Michael Brennan Movies

Zany British comedian Frankie Howerd, who'd previously laid waste to Ancient Rome in Up Pompeii, does same with World War II in Up the Front. Howerd plays a timorous servant who undergoes hypnosis. While thus entranced, he imagines himself a fearless warrior, and makes a beeline to the recruiting office. The laughs come fast and furious when Howerd finds himself the recipient of the enemy's war plans--tattooed on his tush. As was customary, Frankie Howerd took several opportunities in Up the Front to directly address the audience and crack wise about the situation at hand. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This is one of three Hammer films loosely based on Sheridan LeFanu's book Camilla, which gives the standard vampire story a lesbian twist. The other two films are The Vampire Lovers and Twins of Evil. In this film, Count Karnstein, through a magical ritual, relies on the feedings of the newly re-fleshed and voluptuous vampire Mircalla (Yutte Stensgaard) for his own sustenance. This keeps her very busy indeed. She finds a ready supply of victims at a girls' finishing school. Her troubles begin when two male teachers from the school decide to investigate. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

First broadcast in England on January 21, 1968, "The Girl Who Was Death" was written by Terence Feely, from an idea by David Tomblin, producer of The Prisoner and director of this episode. Again mysteriously transported from The Village, Number Six finds himself in an isolated lighthouse with a girl named Sonia (Justine Lord) who by some fluke of fate has apparently caused the deaths of at least three men. Referring to herself as "Death", Sonia insists that she and Number Six are made for each other, inasmuch as he has survived so many previous attempts on his life. As the story progresses, it becomes painfully obvious that the so-called lighthouse is actually a nuclear missile, designed by Sonia's demented father (Kenneth Griffith) to destroy London. Originally intended as a two-part episode, "The Girl Who Was Death" was diminished to a single installment because of star Patrick McGoohan's commitment to the theatrical feature Ice Station Zebra; in fact, McGoohan is absent from much of the proceedings, requiring the producers to use doubles and stock shots for certain linking scenes. The episode made its American TV debut on September 7, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

John LeCarre's Call for the Dead was the basis for this gloomy, complex spy story. James Mason plays a British secret agent puzzled by the sudden suicide of Foreign Office higher-up Robert Flemyng. Mason had worked on Flemyng's security clearance himself, and can't fathom what personality quirk he might have missed. The agent suspects that the dead man's wife (Simone Signoret), a concentration camp survivor, may hold the answer to Flemyng's despair, but the Foreign Office wants Mason to drop the case. Mason hires retiring Inspector Harry Andrews to do some private detective work. What Mason and Andrews find out is more insidious than they've imagined; worse, Mason is saddled with a new dilemma--his wife (Harriet Andersson) has been unfaithful with a colleague (Maximillian Schell). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this complex British mystery, an undercover narcotics agent go to the Mediterranean to foil the plans of two smugglers. Upon arrival, one of the partners is beaten and killed by a man and his mistress. The disguised agent begins working to gain the trust of the remaining smuggler, but one day arrives to find him stabbed to death. Naturally, he is accused of the crime by the local detective. The agent's home organization then sends out another agent to help him. Together they learn that the mistress was the perpetrator of all the crimes. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Thunderball finds James Bond matching wits with the sinister espionage organization S.P.E.C.T.R.E, (which stands for Special Executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion). This time, S.P.E.C.T.R.E. hijacks a NATO nuclear bomber, hiding the bombs under the ocean depths and threatening to detonate the weapons unless a ransom of 100,000,000 pounds is paid. The mastermind behind this scheme is international business executive Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), who maintains a pool full of sharks for the purpose of eliminating enemies and those henchmen who fail to come up to standard. Dispatched to the Bahamas, lucky Mr. Bond enjoys the attentions of three nubile ladies: Largo's mistress Domino Derval (Claudine Auger), British spy Paula Caplan (Martine Beswick, previously seen as a gypsy girl in the 1962 Bond epic From Russia With Love) and enemy agent Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Kim Novak's decolletage, rather than the lady herself, is the true star of The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders. This rambunctious filmization of Daniel Defoe's "naughty" novel stars Novak as a poverty-stricken 18th century damsel who rises to the top of society surrendering her virtue--time and time again. After several wealthy patrons and husbands, our heroine finds true love with roguish highwayman Richard Johnson (who briefly became Novak's husband in real life). The film's best moments belong to its largely British supporting cast, especially Leo McKern as a myopic bandit. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Tony Richardson's adaptation of Henry Fielding's classic novel was one of the most critically acclaimed and popular comedies of its time, winning four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film follows Tom Jones (Albert Finney), a country boy who becomes one of the wildest playboys in 18th century England, developing a ravenous taste for women, food, and rowdy adventures. Over the course of the film, Jones tries to amass his own fortune and win the heart of Sophie (Susannah York). Not only does John Osborne's Oscar-winning screenplay stay true to the tone of the novel, but the cast -- including Lynn Redgrave in her first screen role -- tears into the story with spirited abandon, making the movie a wildly entertaining and witty experience. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

One of the minor comedy-dramas to come out of Britain, this story by director Jay Lewis and scripter Jack Trevor Story is about an unscrupulous salesman, Albert (Ian Hendry), who is beset by a whole series of problems, all of his own making. In order to advance his career, Albert makes a habit of seducing his female customers to better convince them to buy beyond their means, on credit. Even though he has thus far spawned two progeny with this technique he is not about to change his ways. Albert is also cheating on his girlfriend in the process, and more directly just simply cheating his boss, his real estate agent, and a long list of creditors -- not a good way to insure an auspicious future. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Father Carey (Nigel Patrick) is a priest who must decide whether or not an amnesia victim (Aldo Ray) is responsible for the murder of the alcoholic Irish writer Mulcahy (William Bendix) in this routine thriller. The question posed to Carey is whether or not the murderer acted on the word of God when the writer asked the Almighty to strike him dead. Father Carey comes to believe the killing was masterminded by Johnny's sweetheart Miss Floyd (Yvonne Mitchell). The small Irish village is put under public microscope with the murder and the sensational trial. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

The title of the 60-minute British programmer Ambush in Leopard Street tells the whole story. Retired thief James Kenney comes out of mothballs for one last big heist. The plan is to bushwack a diamond shipment as the truck tools its way down Leopard Street. Since the truck is heavily guarded, it is necessary for Kenney to recruit a larger gang of henchmen than usual. The "old pros" perform efficiently, but the hotheaded newcomers gum up the works. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This remake of the Alfred Hitchcock thriller does not have his flair for suspense, but director Ralph Thomas keeps the action moving, offers some comic highlights, and the story itself carries the 90-minute running time. Richard Hannay (Kenneth More) is at a vaudeville show when a shot rings out and some commotion forces him to protect a young woman by bringing her home. His protection fails after she is stabbed by an assailant who escapes. She dies -- but not before she tells Richard there is a secret organization run by a man in Scotland, trying to smuggle some important plans out of the country. He must stop them, and as soon as she mentions 39 steps, she expires. Richard has only two days to find the head of the organization, get the plans, and foil this espionage attempt. Along the way to Scotland he is literally hooked up with an attractive schoolmarm after they are handcuffed together, and his misadventures continue with her in tow. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

A father discovers that being a good role model for your son isn't always easy -- especially when you're a criminal -- in this bright British comedy. Percy Brand (Michael Redgrave) is an all-purpose con artist and small-time crook who makes a good living on the wrong side of the law but often finds himself behind bars as a result. Not wanting to present too bad an example to his son and needing an explanation for his frequent time away, he tells young Colin (Jeremy Burnham) that he's a missionary working with a religious group, and his good deeds take him all over the world on sudden missions of mercy. Colin accepts his father's word to the letter, and he grows up to be a law-abiding citizen who works as a barrister for Judge Crichton (Robert Morley), who has had to deal with Percy a number of times over the years. By this time, Percy has retired to a village by the ocean and is living nicely off his ill-gotten gains, but he gets roped into a scheme smuggling brandy and soon finds himself in trouble with the law again. Rather than go back to the pokey (and embarrass Colin), Percy and his mates concoct a bizarre plan by which they'll implicate Judge Crichton in the smuggling and send him to jail in their place. Director Charles Crichton directed a number of fine British comedies, right up to his final picture, A Fish Called Wanda, which he completed at the age of 78. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi