Heather Tobias Movies
Originally produced for the BBC and broadcast in the U.S. as part of the PBS series Masterpiece Theatre, this drama tells the story of the Sandringham Company, one of the most unusual teams of fighting men to march on the battlefields of World War I; under the leadership of Captain Frank Beck, the Sandringhams were made up entirely of servants and custodians from the Norfolk estate of King George V. Hoping to serve their king in a time of need, they volunteered for military service and were sent into battle against Turkish forces in 1915's infamous Battle of Gallipoli, during which they disappeared and were never seen again. David Jason plays Capt. Beck, David Troughton portrays George V, and Maggie Smith appears as Queen Alexandra, an ardent supporter of the Sandringham battalion. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Jason, Patrick Malahide, (more)
Jasmin Dizdar's debut feature takes place in London on October 13, 1993. England is to play against Holland in a critical World Cup qualifier. The Bosnian war is at its height, Sebrenica is besieged, and the UN is preparing relief airdrops. Serbian Dado Jehan and Croatian Faruk Pruti meet on a London bus. Recognizing each other as fellow refugees from the same village in Bosnia, they try to beat each other up. The subsequent crazy chase through the streets of central London sets the scene for a highly charged dark comedy. Beautiful People draws a portrait of the multicultural life of London where lives of British families are inadvertently linked with the lives of the refugees. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi
- Starring:
- Charlotte Coleman, Charles Kay, (more)
A young boy learns a grownup's lesson in survival in this dramatic adventure. Alex (Jordan Kiziuk) is an 11-year-old boy who is living with his father Stefan (Patrick Bergin) and Uncle Boruch (Jack Warden) in a Jewish ghetto in Poland during WWII. While Alex has been able to hold onto some shards of his childhood innocence, he's all too aware of the dangers all around him, and his father has gone so far as to teach him how to use a gun for his own protection once the inevitable tragedy occurs. When Nazi troops begin clearing the Poles from the ghetto, Stefan tells his son to hide, and leaves him with the words, "No matter what happens, I will come back for you." Alex follows his fathers instruction to the letter; he makes a hiding place for himself in the loft of an old building, which he's able to furnish and can access with a rope ladder, while keeping a pet mouse who not only keeps him company but helps him find precious caches of food. With his favorite book, The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, as his guide, Alex tries to outrun and outmaneuver the Nazi soldiers as he patiently waits for his father to make good on his promise. The Island on Bird Street was a multiple award-winner in its screenings at the 1997 Berlin International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Patrick Bergin, Jordan Kiziuk, (more)
- 1989
- PG
In this early film, award-winning director Mike Leigh uses a loose, open-ended narrative structure to unsettle cinematic expectations and create a truly inventive and very honest film. High Hopes opens with the arrival of Wayne, a small-town lad in his twenties, in the London metropolis. Completely lost in the hustle and bustle, Wayne asks for directions from a cyclist named Cyril. Unable to assist him, Cyril brings Wayne to his house to examine a map and meet his long-time girlfriend, Shirley, also a working-class intellectual. After the opening credits roll, Wayne, equipped with directions, leaves and turns to wave goodbye to the helpful couple. Completely unexpectedly the camera stays with Cyril and Shirley, Wayne exits the film as a minor character, and the viewer's notions of what to expect from a narrative drama are completely shaken. Throughout, High Hopes' seemingly innocuous events turn out to be crucial incidents in the characters' lives. After this abrupt change of direction, Cyril and Shirley pay a visit to Cyril's aging mother, Mrs. Bender, and meet her neighbors, the vapid Boothe-Braines. In a parallel story, we meet Cyril's high-strung sister, Valerie, who perpetually neglects her mother as she herself is neglected by her wandering husband, Martin. The remainder of the film explores the dull, unfulfilled lives of the middle class and the wasteful and purposeless lives of the upper-middle class (the Boothe-Braines), and Cyril and Shirley's struggle to decide if they should bring a child into this mess of a world. As with his other films, Leigh did not work from a script in filming High Hopes, relying instead on the actors' improvisations which contribute to the lyrical, open-ended quality of the narrative. ~ Brian Whitener, Rovi
- Starring:
- Philip Davis, Ruth Sheen, (more)
