on a regular basis. Clara makes the acquaintance of Paolo (John Turturro), a charming British expatriate, and is quite taken with him until he proposes a marriage between his son and Victoria, leaving her to wonder if he wants to get his hands on the family fortune. Isabel, meanwhile, puts her siblings in jeopardy by attempting to steal the trade secrets of a leading Venetian glass blower and sell them to a group of Turks, a risky matter that could literally cost Isabel her life. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Turturro, Katherine Borowitz, (more)
- 1985
Helen Hayes makes her second TV appearance as Agatha Christie's female sleuth Miss Marple in Murder with Mirrors. Marple has been summoned to the lavish country estate of her old friend Carrie Louise Serrocold (Bette Davis). Carrie's stepson has been killed, and she fears that his won't be the last corpse to befoul the estate. She's right, and the game is afoot for Miss Marple once more, with a full contingent of prime suspects (including John Mills, Leo McKern and Dorothy Tutin). Murder with Mirrors was filmed on location on a genuine 13th century British estate. If Helen Hayes seems more spirited than Bette Davis (eight years Helen's junior), it's because Bette was seriously ill prior to and during shooting. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helen Hayes, Bette Davis, (more)
- 1983
Pictures was a sequel of sorts to the 1981 British miniseries Flickers, which enjoyed great success on both sides of the Atlantic. Whereas the earlier program dramatized the formative years of the British motion-picture industry, this sequel covered the years between World War I and the Great Depression, when the silent cinema was at its zenith. The various interrelated characters, employees all of the movie business, weathered such crises as the "invasion" of autocratic German directors and the "talkie revolution" following the release of Al Jolson's The Jazz Singer. The seven hour-long installments of Pictures first aired in the U.K. in 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anton Rodgers, Peter McEnery, (more)
Francesca Annis, previously seen on the Masterpiece Theatre presentation of Madame Bovary, plays the title role in the 13-installment Masterpiece offering Lillie. This is the story of legendary British actress Lillie Langtry, who during the Victorian and Edwardian era was as celebrated for her romantic pursuits as her theatrical accomplishments. We first see Lillie Le Breton living with her family on the isle of Jersey, escaping the strictures of her environment by marrying wealthy Edward Langtry (Anton Rodgers). When this marriage proves as confining as her previous existence, Lillie kicks over the traces and becomes an actress. Before long, she is the toast of London, and the object of every man's desires. Her admirers range from Belgium's King Leopold (Derek Smith) to the Prince of Wales (Dennis Lili) to American "hangin' judge" Roy Bean (Tommy Duggan) Even homosexual playwright Oscar Wilde is so smitten by Lillie that he writes Lady Windemere's Fan specifically for her. The story ends with Lillie undergoing a domestic crisis with her grown daughter (Joanna David). Lillie was originally telecast on PBS from March 11 through June 3, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francesca Annis, Anton Rodgers, (more)
- 1976
A young secretary (John Hurt) for the British Embassy in the Orient becomes involved with a plantation owner's wife (Judi Bowker). ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Police procedure collided head-on with stargazing in this 6-part British drama series. Anton Rodgers headed the cast as Scotland Yard detective David Gradley. While tracking down an elusive culprit, Gradley detected a pattern in the miscreant's crimes, one related to the signs of the zodiac. Thus, our hero enlisted the services of astrologer Esther Jones (Anouska Hempel) to solve the case. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anouska Hempel, Anton Rodgers, (more)
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
- Starring:
- Roger Moore, Hildegard Neil, (more)
Scrooge was designed as a follow-up to 1968's Oliver!, the Oscar-winning musicalization of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. The umpteenth musical version of Dickens' 1843 novelette A Christmas Carol, Scrooge features several sprightly Leslie Bricusse songs, including the bona fide hit "Thank You Very Much." Buried under mounds of latex, Albert Finney is Ebenezer Scrooge. The Three Ghosts who turn the miserly Scrooge's life around on Christmas Eve are portrayed by Edith Evans (Past), Kenneth More (Present) and Paddy Stone (Yet to Come). Sir Alec Guinness also appears as a fussy, slightly effeminate Marley's Ghost. Intriguingly, Finney performs his many songs live, without post-production dubbing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Albert Finney, Alec Guinness, (more)
- 1967
Number Six awakens one morning to find that his appearance has been radically altered and that he has been reassigned the "identity" of Number Two. Compounding his confusion, he comes face to face with the new Number Six, who looks exactly like his "old" self (Patrick McGoohan plays both roles). It's all part of a scheme by the New Number Two (Anton Rodgers) to break down the protagonist's resistance --- and possibly, his sanity. Jane Merrow costars as Alison, a woman claiming to have a mental link with Number Six (but which one?) Written by Terence Feely, "The Schizoid Man" first aired in England on October 29, 1967, and in America on July 6, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
A two-part episode of the British series Man in a Suitcase, this received a smattering of showings on American TV in the late 1960s before completely disappearing from view. The cast includes such espionage-flick vets as Richard Bradford, Yoko Tani, Ron Randell and Norman Rossington. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
England's famed comedy brothers John Boulting and Roy Boulting created this caper about a trio of crooks plotting to retrieve their ill-gotten booty. Jelly Knight (Dudley Sutton), Lenny the Dip (Kenneth Griffith), and Scapa Flood (James Beckett) are released from the stir upon finishing their sentence for pulling off a heist. They immediately go in search of their one-time leader, The Duke (Anton Rodgers), who was supposed to safeguard their share of the money. When they find the Duke's girlfriend Sara (Charlotte Rampling), she tells them that the Duke is dead, and the money is long gone. It's not long before the gang discovers that she's lying, however, and that the Duke is masquerading as the head of a spa, the Hope Springs Nature Clinic, where he is planning a felony with some criminal cronies. Jelly, Lenny, and Scapa get in on the scam, while Sara dallies with Lieutenant Vine (Ian Bannen), an officer from a nearby army camp. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anton Rodgers, Eric Sykes, (more)
- 1963
In this suspenseful espionage film a British agent and a man from NATO attempt to bust a communist spy ring. Following the discovery of a roll of top secret microfilm following a plane crash, the two finds themselves embroiled in a complex web of treachery and double agents. Fortunately, they survive all and bring the rogue spies to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Carry on Venus was originally titled Carry On Jack. A parody of seafaring epics, this one takes place in 1805 (give or take a few years). Kenneth Williams stars as Captain Fearless, doing battle against pirates, mutineers and the Spanish Armada (in 1805?) The recently released Marlon Brando version of Mutiny on the Bounty is mercilessly lampooned throughout. Aiding and abetting the usual gang of "Carry On"-ers are newcomers Juliet Mills and Bernard Cribbins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenny Williams, Bernard Cribbins, (more)
- 1962
A familiar cast and crew -- which will continue carrying on for several more of these comedies by director Gerald Thomas -- once again star in well-established character types. This time around, the put-upon captain of a cruise ship (Sidney James) has five top positions suddenly needing to be filled by replacements, and unfortunately, he gets a rather inept lot. The quintet does not lack for trying, but then that attitude engenders the difficulties in the first place. The new and amateur cook, the sophisticated bartender, and the shapely femme fatale all make their appearance among the eccentrics on board. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sidney James, Kenny Williams, (more)
- 1961
Any movie with a title like Petticoat Pirates would be hard to dislike--and equally hard to believe. Anticipating the "feminist" films of the 1970s, the plot concerns a group of female officers in the British Navy. Angered by the sexism inherent in the Admiralty, the uniformed ladies stage a mutiny, taking a timorous male stoker as a sort of hostage. Not terribly credible to begin with, the film ultimately veers off into fantasy. Petticoat Pirates is both innocuous and inconsequential; you may have seen it, but chances are you don't remember it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Drake, Anne Heywood, (more)
- 1961
In this wartime drama, a band of soldiers prefer to drink, steal, and leave the army to fighting. They change their tunes when they are assigned a suicide mission. Their brave commanding officer leads the men to successfully blow up an important bridge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1961
When a good-buddy needs an "instant wife" to impress a moneyed uncle, an insurance salesman is only too happy to loan out his wife in this British farce. Unfortunately for the friends, they are not the only two deceivers in the game. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Filmed in England, this final episode of One Step Beyond is set in 1883--August 25, 1883, to be exact. While sitting at his desk in Boston, newspaperman Henry Soames thinks that he hears four explosions. Suddenly going into a trance, Soames turns out a story about the volcano island of Krakatoa--one day before its famous eruption, and 15,000 miles from where the event will take place. If one can believe the rest of this story, one will accept the neat twist at the climax. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
In this crime thriller, a convicted embezzler kidnaps his son after his release from prison, not knowing that the boy is diabetic and will die without insulin injections. The police launch a massive manhunt. ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Cowritten by future Avengers mainstay Brian Clemens, the British-filmed Crash Drive plays like an American Pat O'Brien programmer of the 1930s. Dermot Walsh stars as a race car driver who is paralyzed in an accident. Rather than accept the situation, he immerses himself in the mire of self-pity. Only the return of estranged wife Wendy Williams snaps Walsh out of his weeping and wailing. Just as Wendy Williams is not rock star Wendy O. Williams, neither is Crash Drive supporting actor Ian Fleming the same person as the novelist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dermot Walsh, Wendy Williams, (more)
One of William Shakespeare's most powerful comedies has been given a bold cinematic adaptation in this film version of The Merchant of Venice. Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes) is a young and vital member of the aristocratic classes in 16th century Italy; however, Bassanio's impulsive nature and lavish lifestyle have put him deeply in debt, and he will need at least the pretense of a fortune if he is to win the hand of the beautiful Portia (Lynn Collins). Bassanio turns to his close friend Antonio (Jeremy Irons), a successful businessman, for financial help, but with much of his fortune tied up in a sailing expedition, Antonio can do little to help him. To help Bassanio, Antonio turns to Shylock (Al Pacino), a Jewish money lender who lives in Venice's Semetic ghetto. Antonio has often expressed his contempt for Shylock, who charges high rates for his loans, and Shylock clearly seems pleased at the ironic prospect of having Antonio as a customer; however, instead of interest, Shylock demands an unusual security on his loan -- though Shylock demands no interest, if Antonio does not repay the three thousand ducats in three months, Shylock will be entitled to a pound of his flesh. This version of The Merchant of Venice was directed by Michael Radford, best known for the international hit Il Postino, and was shot on locations in Venice and Luxembourg. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, (more)
