Sebastian Breaks Movies
- 1971
- R
Adapted by Roald Dahl from a novel by Joy Crowley, The Road Builder is better known by its American release title: The Night Digger. Patricia Neal, then Mrs. Dahl, stars as the repressed middle-aged adopted daughter of blind and elderly Pamela Brown. Both women are drawn to Nicholas Clay, a seriously disturbed young handyman whom they shield from the authorities. Neal and Brown are particularly fascinated by Clay's mysterious nocturnal forays. When Neal decides to offer herself sexually to Clay, she learns to her horror just why Clay spends so much time outdoors at night. An eerie Bernard Herrmann score enhances the stomach-churning tension. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Patricia Neal, Pamela Brown, (more)
- 1970
In this crime drama, a playboy gambler has a passionate one-night stand with a beautiful woman. During the night, he briefly leaves and when he returns, finds her dead. Not wanting his name in the papers, the man tries to avoid the police. He soon finds himself victimized by extortionists, headed by his own boss and the girl, who only feigned death. They try to force him into breaking a notorious crimelord out of prison, but he is not so easily swayed. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1970
- PG
Singer Robert Goulet had already spent a season (1966-67) as a TV secret agent on Blue Light when he signed for the theatrical espionager Underground. Goulet plays an American spy who is disgraced during World War II for divulging the names of his fellow agents while under torture. To redeem himself, he joins a French resistance group called the Maquis and parachutes behind enemy lines. His mission is to kidnap a Nazi general and spirit him back to France. Arthur H. Nadel, director of Underground, is most-closely associated with the non-human endeavors of the Filmation cartoon studios. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Goulet, Daniele Gaubert, (more)
In this tale of espionage and adventure set during World War II, Norway has fallen under Nazi occupation, and a factory is producing "heavy water" (a key ingredient in the manufacture of atomic weapons), under the order of the German military. Knut Straud (Richard Harris), a leading figure in the Norwegian underground, joins forces with scientist Dr. Rolf Pederson (Kirk Douglas), who is working with British intelligence agents to destroy the factory in hopes of keeping the Atomic Bomb out of Axis hands. However, while originally Straud and Pederson are only supposed to infiltrate the factory as a reconnaissance force while awaiting British troops, the English army is forced to retreat from their plans, leaving the Norwegians to destroy the factory and scuttle a shipment of the "heavy water" all by themselves. Inspired by a true story, The Heroes of Telemark also features Michael Redgrave and Anton Diffring. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kirk Douglas, Richard Harris, (more)
- 1962
The incredibly durable cop show Z Cars (pronounced "Zed Cars") was one of the great guilty pleasures of British television -- a program which everyone watched, but no one would admit to watching. Created by Troy Kennedy Martin, the series focused on a "typical" crime-ridden Liverpool police precinct. The cars driven by the law-enforcement officers were all Ford Zephyrs, hence the series' title. Understandably, there was a huge cast turnover during the series' 16 years on the air, with some of the original regulars leaving early on to star in the spin-off show Softly Softly. Debuting in a weekly 25-minute slot in 1962, Z Cars had expanded to 50 minutes weekly by the time its run ended in 1978; 667 episodes were filmed in all -- an astronomical figure by anybody's standards, even American television. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Stratford Johns, Frank Windsor, (more)
