Brian Eastman Movies

This four-hour, six-episode British miniseries, broadcast on Channel 4 in 1989 and in America on PBS's Masterpiece Theatre in 1990, provided the basis for Traffic, Steven Soderbergh's 2000 Oscar winner. Though Soderbergh and screenwriter Stephen Gaghan borrowed much of their plot and structure from the original, Traffik focuses on the European drug trade instead of the American one and utilizes England, Germany, and Pakistan as its major settings. One of the three primary plot strands involves Jack Lithgow (Bill Paterson), a member of the British Parliament, who discovers that his daughter, Caroline (Julia Ormond), is a heroin addict despite the fact that he leads the country's Drug Abuse Committee. In a parallel story line, Helen Rosshalde (Lindsay Duncan), the British wife of German drug smuggler Karl Rosshalde (George Kukura), must take over her husband's illegal operations after an associate turns state's evidence and Karl goes on trial. In the third interwoven segment, and the one that diverges the farthest from the plot of the American film, Pakistani poppy farmer Fazel (Jamal Shah) ingratiates himself to drug overlord Tariq Butt (Talat Hussain) in order to support his family after the Pakistani government, at the insistence of Lithgow and other British officials, cracks down on the subsistence-level farmers who supply the heroin trade with its raw materials. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

In a small Cornish town, a wife suspects her dentist husband of slowly poisoning her because he's got the hots for his young, blond assistant. When Poirot (David Suchet) steps in to investigate, he finds that the wife is partially correct, but solving the real mystery is more complicated than it first appeared. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide

In this whodunit based on a novel by Agatha Christie, Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) is delighted to be entertaining a lovely Belgian film star one evening, while Chief Inspector Japp (Philip Jackson) is hot on the trail of a master jewel thief. When the actress confesses she's been receiving threatening letters since she came into possession of a valuable diamond called "The Western Star," Poirot and Japp join forces to find the offending party, though they also have to keep a close eye on the actress, who intends to wear her prize diamond for a major social event. oirot: The Adventure Of The Western Star was produced by the British network Granada Television, and later aired in the United States as part of the PBS series Mystery!. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Belgium's most famous detective comes to the rescue of his adopted British homeland in this mystery based on the novel by Agatha Christie. The Prime Minister of England has arrived in France for a major international summit meeting when he's kidnapped. Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) is called in to help find the leader, with only 32 hours to spare before the conference is to begin. Following a lead that the PM's car was attacked en route to the ship, Poirot focuses his investigation in England, which puzzles and angers his superiors -- until the dapper Belgian cracks the case. Poirot: The Kidnapped Prime Minister was produced by the British network Granada Television, and later aired in the United States as part of the PBS series Mystery!. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Agatha Christie's fastidious Belgian detective is on the trail of evildoers once again in this made-for-TV mystery. Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) is attending a flower show where a pink rose is to be named after him when he's given a packet of seeds by an older woman. Poirot is later called upon by the same woman, who fearfully claims there's serious trouble at her home. When he arrives, Poirot discovers a murder has been committed, and the woman's Russian housekeeper, thought to be part of a Communist conspiracy, is the prime suspect. Poirot: How Does Your Garden Grow? was produced by the British network Granada Television, and later aired in the United States as part of the PBS series Mystery!. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A charming grifter who boldly feeds off the greed of others must straighten up before he loses everything in this British crime drama featuring House M.D. star Hugh Laurie. Leo Hopkins (Laurie) is the kind of con man who can sweet talk his way out of even the tightest of jams; he isn't afraid to take risks, and most of the time those risks pay off amicably. Eventually, Leo's nefarious ways catch up to him as his gambling addiction becomes a serious problem, his secretary seduces him, and his morally bankrupt boss gives him a troubling ultimatum. Now, as this unrepentant deceiver watches his life go up in flames, he'll be forced to make a decision that could alter the course of his entire life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The frightening underworld of neo-Nazism is the subject of this made-for-television drama. Oliver Platt stars as Yaron Svoray, an American journalist who goes to Germany to do a story on neo-Nazis. He gets mistakenly branded a sympathizer of the cause but uses his new status as a way to uncover secret information about the members and their leaders. The movie was based on the non-fiction book co-authored by Svoray called In Hitler's Shadow. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

David Suchet once again takes on the role of Agatha Christie's super sleuth Herecule Poirot in Hercule Poirot's Christmas. Although he planned on an enjoyable holiday at home, Poirot accepts a job offer from a wealthy man after discovering his apartment will be without heat. Soon the detective must solve a murder and uncover some dark family secrets. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Graham Theakston directed this Hugh Stoddart adaptation of the 1860 George Eliot novel about the strong bond between Maggie Tulliver (Emily Watson) and her brother Tom (Ifan Meredith) of Dorlcote Mill on the river Floss. The mill has been in their family for 300 years, but their father, Edward Tulliver (Bernard Hill), loses it to shrewd businessman Lawyer Wakem (Nicholas Gecks). His son, sensitive, deformed Philip Wakem (James Frain), loves Maggie. Tom opposes the relationship, and the emotional Maggie, who adores her brother, yields to his authority. Her cousin Lucy Deane (Lucy Whybrow) is engaged to the charming Stephen Guest (James Weber-Brown). On a visit, Stephen and Maggie are immediately attracted to each other, creating a scandal during a boating expedition and prompting Tom to throw her out of the house. Events then lead toward a tragic conclusion. Earlier film versions were released in 1915 and 1937. Shown at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, this movie had its U.S. premiere 10/12/97 on PBS as part of Masterpiece Theatre. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

A woman is torn by both romantic and maternal love in this period romantic drama set in the 1830s. Elisabeth (Sophie Marceau), a Swiss governess, is the beautiful daughter of a once-prosperous landowner who has fallen deeply into debt. Charles Godwin (Stephen Dillane) is a prominent British aristocrat whose wife has suffered a crippling accident; doomed to spend the rest of her life in a semi-comatose state, she cannot bear Charles the child he so desperately needs. So Charles strikes an agreement with Elisabeth; she will conceive a child with him and hand it over after it is born in exchange for him paying off her father's debts. Elisabeth and Charles set aside three nights to make a baby, and while the matter is supposed to be purely functional and not romantic, Elisabeth finds it difficult to feel that way at the end of the third evening. She is heartbroken when she has to give up the child, and her obsession with the daughter she gave away is reflected in her journals and sketchbooks. Seven years later, Elisabeth discovers the whereabouts of Charles and their daughter, Louisa (Dominique Belcourt); when she learns they need a governess, she is hired for the position by Charles's sister-in-law Constance (Lia Williams), who is unaware that Elisabeth is Louisa's birth mother. When Charles discovers that Elisabeth is the new governess, he is furious, but he eventually takes pity on her and allows her to stay with the child for one month. However, before long, Elisabeth's attraction to Charles resurfaces, and their clandestine romance forces a number difficult questions. Firelight marked the directorial debut of noted screenwriter William Nicholson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Featuring Lord Richard Attenborough as narrator, this is a video portrait of Princess Diana, who died prematurely in a tragic automobile accident in August 1997. The video clips, photographs, and interviews are a commemoration of Diana's life from her younger years at her home at Park House in Sandringham near Norfolk, to her years in London, to her wedding and brief years as a mother. The video touches on the troubles in Diana's life: her eating disorder, her troubled royal life, and her divorce from Prince Charles, but also reflects on the joy and love she found in her children. Interviews with the people who knew her, the nanny of her youth, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and friends are some of the people that let the viewer see the personality that was Diana. They tell of the positive influence she had on the world and the people she touched during her brief life. This video does not reveal any new information on Di, but is a tribute to her life and legacy. ~ Linda J. Shriver, All Movie Guide

Poirot is reluctantly persuaded by an Australian mining magnate to investigate a French count who happens to be the latest suitor of the magnate's daughter. Together with Hastings, Poirot observes the count at tea with the young woman, and watches as the count shows her some bearer bonds he claims to be carrying for the Bank of Paris, his new employer. Following a fateful train trip, the case takes on the status of murder mystery, with the count as its prime suspect. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide