Moira Armstrong Movies
- 2001
The British dramatic series Shades would seem to have been a crossbreed between the German theatrical feature Wings of Desire and the American TVer Touched By an Angel. Dervla Kirwan and Stephen Tompkinson were respectively starred as Maeve and Mark, a pair of earthbound ghosts who wandered the streets of London looking for lost souls to save or redeem. The catch was that the two spirits could be seen and heard only by those people who did not know them when they were alive. Six 50-minute episodes of Shades were telecast by BBC1 in 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
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The 13th feature-length episode of the British detective series Midsomer Murders, "Beyond the Grave" is set in motion by a mysterious act of vandalism at the Aspen Tallow museum. When a 17th century painting is slashed to pieces, the superstitious locals believe that the damage was the handiwork of one Jonathan Lowrie -- and never mind that he has been dead for centuries. Ultimately, a number of mysterious deaths occur, which some attribute to Lowrie but which DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) believes are being committed by someone who is still very much alive. As he pursues his investigation, Tom is also pressed into service as a "technical advisor" for his daughter's actor-boyfriend (Ed Waters), who has been cast as a cop in a popular TV soap opera. "Beyond the Grave" was first telecast in the U.K. on February 5, 2000, and in the U.S. on April 8 of that same year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Nettles, Daniel Casey, (more)
- 1998
The weekly British crime drama Mortimer's Law was launched by BBC1 with a 70-minute pilot episode on February 6, 1998. Amanda Root starred as Rachel Mortimer, a London-based barrister who returned to her home village in the Welsh marches. Before long, Rachel was appointed the local coroner, and as such became involved in a dizzying progression of murder investigations. The remaining five episodes of Mortimer's Law each ran 50 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Sophie Ward and Kerry Fox star in this adaptation of Joanna Trollope's best-selling book about the scandalous affair between a young mother and a vivacious heiress. Alice (Ward) lives in a stately home with her young children and her handsome husband. Yet despite maintaining a happy façade, Alice can't help but feeling like she's missing out on life. Into Alice's life wanders Clodagh (Fox), a wealthy and worldly woman who has just returned from abroad. Clodagh represents everything that Alice wishes she was, and her very presence seems to awaken the frustrated housewife from her domestic stupor. But the greater their love for one another grows, the more difficult it is to keep it a secret from the outside world. Will these two women ever be able to find true happiness while living in a devoutly religious community where their love is viewed as a sin against humanity? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
The elaborate British miniseries Shoulder to Shoulder was an anecdotal dramatization of the women's suffrage movement in England. Covering the period from the 1890s to the end of WWI, the series focused on the movement's most vocal proponent, Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst (Sian Phillips). As Emmeline's militancy increased, her fervor spilled over to her daughters, Christabel (Patricia Quinn) and Sylvia (Angela Down), much to the delight of her husband, pioneering feminist barrister Richard Pankhurst. With the founding of the Women's Social and Political Union in 1903, Mrs. Pankhurst and her chief lieutenant Lady Constance Lytton (Judy Parfitt) shifted into full gear, despite the efforts of patronizing politicians and surprising brutal police officials to stifle the pro-vote movement. The series was unsparing in its accuracy, with its stark portrayal of the bitter rift between sisters Sylvia and Christabel over the latter's disenchantment with the increasingly violent activities of the W.S.P.U., its disturbing depiction of the force-feeding methods used by the police to quell a hunger strike, and its gruesome reenactment of activist Emily Davison's suicidal act of bravado during a horse race (a tragedy recorded by newsreel photographers of the period). Originally telecast by the BBC in 1974, the six-part Shoulder to Shoulder premiered in the United States on October 5, 1975, as part of the PBS Masterpiece Theatre anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Originally made for British television, Dunroamin' Rising is graced with a topnotch veteran cast and a solid premise. The title refers to the Dunroaming Evening Tide Nursing Home, where resides 88-year-old Thorley Walters. As an economy move, Dunroaming is targeted for demolition and its residents are slated to be scattered to various less hospitable establishments. In protest, Walters embarks upon a hunger strike that ends up having wide-range repercussions. Dunroamin' Rising proved to be the last professional appearance of Thorley Walters, who died less than three years after its completion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
A World War I infantryman facing execution after a court-martial learns that his scheduled killer is also his best friend. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Based upon the 1933 autobiography of Vera Brittain, the five-part British miniseries Testament of Youth starred Cheryl Campbell in the central role. A single-purposed idealist who intended to "make a difference" at a time when proper British women were expected to keep their opinions and ambitions to themselves, young Vera (Campbell) had her preconceptions and illusions shattered by the devastation of WWI. The series detailed her experiences as a nurse in London, France, and Malta, the loss of those whom she held most dear, and her efforts to pick up the pieces in the years following the war. The five 50-minute episodes of Testament of Youth were originally broadcast by the BBC in 1979, then were shown on the American public-TV anthology Masterpiece Theatre beginning November 11, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
In this adaptation of Dickens' classic, Scrooge and company are animated. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Hordern, John Le Mesurier, (more)
- 1971
Adapted from the novel by Lewis Grassic Gibbon, the six-part BBC miniseries Sunset Song was set in Kinraddie, a farming village in Kincardineshire, Scotland, in the early years of the 20th century. The story focused on Chris Guthrie (Vivien Heilbron), the teenaged daughter of autocratic and manipulative farmer John Guthrie (Andrew Keir). Although her dreams of a college education and a happy marriage were ultimately dashed, Chris managed to weather her many ordeals and emerge comparatively triumphant. Meanwhile, her neighbors expressed a wide variety of reactions and emotions to the ever-changing world outside their own, most memorably when WWI was declared. First telecast in England in 1971, Sunset Song was shown as part of the American public-TV anthology series Masterpiece Theatre beginning April 25, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
