Norman Bowler Movies
- 1987
In this somewhat tasteless romantic comedy, a feuding but very wealthy married couple are planning their divorce while relaxing at luxury hotels in Yugoslavia. The husband hires a hitman to kill his wife, while his adulterous wife is trying to persuade one of her many lovers to do her husband in. Should these attempted murders not succeed, the husband will have to give in to his wife's attempts to blackmail him for his long-time incestuous affair with his sixteen-year old daughter. Since the daughter has her own lethal romantic agenda, things don't go quite as planned. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Burns, Fiona Curzon, (more)
- 1983
This made-for-TV remake of the Alfred Hitchcock adventure stars Patrick McGoohan as the head of a crew of smugglers; Jane Seymour plays his niece, who discovers the secret history of the title inn. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1981
In this youth-oriented action adventure, a quartet of British teens on summer vacation visit an island and discover that a terrorist group is using it as their headquarters. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Except for the omission of several passages in the original play, this 1970 adaptation of Julius Caesar faithfully retells Shakespeare's account of events surrounding the assassination of Caesar in 44 B.C. The film begins when Caesar John Gielgud is at the height of his power after conquering Pompey "the Great" in a civil war. Important senators worry that Caesar means to become king, diminish their power, and abolish their beloved Roman republic. Two senators, Cassius Richard Johnson and Brutus Jason Robards, hatch an assassination plot involving other disenchanted Roman citizens. Although a soothsayer warns Caesar of trouble ("Beware the ides of March") and his own wife reports ominous signs ("A lioness hath whelped in the streets; and graves have yawn'd, and yielded up their dead"), Caesar decides to go to the senate on the ides (March 15). Upon arrival, the conspirators greet him with daggers. In his funeral oration, Mark Antony Charlton Heston extols Caesar and incites the citizens against Brutus and the other conspirators. Brutus and Cassius flee Rome with their armies, but Antony and two other sympathizers track them down with their armies. When the tide turns against the conspirators, Brutus and Cassius commit suicide. As does Shakespeare's play, the film leaves the discerning viewer wondering who was the real villain -- Caesar, because of his ambition for power, or Brutus, because of his underhanded plot to maintain the status quo. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Jason Robards, Jr., (more)
A special group of navy divers is created when a disabled Nazi warship is discovered in a fjord in Norway. Commander Bolton (James Caan) is the Canadian expert designated to train the new unit. Their mission is to plant a bomb on the warship as it undergoes repairs. The hard-driving Bolton encounters resentment from the British soldiers he trains, but he ultimately earns their respect as a leader. Their intense training operation is interrupted by an attack of Nazi paratroopers just before the unit leaves for Norway. Spectacular underwater photography is seen in this World War II adventure story based on an actual mission. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Caan, Rupert Davies, (more)
- 1967
Steed and Emma attend an auto rally where they participate in a car treasure hunt. But it isn't all fun and games: our hero and heroine are searching for a valuable object, hidden in one of the cars by a murdreed agent. This is the one with the deadly "thrill-ride" sequence, with Emma as the unwilling participant. Written by Michael Winder, "Dead Man's Treasure" originally aired in England on October 21, 1967; its American debut followed on March 13, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diana Rigg
- 1963
In an uncharacteristic moment of distraction ("explained" by the episode's title), Saunders (Vic Morrow) is captured by the Germans. Subsequently rescued by the French Underground, Saunders is hidden in the posh apartment of Annette Touzet (Micheline Presle). Though worried that she'll be killed by the Nazis if Saunders is discovered, Annette also knows that if she refuses to hide him, she'll be executed by the Partisans because of her romantic involvement with a German officer. The climax takes place on an old barge, with the titular "record" once again brought into play--literally. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
