Ernest Clark Movies

This disappointing, pretentious farce by writer and director Peter Ustinov, who also stars as the incompetent but powerful Abki Aga, is based on a novel by Yashar Kemal about Memed (Simon Dutton) a man who escapes into the Turkish hills with the woman he loves (Leonie Mellinger), a woman already betrothed to the nephew of the region's governor (Aga). Even though Memed joins a band of brigands he is not successful when he first tries to kill Aga, who lords it over five different villages and has a sizeable army, and so he tries again. Unfortunately, Turkey is not only the setting, but an apt descriptive term for this 105-minute film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

This musical biography of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg (Torval Maurstad) is based on the play of the same name. Living in poverty after graduating from a music conservatory, Grieg scandalizes his family by marrying his cousin Nina (Florence Henderson). Grieg has an affair with a former schoolmate, Therese Berg (Christina Schollin), a wealthy woman who makes a deal with her influential father to end the romance if he'll arrange a concert for Grieg in Stockholm. Grieg eventually travels to Rome, where his significance as an artist begins to find appreciation. His association with Therese is not really finished and Grieg's humble piano, a gift from the self-sacrificing Nina, is overshadowed by Therese's gift of a grand piano. Back to back with the subsequent and equally unsuccessful The Great Waltz (1972), the last two films of writer, producer, and director Andrew Stone ended his nearly 50 year career. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

This decidedly different war movie follows Maj. Abraham Falconer (Burt Lancaster), a tired, one-eyed Army officer, as he leads eight men into Belgium where they hope to take a much-needed rest at a 10th century castle. The master of the house, Henri Tixier (Jean-Pierre Aumont), welcomes them with a surprising degree of enthusiasm. Tixier is married to his young niece, Therese (Astrid Heeren), and the couple would like to have a child, but since Tixier is impotent, he has been unable to father one. He encourages Falconer to see if he can have better luck with Therese. The men under Falconer's command have more than a few escapades of their own, as Sgt. Rossi (Peter Falk) seduces the wife of a local baker, an art historian among them tries to protect the treasures of the castle, and a car buff becomes fascinated by his first encounter with a Volkswagen. Amidst the surreal fun and games at the castle, the soldiers make the most of their well-deserved vacation until an invasion of German troops puts them back on the firing line. Directed by Sydney Pollack, Castle Keep was based on a novel by William Eastlake. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Major James Wilson (Lloyd Bridges) must lead his troops across the English channel in the D-day invasion of Normandy. He trains his regulars for the invasion knowing that many, if not all, may never survive the assault. Wilson is plagued by memories of previous missions that turned out to be suicidal. Captain Franklin (Andrew Keir) is the British officer who opposed the plan and has a personal vendetta against Wilson. The two are thrown together on the same mission when Franklin is slated to command the mine sweepers that transport Wilson's troops to their destination. They face overwhelming odds and a barrage of cannon fire from the Nazi stronghold on the Normandy coast. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

This second episode of a four-part story arc is one of three Beverly Hillbillies installments filmed in England for the series' sixth season. Having inherited a castle and a title, Jed Clampett arrives in London with his family in tow. After a tussle with the local officials, the Clampetts take a rollicking tour of the "swinging" English metropolis. Reportedly, this was one of the series' most difficult episodes to film, thanks to the thousands of loyal British Beverly Hillbillies fans who converged upon cast and crew at every opportunity. "The Clampetts in London" first aired on September 13, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An expert in ancient hieroglyphics unexpectedly finds himself involved in a web of international intrigue in this chic, enjoyably tongue-in-cheek espionage adventure. Gregory Peck stars as David Pollock, an American professor whose predictable academic routine is overturned when he is hired to help translate a mysterious message written in an obscure ancient text. The real trouble begins, however, when everyone from a wealthy oil magnate to a foreign government to brutal criminals starts to chase Pollock, desperate to discover the nature of the deciphered message. Along for the ride is Yasmin Azir (Sophia Loren), the gorgeous lover of Pollock's employers, whose loyalties are questionable, to say the least. The tangled narrative proves less important than the film's stylish surface, from the colorful London locations to the Henry Mancini score. Certain touches date the film, like a brief foray into psychedelia, but the modish visuals are generally an appropriate match to the insouciant tone. Not taking itself seriously enough to be truly thrilling, Arabesque nevertheless stands as a witty, well-made example of a particular breed of airy, intentionally superficial comic adventure. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

In this blend of action-adventure and spy satire, the British government has been negotiating with the Middle Eastern nation of Ramaut to lease their oil fields for drilling by U.K. petroleum companies, but at the last minute, the deal collapses, and Col. Drexel (Jack Hawkins), a military leader who has worked with the authorities in Ramaut before, is given an unusual assignment. The young Prince Jamil of Ramaut (Christopher Witty) is scheduled to take the nation's throne and become the country's leader. Drexel and his men are to kidnap Jamil, hold him until he is of age, and then release him once they've persuaded him to sign the oil lease agreement. American operative David Frazer (Cliff Robertson) is called in to help, and he meets Drexel at the villa where Jamil is being held captive. However, shortly after Frazer is confronted by Sophie (Marisa Mell) and a gang of agents, he's knocked senseless and wakes up to find that Jamil is missing. Drexel's superiors think that Frazer was in on the plot to free Jamil, and while Drexel knows better, it just so happens that he has his own agenda -- Drexel has been negotiating with Jamil's family to release him in exchange for a cash payment that would go directly into his pocket. Incidentally, if you have trouble finding Ramaut on a map, don't worry -- it exists only in the mind of screenwriters William Goldman and Michael Relph. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

At the beginning of The Secret of My Success, dimwitted Arthur Tate (James Booth) is a local village bobby who always follows his mother's advice to "help other people, and never look for the evil in them" -- perhaps not the best advice for an officer of the law. Tate soon finds himself investigating a murder case involving the husband of a local dressmaker Stella Stevens. She uses her wiles to trick Tate into unwittingly disposing of the body -- but Tate's mother uses her own wiles to discover a connection between the dressmaker and the local magistrate. With this knowledge, she secures a promotion for her inept son. Tate next becomes involved with a baroness Honor Blackman who it turns out is breeding vicious, gigantic spiders. Tate's mother once again intercedes behind the scenes, and soon her son finds himself working for the President of a Latin American country -- and also involved with a revolutionary Shirley Jones, who is plotting to overthrow the President. Tate's mother again secretly comes to her son's aid, and as the film end, Tate has become the country's new ruler. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

Upon their defeat by Francis Drake, a ship's crew which served in the Spanish Armada anchors near a small coastal village in England to make repairs on their vessel. While there, the cuthroat Captain Robeles (Christopher Lee) leads his men to take control of the town in an opportunistic move, claiming to have won a naval battle. Fortunately for the villagers, they are not without means defending themselves -- especially as one crewman decides to jump ship to help them. Screenwriter Jimmy Sangster, known mostly for his horror tales, contributed yet another character for Lee as he did previously in Curse of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula, The Mummy, and Scream of Fear. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

Montgomery Tully, that phenomenally fast British directing machine, whipped up another espionage programmer with 1964's Master Spy. Stephen Murray stars as a Russian scientist who escapes from a Communist prison to go to work for the British. Despite his seeming sincerity, Murray's superiors suspect that he's a "plant," sent to monitor nuclear secrets on behalf of the Reds. It's more complex than that: Murray is a British spy, posing as a Russian defector, posing as a possible informer.... While only 71 minutes, Master Spy has enough plot twists for a library-full of Fleming and LeCarre. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Diminutive pratfall comic Norman Wisdom, Britain's latter-day version of Charlie Chaplin, brought his trademark physical slapstick to this comedy. Wisdom plays Norman Pitkin, a simple butcher's assistant who accompanies his boss, Mr. Grimsdale (Edward Chapman) to the hospital after Grimsdale accidentally swallows a watch. There, it is determined that the watch will have to be removed surgically, but the clumsy Norman causes such a ruckus that he is ejected from the facility and banned from returning by the administrator, Sir Hector (Jerry Desmonde). Before he leaves, however, Norman manages to bring a smile to the face of Lindy (Lucy Appleby), a sad little girl who has been orphaned by a plane crash. Norman promised Lindy he would return, and his efforts to get back through the hospital doors by any means available (including making himself sick, getting hit by a car, and appearing on a charity television broadcast he knows the girl is watching) meet with an equal lack of success. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

In this mystery, a real estate agent begins looking for a jewel thief's stashed loot. He must find it before the robber's widow and other criminals find it first. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide