Peter Bowles Movies
- 1971
The plight of an English couple struggling to raise a disabled child is given a darkly humorous treatment in this English comedy. Based on the successful stage play by Peter Nichols, the film centers on the parents of Jo, nicknamed "Joe Egg," a mentally challenged invalid subject to violent seizures. The couple (played by Alan Bates and Janet Suzman) attempts to maintain a stoic and occasionally cheerful facade in the face of their daughter's condition, but they find themselves unable to cope with the strain. Faced with the imminent collapse of their marriage, they eventually agree that euthanasia may be the answer to their troubles. Some viewers may consider the subject matter inappropriate for comedy, but the film mines its uneasy laughter not from the child's plight but from the eccentricities of the parents' reactions. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Bates, Janet Suzman, (more)
- 1965
Another classic "Emma Peel" installment, this episode was first telecast in England on December 4, 1965. A series of mysterious deaths in the upper circles of International Finance have caused a great deal of panic among investors. Hoping to locate the source of all the trouble, Steed and Emma go undercover, with Steed posing as a prominent financier. Meanwhile, Emma faces death at the hands of a strange little man with an obsession for clocks. Written by Roger Marshall, "Dial a Deadly Number" was seen in the U.S. on July 24, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diana Rigg
- 1967
Several notorious criminals have disappeared without a trace. Assigned to get to the bottom of this mystery, Steed and Emma discover that the miscreants have escaped capture with the aid of a time machine. This is the episode in which Emma, dressed in the "latest" 17th century garb, finds herself imprisoned in the stocks. Written by Philip Levene, "Escape in Time" was first seen in England on January 28, 1967, and in America on February 10 of that same year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diana Rigg
- 1969
Several enemy agents escape from a top-security prison, determined to wreak vengeance against the persons responsible for their arrest. When two of Steed's friends are murdered by the escapees, he decides it is time to end the reign of terror once and for all. But the still-imprisoned leader of the enemy minions calmly informs Steed that he is next on the list -- and that his assassin will be completely invisble. Written by Philip Levene, "Get-a-Way" made its American TV debut on April 24, 1969, and its British TV bow on May 14 of that same year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Steed is assigned to transport a shipment of live corneas to Switzerland to be used in a delicate eye-graft operation. But when one of the surgeons involved is murdered, Steed and Cathy uncover a sinister plot involving a sightless millionaire (John Carson). Also figuring in on the proceedings is a cache of valuable jewels. Written by Martin Woodhouse, "Second Sight" was originally broadcast in England on November 16, 1963; it remained unseen in America until March 14, 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Emma Watson, Yasmin Paige, and Lucy Boynton headline director Sandra Goldbacher's made-for-television adaptation of author Noel Streatfield's classic novel of the same name. The setting is 1930s London. Orphans Pauline (Watson), Petrova (Paige), and Posy Fossil (Boynton) have all been adopted by eccentric explorer Professor Brown (aka "Gum"), and raised as sisters by Brown's benevolent niece Sylvia (Emilia Fox). Before the three girls get to know their adventurous adoptive father, however, Gum vanishes for over a decade. Though her faithful retainer, Nana (Victoria Wood), does her best to keep the family afloat, Sylvia simply can't keep up with the demands of raising a family, and her health begins to deteriorate. Eventually, faced with dwindling financial resources, she decides to take in lodgers. Those who arrive as household guests include the lively academics Dr. Smith (Harriet Walter) and Dr. Jakes (Gemma Jones), plus curvy dance instructor Theo Dane (Lucy Cohu) and kind-but-pensive Mr. Simpson (Marc Warren). As the nontraditional family begins to see their lives changed by these new arrivals in ways that they never anticipated, Pauline, Petrova, and Posy enroll in the local theater school and set about establishing themselves as stars of the stage. But while Pauline dreams of becoming a world-famous actress and Posy longs to grow into a graceful ballerina, Petrova just wants to take to the sky as an aviator. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emilia Fox, Emma Watson, (more)
Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni's first English-language production was also his only box office hit, widely considered one of the seminal films of the 1960s. Thomas (David Hemmings) is a nihilistic, wealthy fashion photographer in mod "Swinging London." Filled with ennui, bored with his "fab" but oddly-lifeless existence of casual sex and drug use, Thomas comes alive when he wanders through a park, stops to take pictures of a couple embracing, and upon developing the images, believes that he has photographed a murder. Pursued by Jane (Vanessa Redgrave), the woman who is in the photos, Thomas pretends to give her the pictures, but in reality, he passes off a different roll of film to her. Thomas returns to the park and discovers that there is, indeed, a dead body lying in the shrubbery: the gray-haired man who was embracing Jane. Has she murdered him, or does Thomas' photo reveal a man with a gun hiding nearby? Antonioni's thriller is a puzzling, existential, adroitly-assembled masterpiece. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, (more)
In the mid-'90s, an Englishman by the name of Alan Conway (John Malkovich) conned many people into believing that he was the reclusive American director Stanley Kubrick, despite the fact that Conway was openly gay, bore no physical resemblance to Kubrick, and knew little about the director's work. Conway's story has been loosely adapted into the comedic feature Colour Me Kubrick. Anthony Frewin, who worked as Kubrick's personal assistance for many years, wrote the script, and Brian Cook, who served as Kubrick's assistant director on several films, including Barry Lyndon and Eyes Wide Shut, marks his directorial debut with the film. Colour Me Kubrick follows Conway on a number of adventures, wherein he cadges drinks, cash, sex, and more from unsuspecting victims, ranging from a heavy metal band to a wine bar owner (Richard E. Grant) to a British lounge singer (British television comic Jim Davidson making his feature-film debut), who are awestruck by his purported fame and fortune, and willing to overlook Conway's genuinely bizarre behavior in the hopes of impressing the great director. Conway's act reached its pinnacle when he temporarily pulled the wool over the eyes of then-New York Times theater critic Frank Rich (William Hootkins). Colour Me Kubrick features cameos by Ken Russell, Honor Blackman, Peter Sallis, and Marc Warren. The French production had its international premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Malkovich, Jim Davidson, (more)
- 1965
The British Dead Man's Chest comes to us from Merton Park Productions, the folks responsible for the long-running "Edgar Wallace" B-series. The story bears a striking resemblance to Fritz Lang's 1956 thriller Beyond Reasonable Doubt. To prove the fallability of circumstantial evidence, reporter John Thaw fakes the murder of a colleague. He then plants all the clues to point to himself. So just guess who really dies, leaving Thaw in the lurch? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This mystery, adapted from an Agatha Christie story, tells the tale of an ambitious British chauffeur who marries his American employer, one of the richest women in the US and persuades her to buy a palatial country estate. She literally loves it to death and that is where all the real trouble begins. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Ziggy (Mark Lester) is the young boy who witnesses the murder of a visiting black official by the police. Much like the boy who cried wolf, Ziggy has been known to stretch the truth and exaggerate. He is unable to convince the adults that he witnessed the killing. The murderous cops are soon on his trail as he hits the road with his sister (Susan George)and her boyfriend (Tony Bonner). The real police soon follow, after convincing his parents that Ziggy has told the truth for once. The boys grandfather (Lionel Jeffries) is the retired Colonel, a lighthouse keeper and lovable curmudgeon. Jeremy Kemp is the police chief, and the main heavy is played by Peter Vaughan. The boyfriend's car is cornered on a treacherous cliff where the villains try to ram the vehicle to the jagged rocks below. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Lester, Lionel Jeffries, (more)
In this outing, Benji finds himself on the loose in Athens. An international spy (Ed Nelson) places a secret oil formula within the folds of Benji's paw, and before the poor dog knows what's happening, he's being pursued through the ancient metropolis by a daunting variety of villains. Fortunately, Benji is smarter than his pursuers, so a happy ending is never in doubt. Writer/director Joe Camp managed to keep the Benji franchise alive into the 1980s, even writing a book about his filmmaking adventures with the clever canine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patsy Garrett, Cynthia Smith, (more)
A portrait of a cold-blooded young gangster living and loathing in 1960s London, this drama features Malcolm McDowell in a major role in his first British picture in years. McDowell opens the film as the present day Gangster 55, who learns that an old associate, gangster Freddie Mays (David Thewlis), has just been released from prison after serving a 30-year sentence. The story then flashes back to 1968, when the young Gangster 55 (Paul Bettany) makes Mays' acquaintance and subsequently wins his trust by dealing with his enemies from a rival gang. The relationship between the two men is threatened when Mays falls for Karen (Saffron Burrows), a no-nonsense dancer. When 55 learns that Lennie (Jamie Foreman), a rival gang leader, plans to ambush Mays and Karen one night, he pits the two gangs against one another so that he can emerge as Gangster No. 1. The film was directed by Paul McGuigan, who previously examined the crusty underbelly of British society with his screen adaptation of Irvine Welsh's The Acid House (1998). ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Malcolm McDowell, David Thewlis, (more)
War turns two strangers into lovers at a most inopportune moment in this made-for-TV drama based on a true story. Eric Newby (Callum Blue) is a British soldier, who, while on a mission behind enemy lines during World War II, is captured by Axis troops and taken to a makeshift P.O.W. camp located in an abandoned orphanage in Italy. Eric is able to escape easily enough, but soon discovers that German troops are blanketing the area, determined to capture the prisoners who've gotten away. Wanda (Barboura Bonulova), a woman living in a nearby village, takes in the runaway and saves his life by hiding him from the Germans. In order to help Eric disguise himself as a villager, Wanda begins teaching him how to speak Italian; as they spend more time together, Eric and Wanda find themselves falling in love, but the war that brought them together could also tear them apart at any moment. Adapted from Eric Newby's memoirs of his wartime experiences, In Love and War was first aired as part of the award-winning anthology series The Hallmark Hall of Fame. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Callum Blue, Barbora Bobulova, (more)
- 1966
Not to be confused with the lavish 1968 biopic Isadora, the black-and-white Isadora Duncan was produced in 1966 for BBC television. Vivian Pickles stars as the free-spirited British ballet artiste of the post-World War I era, while an anonymous double handles the dance sequences. This 65-minute film was one of a series of irreverent biographies directed for television by enfant terrible Ken Russell. We know we're in Russell territory in the first scene, wherein the strangulation death of Isadora is recreated in loving detail, right down to the blood trickling from her lifeless lips. Russell's Isadora Duncan received its widest American exposure on public television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Set in London and the Riviera, Laughter in the Dark stars Nicol Williamson as Edward, a wealthy, knighted art dealer who falls hard for tartish usherette Margot (Anna Karina). She is kept by a glorified pimp (Jean-Claude Drouot), who conspires with the girl to take Edward for everything he's got. The art dealer is blinded in an auto accident, after which he switches emotional gears and plans to kill the girl and her keeper. Somehow this all worked better back when Hollywood people like Joan Bennett and Dan Duryea were involved. Based on a 1938 novel by Vladimir Nabokov, the film version of Laughter in the Dark "updates" the piece with flash shots of "mod" London, which now seems more anachronistic than anything in the 1930s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicol Williamson, Anna Karina, (more)
- 1998
Based on a novel by Elizabeth McGregor, the two-part British miniseries Little White Lies starred Tara Fitzgerald as Beth Marsh, who was left in a state of numb despair when her beloved husband David (Martin Wenner) died in a car crash. Turning to her neighbors Julia (Cherie Lunghi) and Oliver (Peter Bowles) for comfort and support, Beth was shocked to discover that, just before his death, David was prepared to walk out on her and leave her penniless. Worse still, Julia was David's mistress, and Oliver was the attorney helping him bleed his bank account dry. Sternly, Oliver warned Beth not to take any retaliatory action, inasmuch as Julia was "crazy" and capable of anything -- even murder. It is only after her pet cat was killed and mutilated that Beth was galvanized into action against her neighbors, not so much out of concern for her own safety as for that of Julia and Oliver's sweet-faced young daughter Rosie (Poppy Rodgers). Little White Lies made its BBC1 debut on July 18, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tara Fitzgerald
- 2000
The troubled career of blacklisted director Herbert Biberman, who endured a considerable struggle to make the 1954 pro-Labor film Salt of the Earth, provides the centerpiece for this historical drama. The film opens at the 1937 Academy Awards, where Biberman's wife, Gale Sondergaard (Greta Scacchi), wins the first ever "Best Supporting Actress" Oscar. Although the anti-Fascist sentiment in her acceptance speech gets her labeled a "commie" by some observers, she and Biberman (played here by Jeff Goldblum) are placed under contract at Warner Bros. Ten years later, with Cold War paranoia growing, a group of predominantly Jewish Hollywood directors -- Biberman, Sondergaard, Danny Kaye, and Dalton Trumbo among them -- are labeled Communists and questioned before Congress. Refusing to name names, Biberman is thrown in prison for six months; his wife's similar refusal to testify severely threatened her career as well. After his release from prison, Biberman, no longer able to work in Hollywood, strikes out on his own with other blacklistees, producer Paul Jarrico (John Sessions) and writer Michael Wilson (Geraint Wyn Davies), to make Salt of the Earth. Biberman's production is far from easy, however, as it comes under attack from both the FBI and redneck vigilantes. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Goldblum, Greta Scacchi, (more)
While vacationing in Paris, Park Avenue socialite Helen Hollander (Connie Sellecca) cannot shake the feeling that she is being watched. Helen's instincts aren't failing her: Ever since disembarking from her plane, sinister-looking characters have been monitoring her every move. Flippant private eye Hank McCay (Ed Marinaro) tries to help Helen shake her pursuers, but he's not so good a detective that he notices the highly volatile contents of our heroine's suitcase. A US-Hungarian coproduction, the lighthearted TV-movie thriller Passport to Murder made its first appearance over NBC on March 7, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Three years after the property was introduced as a one-shot on BBC's Play for Today, the seriocomic British legal series Rumpole of the Bailey officially launched its first season of six weekly episodes on April 3, 1978. In the opener "Rumpole and the Younger Generation", iconoclastic barrister Horace Rumpole (Leo McKern) defends a youthful member of the unsavory East End Timson gang when the boy is framed for robbery by a rival gang. Then in "Rumpole and the Alternative Society", the delightfully unkempt lawyer takes time off from visiting a former RAF colleague to plead on behalf of a woman accused of selling marijuana. Next up is "Rumpole and the Honourable Member", wherein his client is a politican charged with raping a party worker, a situation which places Rumpole at odds with his son's fiancé. For "Rumpole and the Married Lady", series creator John Mortimer draws upon his own father's experiences as a divorce lawyer. In "Rumpole and the Learned Friends" Rumpole acts as junior assistant to his bumbling colleague Guthrie Featherstone (Peter Bowles) in defense of a safecracker who may have been set up by a crooked cop. Rounding out the season is "Rumpole and the Heavy Brigade" in which Rumpole again rises to the defense of the disreputable Tilsons to protect a man charged with murder thanks to a preponderance of suspiciously "airtight" evidence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo McKern, Peggy Bates-Thorpe, (more)
- 1979
Season Two of the British legal comedy-drama series Rumpole of the Bailey serves up six new episodes, initially telecast by ITV1 from May 29 through July 3, 1979. First on the docket is "Rumpole and the Man of God", in which gloriously irreverent barrister Horace Rumpole (Leo McKern) defends a vicar who though accused of shoplifting refuses to offer any defense for his alleged crime; at the same time, Rumpole's old friend George Frobisher (Moray Watson) pays a heavy price for loving neither wisely nor too well. The second episode, "Rumpole and the Case of Identity" finds the title character in court during the Christmas season, defending a man whose alibi on a murder charge depends upon a most untrustworthy witness. A trip to the North Country results in Rumpole exercising his declamatory skills to save an actress from a murder sentence in "Rumpole and the Showfolk". Then in "Rumpole and the Fascist Beast" the lifelong-liberal barrister works on behalf of a notorious racist politician charged with inciting a deadly riot. "Rumpole and the Course of True Love" concerns not only a schoolteacher charged with seducing an unwilling pupil, but also an embarrassing incident in the past life of Rumpole's lovely colleague Phyllida (Patricia Hodge. And in "Rumpole and the Age for Retirement", Rumpole's son Nick urges his father to hang up his wig and move to Maryland (of all places!) after wrapping up his defense of an accused art thief. As a coda of sorts to Season Two, a special two-hour episode, "Rumpole's Return", in which our hero emerges from retirement to tackle a particularly lurid murder case involving a sinister cult, was telecast on December 30, 1980, and has since been added to the standard Rumpole of the Bailey rerun package. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo McKern, Peggy Bates-Thorpe, (more)
- 1983
After a three-year hiatus, the internationally popular British legal series Rumpole of the Bailey returns for a third season of six hour-long episodes, which originally aired in the U.K. from October 11 through November 15, 1983. Leo McKern likewise returns as the equisitely slovenly barrister Horace Rumple, with Peggy Bates-Thorpe as his formidable wife Hilda, aka "She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed." In the season opener "Rumpole and the Genuine Article", his client is a disarmingly phlegmatic artist accused of forgery. This is followed by "Rumpole and the Golden Thread", wherein Rumpole heads to a former British colony in Africa to defend a former law pupil charged with murder. In "Rumpole and the Old Boy Net", we meet Rumpole's wide-eyed new law pupil Fiona (Rosalyn Landor), who helps him defend a pair of accused blackmailer-procurers. The notorious East End Timson gang is back in "Rumpole and the Female of the Species", as Rumpole defends a former client (and onetime street gang member) charged with accessory to robbery In "Rumpole and the Sporting Life", things get personal when Fiona's own sister Jennifer is charged with killing her husband. And in "Rumpole and the Last Resort", our hero juggles his personal financial travails with his defense of a seedy realtor suspected of fraudulent business practices. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo McKern, Peggy Bates-Thorpe, (more)
- 1993
In this comedy, George Grant (Peter Bowles) is a successful television personality. He has shaken hands with the Queen, and has even met Elizabeth Taylor - and he has the photos which prove it prominently displayed in his office. One day, after obnoxiously humiliating yet another spineless guest on his tabloid-type news show, he heads for home. From here on, every single circumstance in his life seems tailor-made to knock him down off his oh-so-high horse, back to where the rest of us live. His wife has put up with his arrogance for years - why she picks today to leave him is a mystery. Then, his car is stolen, his house keys go missing, and a million-and-one sufferings become his lot. One of the funniest is an encounter with his "loving and caring" bank manager (Roshan Seth). ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Bowles, Michael Byrne, (more)
- 1988
Beryl Markham: Shadow on the Sun was a two-part TV movie originally telecast in May of 1988. Stefanie Powers is right in her element as the real-life Beryl Markham, an Englishwoman living in Kenya with her family. Bucking the male-dominated Kenyan social structure, Beryl becomes the first woman in Africa to train horses on a professional level. And in 1936, she thrills the world by being the first aviatrix to fly from England to the US across the Atlantic. With four hours to fill, the film is obligated to trace Beryl's love life, which (according to the script) was not always as rewarding as her public accomplishments. Inasmuch as Beryl was a contemporary (and friendly rival) of author Karen Blixen--better known as Isaak Dinesen--Beryl Markham: Shadow on the Sun contrives to include several characters introduced in Out of Africa. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stefanie Powers
- 1969
In this crime drama, a painter finds himself entangled in a murder plot when he gets involved with a pretty girl. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
