Anthony Valentine Movies

Not to be confused with the 50-minute television documentary of the same name, the made-for-British-TV biopic Diana: The People's Princess stars Amy Seccombe as the title character. Rather than rehash the tumultuous marriage between Diana and Prince Charles (Robert De Newby), the film focuses on the protagonist's last 14 months on Earth, from her divorce in May of 1996 to her tragic death in August of 1997. Adroitly blending heartbreak with triumph, the script details Diana's loss of her royal title, her troubled relationship with sons Harry (Rory Jennings) and William (Freddie Sayers), her ongoing travails with the press and papparazzi, her extensive humanitarian activities (with Nelson Mandela and Mother Theresa making token appearances), and her romance with Dodi Ay Fayed (George Jackos), who was fated to die with Diana in that infamous car crash. Seemingly dedicated to bestowing sainthood upon Princess Di, the film manages to make her antagonists as unpleasant and unsympathetic as possible, with an inordinate amount of scorn heaped upon Dodi's former fiancée! First telecast in the U.K. on April 12, 1998, Diana: The People's Princess debuted in the U.S. courtesy of the TNT cable network on August 29, 1999, on the eve of the second anniversary of Diana's death. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Best known for their historical epics that examine class and social issues in British life through a thick lens of tasteful production design and good manners, director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant set their sights on an American protagonist for a change with Jefferson in Paris. As the title suggests, Jefferson in Paris deals with the five years that Thomas Jefferson (Nick Nolte) spent as U.S. ambassador to France prior to the French Revolution; while Jefferson is sympathetic to the revolutionary forces in France, he's become well enough acquainted with the ruling aristocracy that he finds himself torn between the two sides of the issue. Jefferson, a recent widower, also becomes friends with Maria Cosway (Greta Scacchi), who is married to a foppish British artist; while it's obvious the two are in love, neither is in a position to do anything about their infatuation. And while Jefferson's daughter Patsy (Gwyneth Paltrow) loves her father, she's very upset with him when he sends her to a convent school. In this midst of this personal turmoil, Jefferson's younger daughter Polly (Estelle Eonnet) arrives in Paris, with her slave Sally Hemmings (Thandie Newton) in tow. Attractive and bright (if uneducated), Sally catches Jefferson's eye, and a friendship develops that grows into something deeper; in time, Sally becomes pregnant, and her family claims that Jefferson is the father. At the time Jefferson In Paris was released, the question of Sally Hemmings' relationship with Thomas Jefferson was a matter of lively historical debate; since then, genetic evidence has shown that, while Jefferson's paternity can't be proved beyond a doubt, it is likely that he did father children with Hemmings. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Made for television, this is the third sequel to the popular war adventure. This time, a group of rag-tag soldiers must somehow shape up and take on a group of Nazi soldiers who are riding the Orient Express to Istanbul to establish their latest empire. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Like Watership Down, Plague Dogs is an animated cartoon feature based on a novel by Richard Adams and produced by Martin Rosen. And also like Watership Down, it is more appropriate for an older audience. Two dogs escape from a British government research lab. As the authorities hunt down the canine fugitives, the two dogs search for their original master and for a place where they'll be free from the iniquities and cruelties of Mankind. Plague Dogs was completed in 1982, but was not released in the US until two years later. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Murder Is Easy is one of a multitude of 1980s TV movies based on the novels of Agatha Christie. Bill Bixby stars as an American investor, vacationing in England. While on a train, Bixby strikes up a conversation with the seemingly dotty Helen Hayes, who insists she's en route to Scotland Yard with evidence pertaining to three murders. When Ms. Hayes is herself killed, Bixby finds himself heading to the village of Wychwood Under Ashe to investigate the killings on his own. In a twinkling, both Bixby and lovely villager Lesley-Ann Down find themselves the principal suspects. Olivia De Havilland is also among the highly suspicious guest stars in Murder is Easy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The original British version of Escape to Athena ran 125 minutes; American prints were judiciously cut to 101 minutes, emphasizing the action content and neutralizing the duller dialogue sequences. Roger Moore stars as Major Otto Hecht, an anti-Nazi German who presides over a World War II POW camp. The prisoners, played by such diverse types as Elliott Gould, David Niven, and Sonny Bono, plan an escape with a group of Greek partisans (headed by Telly Savalas). It's not that the POWs are dissatisfied with life behind barbed wire -- it's just that they've been coerced into rescuing valuable art treasures from the Nazis, and there's a possibility of turning a profit! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Christopher Lee stars in this weak occult melodrama as Father Michael Rayner, an excommunicated priest who decides to save the world from its decadence by teaming up with Satan. Richard Widmark is on hand as John Verney, out to stop Rayner's satanic rituals and helped along on the path of goodness by friends Anna Fountain (Honor Blackman) and David (Anthony Valentine). The plot centers on distraught father Henry Beddows (Denholm Elliott), who has signed over his daughter Catherine (Nastassja Kinski) to Rayner in order to save his own skin and now regrets it. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

This gory low-budget British outing involves a team of archaeologists landing on fog-shrouded Snape Island -- recently the site of a hideous double murder -- in search of the tomb of a Phoenician chief and subsequently falling victim to an unseen maniac. Accompanying the shore party is a private detective (Bryant Halliday), hired by the family of the young woman suspected of the crimes (Candace Glendenning), who is determined to get to the bottom of the mysterious murders. Though it is eventually determined that the real killer is still at large, the archaeologists stubbornly refuse to abort their dig...and summarily suffer the consequences. Released originally in 1972, this crass, exploitative potboiler (based on a story by horror author George Baxt) found its way to American theaters in 1981 as Beyond the Fog in an attempt to cash in on John Carpenter's 1980 film. Released later to video and cable as Tower of Evil. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Mother suspects foul play when several of his best agents are found dead -- and neatly gift-wrapped. The villain of the piece is named Remak, an acronym for Remote Electro-Matic Agent Killer. With Tara on vacation, Steed must rely upon the assistance of glamorous agent Lady Diana Forbes-Blakeney (Jennifer Croxton) to help him track down the elusive Remak. Written by Tony Williamson, "Killer" first aired in England on January 22, 1969, after its world premiere on American television on December 30, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Joseph Losey directed this unusual science fiction effort, which has won a small but fervent cult following. Simon Wells (MacDonald Carey) is an American visiting England, where he meets a woman named Joan (Shirley Ann Field). Simon is immediately attracted to Joan, but there's a considerable obstacle in their budding romance: Joan's brother King (Oliver Reed), the leader of a violent pack of motorcycle rockers. King has a barely concealed incestuous attachment to his sister, and he sometimes uses her to lure victims into his gang's clutches. King and his cronies attack Simon, take his money, and leave him stranded, where he's eventually found by a pair of military security men. Simon is brought to the home of Bernard (Alexander Knox), a scientist working on a secret project for the government, and his girlfriend Freya (Viveca Lindfors), a sculptor. Joan eventually tracks Simon down in hopes of winning his forgiveness, but another run-in with King causes Simon and Joan to discover a cave that holds a terrible secret: a group of strange, cold-blooded children who were the products of one of Bernard's experiments gone wrong. The children were genetically engineered to survive a nuclear war, and, as a result, they are radioactive enough to kill anyone who comes in close contact with them. Controversial in its day, The Damned was produced in England in 1961 but was not released until 1963, when Hammer Films booked it as the second-half of a double bill with Maniac. It did not reach American screens until 1965, when it was shown under the title These Are the Damned. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Sometimes listed as a horror film, the British Girl on the Pier is a Spartan little melodrama starring the alluring Veronica Hurst as the title character. The wife of wax museum curator Campbell Singer, Hurst carries on with Singer's partner Ron Randell. Killing Randell, the cuckolded husband tries to hide the body among his waxworks. The police eventually catch on when Singer proves too clever for his own good. Girl on the Pier doesn't pretend to be a classic; on its own terms, it's an agreeable 65 minutes out of your life. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi