Jacqueline Bisset Movies
Born Jacqueline Fraser, in Weybridge, England, onetime model Jacqueline Bisset was vaulted into stardom on the strength of two 1967 films: In the over-produced spy spoof Casino Royale, she attracted attention as the alluring Giovanni Goodthighs; even more impressive (so far as critics were concerned) was her near-microscopic role in Stanley Donen's Two for the Road, in which Bisset plays the vacationing British schoolgirl whose sudden case of the measles makes the rest of the plot possible. (She reprised and expanded upon this bit in a film-within-a-film in François Truffaut's Day for Night in 1973.) First cast on the basis of her looks alone, Bisset later developed into a top-notch actress, as evidenced by her performances in The Grasshopper (1969) and The Thief Who Came to Dinner (1972). She came to so despise her earlier sexpot image that she insisted that no still photos of her wet T-shirt scenes in The Deep (1977) be reproduced for publication. That year, Newsweek magazine voted her "the most beautiful film actress of all time." In 1978, she played another famous Jackie (although not so named) in The Greek Tycoon, an à clef version of the Aristotle Onassis saga. A more mature but no less dazzlingly beautiful Bisset was later seen in a kinky secondary role in Zalman King's Wild Orchid (1990). The actress received critical acclaim in 2001 for her portrayal of a dying woman's search for the daughter she never knew in Christopher Munch's drama The Sleepy Time Gal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 2008
Nick Nolte offers a unique glimpse into his life and his art in this documentary. In Nick Nolte: No Exit, the respected actor appears both as himself and as a television journalist who is interviewing Nolte for a film on his career. The smart-suited reporter grills the slightly scruffy actor about his youth, his early days in Hollywood, his rise to stardom, his working methods, his influences and his occasional run-ins with the law. Along the way, the two Noltes watch film clips from some of the actor's more celebrated roles, and some of his friends and colleagues discuss their experiences with Nolte via the internet, including Ben Stiller, Barbara Hershey, Rosanna Arquette, Powers Boothe and Jacqueline Bisset. Nick Nolte: No Exit received its world premiere at the 2008 Karlovy Vary Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Based on the beloved story by Little Women author Louisa May Alcott, director Graeme Campbell's holiday-themed family drama tells the tale of a headstrong teenager who seeks to rescue her family from financial ruin by writing to her long lost grandmother, a wealthy New York socialite. Mathilda Bassett is a quick-witted young writer who just lost her father in an untimely tragedy, and now her mother is struggling just to make ends meet. Though she has never met her grandmother Isabella, Mathilda secretly puts pen to paper in a desperate bid to keep her family afloat financially. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacqueline Bisset, Helene Joy, (more)
- 2008
A youthful pastor hired in as the music master at a school for the abandoned and illegitimate daughters of Venice nightwalkers forms a powerful bond with the children that eventually leads him to perform before the pope in director Boris Damast's screen biography of Four Seasons composer Antonio Vivaldi. Jacqueline Bisset, Malcolm McDowell, and Carice van Houten star in a film featuring Joseph Fiennes as the acclaimed violinist and Baroque composer. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joseph Fiennes, Lena Headey, (more)
Author Nora Roberts' tense tale of second sight comes to the screen in this drama directed by Stephen Tolkin. Lately, Tory Bodeen (Claire Forlani) has been experiencing a series of frightening visions that seem to be beckoning her back to her small hometown. As the visions become increasingly intense, the brutal murder of Tory's childhood friend Hope is subsequently revealed to have been but the first in a brutal series of slayings that rocked the tightly knit community to its very core. Every year the killer claims another life, and now it seems that he has anticipated Tory's return. Now, as Tory attempts to catch the killer before becoming his next victim, her blossoming romance with Hope's handsome older brother Cade (Oliver Hudson) proves that the only thing more powerful than passion is the fear of death. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claire Forlani, Oliver Hudson, (more)
Sex. Seduction. Liposuction. Find them all in the fearless Nip/Tuck, the award-winning series that's the scalpel's edge of entertainment...and the spark for debate about what cosmetic surgery can or cannot bring to a patient's life. Dylan Walsh and Julian McMahon play plastic surgeons/best friends whose glamorous South Beach practice is a revolving door for Season 4's hot-button issues (including a terrifying story arc about an organ-harvest ring) and human foibles (a ventriloquist wants to look like his dummy). Guest stars include Jacqueline Bissett, Larry Hagman, Alanis Morissette, Mo'Nique, Rosie O'Donnell, Brooke Shields and more. Thrills, surprises, shocks, stars abound in this 5-Disc Set. And all it takes is a little Nip/Tuck.
- Starring:
- Dylan Walsh, Julian McMahon, (more)
- 2006
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As Sarah Johnson (Izabella Miko)'s ultimate dream of attending Julliard and becoming a professional ballerina begin to take roots in reality, her interest in the art of hip-hop dance threatens to sideline her education in this sequel to the popular 2001 dance drama. Sarah Johnson may be at Julliard, but her struggle to make a name for herself in the ultra-competitive world of dance is only beginning. Though her stern instructor and idol Monique Delacroix (Jacqueline Bisset) has generously taken young Isabelle under her wing, a guest lecturer named Miles (Columbus Short) causes the aspiring young dancer to question her priorities. Soon torn between the raw honesty of hip-hop dance and the respectable world of ballet, Sarah realizes that only she take hold of her fate and face the future with the confidence to succeed no matter which path she chooses. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Izabella Miko, Columbus Short, (more)
- 2004
The title of this made-for-TV drama refers to a grim-visaged trio of women who were all raped by the same man. Forming a united front to help track the suspected rapist down are Jillian Hayes (played by Roma Downey, who also produced film), Carol Rossen (Jacqueline Bisset) and Meg Pesaturo (Lauren Lee Smith. Under intense pressure from both the "Survivors Club" and an outraged public, the authorities waste no time hauling in prime suspect Eddie Como (Darren Shahlavi), even though Eddie's wife Tawnya (Pamela Diaz) is confident to the point of smugness that Eddie is innocent. On the first day of his trial, Eddie is shot down and killed by an unseen sniper--whereupon Jillian, Carol and Meg all but dance in the streets, making shocking public comments of how thrilled they are about this instance of vigilante justice (and in the process arousing suspicion that they may have engineered the shooting) . It soon develops, however, that Eddie may not have been guilty after all. . .and that the real rapist may have ordered the hit. The one person who seems to hold the key to the mystery is one David Price (Brian Markinson)--who happens to be a serial killer! Based on the book by Lisa Gardner, The Survivors Club made its first CBS appearance on March 7, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roma Downey, James Remar, (more)
- 2004
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The Z Channel wasn't America's first premium cable outlet specializing in feature films, and it wasn't the most commercially successful, but few, if any, had as strong an impact on the film industry or a more influential list of customers. Based in California and blanketing sections of the state dominated by the movie business, Z Channel had been operating for several years before former screenwriter Jerry Harvey took over as head of programming in 1980. Under the guidance of Harvey and his staff, the channel became a film buff's dream, screening rare classics, important foreign films, and maverick American titles that had fallen through the cracks of commercial distribution. Harvey and his staff also programmed original and uncut versions of films which had only played American theaters in altered form (including Heaven's Gate, Once Upon a Time in America, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, and The Leopard) long before the concept of the "director's cut" had currency beyond the most hardcore of film fans. And The Z Channel aggressively championed pictures they believed were overlooked, and programmed deserving Oscar-nominated movies during the Academy's voting period, years before studios began distributing video "screeners" to potential voters. (More than one industry expert has credited Z Channel's showings of Annie Hall as a key factor in the film winning Best Picture.) But Jerry Harvey was also a deeply troubled man, and when legal and economic problems began dogging the company in the late '80s, he snapped, leading to a horrible and tragic murder and suicide. The Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession is a documentary that looks at the channel's short but remarkable history as well as Harvey's damaged personal life. It includes interviews with Robert Altman, Quentin Tarantino, James Woods, Jim Jarmusch, Alexander Payne and a number of other filmmakers and critics who attest to Z Channel's lasting impact. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2003
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Originally titled America's Son, this cable-TV biopic of John F. Kennedy Jr. begins at the end, with the plane crash of July 19, 1999, that took the lives of Kennedy, his wife Caroline, and his sister-in-law. From this tragic vantage point, the film segues into flashbacks detailing the very public life of J.F.K. Sr.'s only son, of whom it was once said, "The world knew his name before he did." Based on The Day John Died, a book by George Andersen, the film intimates that "John-John" would have been happy charting his own course in life, but was instead channelled into following in the Kennedy tradition by his iron-willed mother Jacqueline (played by Jacqueline Bisset, who'd previously essayed an à clef version of Jackie O. in the theatrical feature The Greek Tycoon). Thus, John enters law school, where he is twice humiliated by failing to pass the bar exam. Finally, as editor of the high-profile George magazine, John can stand on his own merits and not as an adjunct of the Kennedy mystique. Naturally, the film devotes time aplenty to J.F.K. Jr.'s well-publicized romances, notably his lengthy association with actress Daryl Hannah (here played by Tara Chocol) and his ultimate marriage to Caroline Bessette (Portia de Rossi). Somewhat undercutting the credibility of the restaged scenes is the producers' utilization of interviews with the actual friends and associates of John Jr. -- not to mention film clips of the "real" Kennedy, employed as bridges between scenes. America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story debuted January 12, 2003, on TBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kris Polaha, Jacqueline Bisset, (more)
- 2002
Jacqueline Bisset stars as Maggie, a Keats-quoting professor of English literature, on the verge of celebrating her 25th anniversary. But Maggie's euphoria evaporates when she discovers that her husband Tom has been flagrantly cheating on her for these many years. Dispirited, she returns to her hometown of Harvest Moon, retreating to the tranquil lake where she had fallen in love with the late Patrick Fleming three decades earlier. By and by, the fiftysomething Maggie is attracted to Patrick's handsome son Tom (Eric Mabius), who is literally half her age. The question: Is Maggie truly enamored of Tom, or is she merely romancing the ghost of Tom's father? Valerie Harper provides some much-needed relief from the overall bathos in the traditional "wisecracking best friend" role. Based on a novel by K.C. McKinnon, the made-for-TV Dancing at the Harvest Moon first aired October 20, 2002, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Go behind the scenes of one of the most legendary cop thrillers in cinematic history with this documentary from director Ronald Saland. The winner of the 1969 Oscar for Best Editing, Bullitt is among the best-loved pictures of the late Steve McQueen's career, and McQueen is on hand here along with fellow stars Robert Vaughn and Jacqueline Bisset and director Peter Yates. Also known as Bullitt: Commitment to Reality, The Making of Bullitt offers viewers an inside look at the production of the acclaimed film. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
Two women connected by family are drawn closer by fate in this low-key drama. Frances (Jacqueline Bisset) is a woman in her early fifties who had already begun to sense time was running out for her when she learned that she has cancer. While Frances is fighting the disease through medical treatment, she decides it's a good idea to do some travelling before it's too late, and she pays a visit to Bob (Seymour Cassel), a former boyfriend who now owns a farm in rural Pennsylvania. To Bob's surprise, Frances strikes up a fast friendship with his wife Betty (Peggy Gormley), and Frances shares a confession with her -- while Frances maintains a close relationship with her son Morgan (Nick Stahl), she also had a daughter by Bob that she put up for adoption, and she's not certain if she should track down the child while there's still time. Coincidentally, Frances' daughter is Rebecca (Martha Plimpton), a successful lawyer who has begun to express a curiosity about her birth parents. Rebecca has been hired by a large communications firm to deal with the paperwork regarding the purchase of a radio station in Florida, and while in the Sunshine State, Rebecca gets to know the station's manager, Jimmy (Frankie R. Faison). As Jimmy and Rebecca ease into a short-term romance, he shares stories about the "Sleepy Time Gal," a mysterious female disc jockey who worked at the station back in the '50s; what neither Jimmy nor Rebecca know is that the Sleepy Time Gal was actually Frances. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacqueline Bisset, Martha Plimpton, (more)
A kind of "best-of" account of the books of Genesis and Exodus, this two-part NBC miniseries aired in November 2000. Part One, set in the desert, covers the stories of Abraham (Martin Landau), Sarah (Jacqueline Bisset), Isaac (Sean Pertwee), Rebeccah (Diana Rigg), Esau (Andrew Grainger), and Jacob (Frederick Weller) and culminates with the enslavement of Joseph (Eddie Cibrian). Part Two, set in biblical Egypt, focuses on the story of Moses (Billy Campbell) and his deliverance of his people from slavery. Also included in the miniseries' huge and illustrious cast are Alan Bates as Jethro, Geraldine Chaplin as Yocheved, and Jonathan Firth as Joshua. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Landau, Jacqueline Bisset, (more)
He was a poor carpenter who never traveled further than 50 miles from his home and died at the age of 33, but his teachings changed the world and he's still followed by hundreds of millions of people around the world, 2,000 years after his death. Jesus, originally produced as a television mini-series, offers a glimpse of the human side of the messiah, as well as recounting the story of his life and martyrdom. Jeremy Sisto stars as Jesus, with Jacqueline Bisset as Mary, Armin Mueller-Stahl as Joseph, Gary Oldman as Pontius Pilate, and Debra Messing as Mary Magdalene. The home video release is expanded from the broadcast edition, featuring material that was cut for time purposes. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeremy Sisto, Jacqueline Bisset, (more)
- 2000
After the First World War had shattered the glib excesses of the Gilded Age and ushered in modernism, artist John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) was dismissed as a shallow, commercialized portraitist who pandered to vain aristocrats. In more recent years, however, there has been a resurgence of interest in Sargent's sumptuous works. Director Jackson Frost argues, in this compelling and persuasive documentary, that Sargent is one of the most important and talented artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries -- a painter who uniquely captures the grace and splendid joie de vivre of his era. Frost further examines the full range of Sargent's career, including lesser-known landscapes, murals, and his depictions of the horrors of the war. A great find for art lovers, this exciting look at the career of a master was shot in high-definition (HDTV for the most vibrant, eye-popping images possible. ~ Sarah Welsh, All Movie Guide
A reporter learns some lessons about love from a woman who has made it her business in this made-for-TV comedy-drama. Joanna Scott (Linda Hamilton) is a woman who thought she had the perfect life -- a successful career as a journalist and a strong marriage with her husband, Dale (Stewart Bick), that's already lasted ten years. But when Dale suddenly announces that he's leaving Joanna for a younger woman, her self-confidence goes out the window and she's not sure what to do next. Joanna's editor assigns her to write a story about Madame Simone (Jacqueline Bisset), the Madame of the most luxurious bordello in Paris. It's hardly a subject Joanna would have chosen herself, but she figures a trip to France on the magazine's expense account might help to cheer her up. Joanna meets with Madame Simone, but the Madame senses that Joanna is unhappy and asks her a few questions about the state of her love life. Madame Simone then takes it upon herself to pass a few of the lessons she's learned about sensuality and romance along to Joanna, teaching her the importance of self-confidence as she looks for new love. Sex & Mrs. X first aired on April 10, 2000. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacqueline Bisset, Linda Hamilton, (more)
H.M.S. Britannic was the sister ship of the Titanic, and like its more famous sibling, the ship was fated to be lost while at sea. This drama imagines what might have led up to the ship's sinking on its final voyage. Vera Campbell (Amanda Ryan) is an attractive young woman who is an undercover agent for the British government. She is ordered to cross the sea aboard the Britannic in hopes of learning more about German spies who may attempt to sabotage the great ship. During the course of the voyage, Vera becomes infatuated with Reynolds (Edward Atterton), the Britannic's chaplain; he also finds himself attracted to her, but while his status as a man of the cloth presents an obstacle in their romance, it's nothing compared to Vera's discovery that Reynolds is one of the German agents she's been assigned to ferret out. Britannic also stars Jacqueline Bisset, Bruce Payne, and John Rhys-Davies. Incidentally, while in real life the Britannic did indeed sink off the Greek coast, it's conceded to have fallen prey to a torpedo -- rather than any sabotage on board. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
British director Suri Kishnamma follows his quiet character study A Man of No Importance (1994) with this raucous feel-good suicide-pact comedy-drama. The film opens with buddies Jake (Andrew Lee Potts) and Steven (Robby Barry) enjoying a little joie de vivre on French ski slopes during a school holiday until a freak avalanche kills everyone in their high school class except, of course, Jake, Steve, and an adult chaperone who remains in a coma throughout the movie. The two cogent survivors return to their coastal community with much tabloid attention. Jake's divorced mother Shelley (Anastasia Hille) is barely able to keep it together with anti-depressants and welfare checks. She leans on Jake, her eldest son, for emotional stability. Steven, on the other hand, loathes his ice queen socialite mother (Jacqueline Bisset) and his anal-retentive politico father. Traumatized in two different ways -- Steven slides into steely cynicism while Jake delves into weepy despondency -- the two agree to a blood pact: they will spend the following year living it up in nihilist glee, after which time they will duly off themselves. As the year of mayhem unfolds -- including robbing banks, torching schools, and eating ice cream in Timbuktu -- their friendship and their fidelity to their pact is questioned. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marianne Jean-Baptiste
- 1999
Set in Victoria, Australia, the made-for-TV Witch Hunt concerns an infant girl named Hannah, who is abducted by her grandmother Barbara Thomas (Jacqueline Bisset). Hannah's father David Overton (Cameron Daddo), convinced that Barbara is the head of a coven of witches, inaugurates a desperate nationwide search for his missing daughter. However, David may have a sinister agenda of his own, as indicated by the fact that his wife recently died under mysterious circumstances. Originally telecast by Australia's Network Ten on May 2, 1999, Witch Hunt later aired in the U.S. courtesy of cable's Lifetime network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
The National Gallery of Art in Washington hosted an exhibition of 70 of Van Gogh's best paintings. The master's work can be divided into three separate periods marked by his time spent living in the Netherlands, his reaction to French Impressionism in Paris, and the highly productive time he spent in the south of France. Masterpieces featured include: The Potato Eaters, The Bedroom, Self-Portrait As an Artist, The Harvest, and Wheatfield With Crows. Narrated by Jacqueline Bisset and produced and directed by Emmy-winner Jackson Frost. ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Director and screenwriter Stacy Title (best known for the independent feature The Last Supper) obviously knows a good story when she sees one, and proves it with Let The Devil Wear Black, which takes the framework of Shakespeare's Hamlet and recasts it with present-day characters and dialogue. Jack (Jonathan Penner), a professional student, is convinced something is rotten in the state of his family after the recent death of his father -- especially when Uncle Sammy (Jack Sheridan) decides to marry Jack's mother (Jacqueline Bisset) with what Jack thinks is inappropriate speed. Jack becomes convinced his father's death was at the hands of some shadowy conspiracy, while his girlfriend, Julia (Mary-Louise Parker) starts to unravel in the face of her own tensions and Jack's obsessions. The supporting cast includes Philip Baker Hall, Jonathan Banks, Maury Chaykin and Chris Sarandon; Let The Devil Wear Black was shown as part of the 1999 Slandance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Penner, Jacqueline Bisset, (more)
- 1998
Model and film actress Jacqueline Bisset's turbulent personal life and struggle for artistic respect are the subject of this Lifetime Intimate Portrait. Born in Weybridge, England, into an idyllic family life, Bisset's innocence was shattered by her mother's battle with multiple sclerosis and the resulting divorce of her parents. Independent, but with a strong sense of duty, Bisset started a successful modeling career in London and helped support her ailing mother and older brother. Soon after, she began garnering film roles with her stunning physical beauty, and as her dramatic talents developed she would fight to maintain her integrity and gain respect as an actor. The program is narrated by Candice Bergen. ~ Sarah Welsh, All Movie Guide
