John van Dreelen Movies

Danny Huston's Becoming Colette purports to be an account of the early formative years of French author Gabrielle Colette (Mathilda May) and her evolution from naive country bumpkin to a Parisian socialite in a George Sand suit. The film turns up the heat with Colette as a teen with a crush on her father. This desire is then transferred to the suave and cosmopolitan Villars (Klaus Maria Brandauer) -- a fatherly twenty-five years her senior. The two start their hanky-panky on her father's country estate, resulting in a whirlwind courtship and marriage. Their honeymoon night is a succession of passionate unbuttonings. Colette writes in detail about it the next day in her diary. Villars then takes Colette to the Moulin Rouge to meet his mistress, the bisexual Polaire (Virginia Madsen). Polaire and Colette hit it off and soon are taking it off in a lesbian embrace. Meanwhile, Villars has taken to publishing Colette's diaries and is making money hand over fist. But finally Colette catches on after realizing that while she is toiling away at home cranking out Claudine books, Villars is busy taking her earnings and spending the cash on a succession of frilly mistresses. Making her stand in pants, she decides to abandon Villars and go out on her own. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

This romantic thriller is set in Amsterdam and centers upon a happily married, financially comfortable young couple whose lives are destroyed when the wife is killed in a car crash en route to London. The distraught husband falls into a deep well of despair. One year later, his depression is lifted when he meets a woman named Eileen who is an exact double of his late wife. The husband becomes obsessed with her. The woman becomes frightened, but cannot seem to escape her stalker. Eventually she succumbs to his persistent advances, but the result is only more confusion. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The prolific filmmaker Pim de la Parra has once again managed to put his bag of improvisational tricks to use in this for-men-only romantic fantasy, set in the Caribbean resort island of Bonnaire in the Dutch Antilles. Naked flesh and softcore couplings abound. In the story, Paul has a full-time lover, an older English woman whose common sense and down-to-earth qualities more than compensate for her relative lack of passion. After all, he is surrounded by women clamoring for time with him in bed. So are all the other men in the story. When one of his sons dies suddenly during an operation, Paul is devastated and cannot make out what has gone wrong in his life. None of his current crop of friends has any insight to offer. Some of these questions become clearer when his sister, with whom he is almost unnaturally close, comes to visit. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Faye Dunaway portrays the Argentinian title character in this four-hour TV biopic. The story traces Evita's rise to power from humble origins; she establishes herself as a radio and film actress, then meets and marries powerful politico Juan Peron (played by James Farentino, a last minute replacement for Robert Mitchum). Peron's iron-fisted rule of Argentina allows Evita to become a political power in her own right. At first she is widely beloved as a "woman of the people", but gradually many of her followers are disillusioned by her use -- and misuse -- of her authority and her influence over Peron. After Evita dies, she is all but canonized by the Faithful, and it becomes more difficult than ever to separate fact from legend. Evita Peron was clearly produced to capitalize on the Broadway musical hit Evita, though the script takes great pains not to copy its theatrical inspiration. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lloyd Bridges stars as stubborn high-wire artist Karl Wallenda in the made-for-TV The Great Wallendas. The famed family aerialist troupe suffered a tragic setback when, during a performance in Detroit on January 30, 1962, an accident caused the death of Karl's son-in-law and nephew, and the crippling of his own son. With grim determination, Karl insists that the Wallendas recreate their fatal "pyramid" routine. Despite several near-disasters, the Wallendas make a triumphant comeback in Fort Worth, Texas on November 19, 1963, which is faithfully recreated in this film under the supervision of the real Karl Wallenda. Also starring in this 2-hour film are Britt Ekland, Taina Elg, and genuine gymnast Cathy Rigby. The Great Wallendas premiered (in the timeslot usually reserved for The Wonderful World of Disney) on February 21, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Jim Rockford (James Garner) and rookie private eye Richie Brockelman (Dennis Dugan) continue to investigate the suspicious death of their mutual mentor Joe Tooley. When the trail of clues leads to crooked computer-company CEO Garth McGregor (Jackie Cooper), he uses his influence to frame the two detectives and force them to take it on the lam. Ingredients essential to the outcome of the story are an underground storage silo, a conspiracy involving a corrupt congressman, and a wild helicopter-chase finale. This final episode of The Rockford Files' fourth season served to introduce the character of Richie Brockelman, who was subsequently spun off into his own TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of four miniseries comprising NBC's Best Sellers anthology, The Rhinemann Exchange was adapted from the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name. Stephen Collins stars as American intelligence officer David Spaulding, who under cover of his musician father's concert tours embarks upon a number of fact-finding missions in Europe just before WW2. Once hostilities break out, Spaulding relocates to Aergentina, there to exchange industrial diamonds for a secret gyroscope needed for the American war effort. Naturally, the Nazis are equally interested in those diamonds, putting Spaulding in any number of perilous predicaments. Lauren Hutton costars as Leslie Hawkewood, one of those ravishing "mystery women" so common to espionage fiction. Originally running 5 hours and telecast in three segments on March 10, 17, and 24, 1977, The Rhinemann Exchange was later rebroadcast as a four-hour, two-part "TV movie." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cheri Caffaro stars as the vicious sex-kitten contracted to battle the Mafia in Manila. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

James Hilton's beloved fantasy novel about the land of Shangri-La was given an awkward musical treatment in this extravagantly produced flop. Larry Kramer's screenplay stays close to the 1937 Frank Capra original, as a plane fleeing China crashes in the Himalayas and a mixed group of survivors discovers the magical, peaceful land of Shangri-La. Here the film becomes a full-fledged musical, with songs by Burt Bacharach and Hal David illustrating the distant realm's nature and the conflict that happiness causes amongst the survivors. Curiosity-seekers may be intrigued by the film's reputation as a notorious dud, but fans of the story would be better served by the classic original, despite a cast of well-respected names, including Peter Finch (in the Ronald Colman role), John Gielgud, Liv Ullmann, and Charles Boyer. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

In this slow German "thriller," a man decides to investigate a country manor which is up for sale. He then gets slightly involved with the current owner, a young widow. It soon becomes clear to him that the woman is somewhat deranged. He bears a striking resemblance to the husband she apparently killed, and now he must somehow escape her clutches. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Posing as double agent William Howard (David Frankham), Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr heads to East Berlin, there to assist in the escape of Lisa Stone (Dana Wynter), the wife of US-based Communist spy John Buchanan (Alf Kjellin). Ostensibly, Lisa is heading to America to persuade her husband to defect. In truth, however, Lisa is a loyal Party member, whose "escape" has been carefully staged--and she intends to murder Buchanan the moment she catches up to him. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, the trouble begins when a computer whiz tries to explain to the cops that his car was wrecked by an elephant. The cops naturally think he is looney, a suspicion confirmed when he frantically demands they let him go because his duck will be ringing at seven-thirty and he must be home to answer it. Despite his protestations, they immediately squire him to the local nut house. Unfortunately, the hacker is perfectly sane. There really was an elephant; it really did sit on his car, and his "duck" is his computer. Now the only way the hapless nerd can get home is to feign insanity so that the shrinks will free him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

While digging through their belongings in search of items for a rummage sale, Oliver (Eddie Albert) and Lisa (Eva Gabor) come across some of their old clothes and several other fascinating artifacts. This prompts the couple to wax nostalgic about their elopement and honeymoon. This being Green Acres, the courtship and marriage of Oliver and Lisa was not exactly the stuff that dreams are made of, as proven in a series of hilariously hectic flashbacks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide