Norman Wooland Movies
British actor Norman Wooland has worked on stage, screen, television, and in radio. He started out in local British theater in the mid-'20s and from there became a regular performer in Stratford-on-Avon Shakespearean productions. He continued doing Shakespeare onscreen with Laurence Olivier's Hamlet and Richard III. He also appeared in Romeo and Juliet in 1954. During WWII, Wooland announced for BBC radio and afterward returned to his previous activities. He has also appeared in numerous television dramas and sit-coms. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1949
Norman Wooland, who in 1948 made an excellent impression as Horatio in Olivier's Hamlet, is awarded top billing in the 1949 British comedy All Over the Town. A gentle satire of provincial politics, the film stars Wooland as ex-soldier Nat Hearn, who returns to his newspaper job after the war. Upset that the paper compromises its journalistic integrity to satisfy local businessmen, Nat takes over the publication and radically alters its editorial policy. This brings him into conflict with the regional political bigwigs, and also puts a strain on his romance with Sally Thorpe (Dinah Churchill). Director Michael S. Gordon co-adapted the screenplay from a stage comedy by R. F. Delderfield. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norman Wooland, Sarah Churchill, (more)
- 1948
Ann Markham (Margaret Lockwood) is an employee with the British Embassy in Rio de Janeiro. Though ostensibly businesslike and intelligent, Ann can't help falling in love with irresponsible Charlie Kent (Griffith Jones). On their wedding day, Ann discovers that Charlie is on the lam from fraud charges throughout the world. Still, she believes his promise that he'll mend his ways once they've tied the nuptial knot. Not unexpectedly, Charlie goes back on his word, and it is up to handsome millionaire Ashley Morehouse (Norman Wooland) to save Ann from her poor judgment. It was surprising to see the British film industry's resident "wicked lady" Margaret Lockwood playing so gullible a character -- so surprising, in fact, that audiences tended to stay away from Look Before You Love in droves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Margaret Lockwood, Griffith Jones, (more)
Although criticized by Shakespeare devotees upon its release because of director, producer, and star Laurence Olivier's decision to excise large portions of the text, his cinematic version of Hamlet is widely considered the best out of several dozens (and counting). Hamlet (Olivier) is a medieval Danish prince who's still melancholy over the sudden death of his father and the quick, subsequent remarriage of his mother, Queen Gertrude (Eileen Herlie) to his uncle, Claudius (Basil Sydney). Informed by the ghost of his father that Claudius murdered him, Hamlet schemes to take revenge. Unsure how best to proceed, his delays and the horrible secret burdening him eventually lead to the violent snuffing out of several lives in both his family and that of courtier Polonius (Felix Aylmer), whose daughter Ophelia (Jean Simmons) is in love with Hamlet. Greatly influenced by the inventive camera work in Citizen Kane (1941) and by modern, psychological reinterpretations of Shakespeare's play, Olivier's masterpiece was the winner of four Academy Awards, for Best Picture, Best Actor (Olivier), Best Black and White Art Direction/Set Direction and Best Black and White Costume Design. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laurence Olivier, Eileen Herlie, (more)
- 1948
In this drama, set after the war, a WW II flying ace and hero comes to the aid of a hooker who is being harassed by a policeman. He pushes the abusive cop away during the tussle; the cop falls, hits his head, and dies. The former flier is promptly tried and given a three-year prison sentence. He escapes one night during a heavy fog. He is taken in by a caring woman who tries convincing him to surrender. The fugitive at first refuses, but then after seeking sanctuary in a church relents because he does not want the parson to have to lie on his behalf. His surrender is made easier by the knowledge that the woman will wait for him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacqueline Clarke, Peter Croft, (more)
- 1941
The pageantlike This England was designed by the Anglo-American film corporation to boost the morale of the war-besieged island nation. The story unfolds in the ancient British community of Claverly Village, which has already weathered serveral centuries of political upheavals, both foreign and domestic. A.R. Rawlinson and Bridge Boland's screenplay traces the history of the village from the Feudal Era to the Second World War, with Emlyn Williams (who also contributed additional dialogue), John Clements and Constance Cummings enacted the roles of several Claverly citizens throughout the years. Cummings is at her best in the "Spanish Armada" sequence, portraying a fetching gypsy not unlike her Latin American charmer in Harold Lloyd's Movie Crazy (1932). Perhaps because of its episodic construction, This England is one of those unfortunate films that never seems to turn up intact when shown today. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emlyn Williams, John Clements, (more)
- 1937
In this comedy, an unemployed ex-con searches for the gang that falsely fingered him for counterfeiting. He attends a charity auction and ends up getting sold as a butler for five pounds. Upon examination, he realizes that the five-pound note is bogus. This leads him to confront the father of the woman that hired him. He accuses him of framing him. Rather than go to prison, the semi-honorable father commits suicide. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
