Kathryn Walker Movies

One of many TV specials commemorating the first anniversary of the September 11th attack on America, this two-hour entry from PBS's Frontline series raises a number of provocative and sometimes uncomfortable questions about keeping one's faith in the face of unspeakable tragedy. Where was God when the planes plowed into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon? Why is Evil allowed to exist? Does religion have any relevance in today's turbulent times? Coping with these queries is an impressive array of eyewitnesses to and survivors of the disaster, family members of the victims, academics, physicians, authors, clerics, and even atheists. Most of the discussions deal with the aftermath of the tragedy rather than the event itself -- and to its credit, the program offers no quick or easy answers. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

He is one of the most influential and innovative photographers in the fashion industry and one of the first to elevate his craft into a true art, dominated more by the artist's vision than the subject itself. This documentary tells his story. With an eclectic blend of biographical information, his work, and his commentary upon it, the film tells his story in a non-linear way. Highlights include his description of how he got a teen-age Natassja Kinski to pose naked with a large python crawling across her body and his memory of the night Marilyn Monroe came to his place and danced for hours while he photographed. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Patrick Murphy (Steven Grives) is a disgruntled former cop forced to take a job as a security guard in a department store. When computer hacker Jack Hayward (Marcus Graham) and his friends enter the store at night on a lark, Murphy locks them in. Murphy has waged a long campaign of harassment against the lad. This began because Jack's late father was his superior and he holds the man responsible for his poor ratings on the job; Jack's subsequent complaints of harassment probably led to his being kicked off the force entirely. The cat-and-mouse game turns deadly when Jack's pal Tony (John Polson) is killed by the sadistic Murphy. Miles Buchanan co-stars with Sandie Lillingston and Kathryn Walker in this thriller that builds momentum after a sluggish beginning. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Belinda (Deanne Jeffs) is a 16-year-old Australian girl who wants to become a ballerina. To make ends meet, she takes a job as an exotic dancer in a scrungy Sydney cabaret. Eventually she is able to pursue her original goal, but not before experiencing (and enduring) humanity at both its best and worst. Director/writer Pamela Gibbons reportedly based Belinda on her own early life. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The made-for-TV The Murder of Mary Phagan is an account of the real-life events fictionalized in the 1937 theatrical feature They Won't Forget. In 1913, Atlanta-area teenager Mary Phagan (Wendy J. Cooke) is found murdered. Although the evidence points to another suspect (who years later confessed to the crime), the authorities choose to bring charges against Leo Frank (Peter Gallagher), a Jewish "outsider" who owns the pencil factory where Mary worked. Prosecutor Hugh Dorsey (Richard Jordan) capitalizes on the anti-Semitism rampant in the South, hoping to ride the Frank case into a higher political office. He is aided in his scheme by equally unprincipled journalist Wes Brent (Kevin Spacey). Only Georgia-governor John Slaton (Jack Lemmon) perceives the bigotry and opportunism at the base of Dorsey's case. Within the limits of his power, and at the risk of destroying his own political career, Slaton tries to see that justice is served. Alas, the decision has already been made to railroad Leo Frank to the electric chair -- or into the hands of a lynch mob. Originally presented in two parts, The Murder of Mary Phagan was first broadcast January 24 and 26, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry was especially written by playwright James Prideaux for Katharine Hepburn. It would have been impractical to attempt a live staging, so the script was committed to a TV movie, under the direction of Hallmark Hall of Fame veteran George Schafer. Hepburn plays another variation on the indomitable elderly lady that has become her forte in the past decade. Here she is Margaret Delafield, a wealthy WASP widow who falls in love with the divorced Jewish doctor (Harold J. Stone) who has saved her life. The clucking tongues of both her family and the doctor's will not dissuade her: Mrs. Delafield stands her ground in a climactic scene reminiscent of the actress' earlier Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (67). Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry is formula all down the line, but every latter-day Katharine Hepburn performance deserves to be treasured (though the film itself hardly warranted the three-page TV Guide article written by Ms. Hepburn herself). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this drama, the failed pilot for a TV series, a psychologist endeavors to balance his turbulent personal life, with those of his troubled patients. Unfortunately, he tends to get equally personally involved in both and trouble ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This compilation documentary covers the massive anti-nuclear peace march held in New York City on June 12, 1982, including the preparations that led up to the march and interviews with concerned and knowledgeable people on the issue of peace, as well as Japanese survivors of the atomic bomb attacks on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in World War II (see No More Hibakusha). The producers, Robert Richter and Stan Warnow have smoothly spliced-together views of the protest march, its speakers and musicians, filmed by more than 40 separate individuals. Among the noted artists who either were there to lend their presence or contributed their talents in one way or another to the success of the protest (estimated at 1,000,000 people) are Pete Seeger, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara, Roy Scheider, Orson Welles, Ellen Burstyn, Joan Baez, Judd Hirsch, Bianca Jagger, Susan Sarandon, Jill Clayburgh, and others. Meryl Streep and Anne Twomey did a moving voiceover of the testimony of the Japanese atomic bomb blast survivors. Among the non-artistic notables adding stature to the event were Dr. Benjamin Spock, and Helen Caldicott, representing Physicians for Social Responsibility. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In this melodrama, the experiences of a young recruit preparing to leave his family and friends to fight WW II are chronicled. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi