Ivan Foxwell Movies

In this feather-weight version of Evelyn Waugh's novel Decline and Fall, Paul Pennyfeather (Robin Phillips) is an Oxford divinity student who finds himself expelled after a gang of drunken freshmen remove his pants and he is accused of exposing himself to a girl. Looking for work, he retains the services of an unsavory employment agency that secures a position for him at a sleazy Welsh boarding school for boys, presided over by the colorful Dr. Fagan (Donald Wolfit). On staff at the school are an assortment of distasteful screwballs; Mr. Prendergast (Robert Harris) is a withdrawn former clergyman; Captain Grimes (Leo McKern) is a one-legged two-timer with his eye on Fagan's daughter Flossie (Patience Collier); and Soloman Philbrick (Colin Blakely) is an undercover criminal posing as Fagan's butler. All hell breaks loose during the school's annual Sports Day, but Paul manages to meet a wealthy patron of the school, Margot Beste-Chetwynde (Geneviève Page), who hires him to tutor her son. At her estate, Margot seduces Paul, and Paul proposes marriage. But before the wedding, Margot asks Paul, as a favor, to travel to Tangiers on a business trip. He agrees but is soon arrested for trafficking in prostitution. Sent to jail, he runs into Philbrick and Captain Grimes, and now Margot has to scheme to get Paul out of jail. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

In his first effort at directing a feature-length film, William (Ted) Kotcheff, best-known for movies like The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, does an excellent job in making this drama effective. He is helped in no small part by James Mason as Brett Aimsley, a sophisticated, at-ease former junior partner in a brokerage firm, and John Mills as Lt. Col. Clifford Southey, a former clerk in that same company. During the war, the lieutenant carries his sense of inferiority from his peacetime job as a clerk with him. So when he has a chance to nail Brett (a junior officer now) for trying to bring some censored goods back into London, he takes the chance and Brett is drummed out of service. Brett heads for Tahiti and a pretty good life in the sun, until Clifford shows up on the island with big plans to build a hotel -- bringing with him the same defensive attitude. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In this British comedy, a formerly rakish submarine captain is transferred to a desk job. His reputation as a hero and playboy precedes him. He meets an old comrade and his gorgeous fiancee, a Yankee widow. His buddy is quite wealthy and the retired captain realizes that he too must make plenty of dough to steal the woman away. He immediately engineers an elaborate quick money scheme. First he makes it seem as if he has become a traitor in order to get the newspapers to write bad things about him. He then plans to sue them all for libel. He leaves his phony trail and then maroons himself on a desert island. He is later rescued and interrogated by the Special Branch. Fortunately, he convinces them of his innocence and continues with his plan. He then goes to the woman's home and is there discovered by his buddy. The friend sees that the two really are in love and gallantly bows out. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

During World War II, the impenetrable Colditz castle in Germany was selected as the site for a POW camp. The Germans reason that, since Colditz has been virtually impossible to get into or out of for centuries, it is ideal for housing the most contentious allied prisoners. British officer John Mills doesn't agree, and leads an escape through a subterranean tunnel. Only three of the prisoners (Mills included) survive the escape; the next step is to get out of Germany itself. Colditz Story is based on the reminiscences of P. R. "Pat" Reid, the real-life English officer portrayed in this film by John Mills. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Jack Hawkins plays a former British army officer who is surprised in his home one evening by a burglar. His surprise is compounded when the intruder turns out to be one of the men from his World War II army unit. With the straight-arrow diligence of a wartime commander, Hawkins delves into the unfortunate burglar's past, trying to discover why so promising a soldier hit the skids. The film is not so much a mystery but a genteel expose of the socioeconomic problems facing discharged servicemen in postwar England. The Intruder was adapted by Robin Maugham (son of Somerset Maugham) from his own novel Line on Ginger. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based on the play by Joan Temple, No Room at the Inn takes place in the early stages of WW2, when the children of London were evacuated to the Country. A group of these youthful refugees are taken in by Mrs. Voray (Freda Jackson), who already has several orphans in her charge. Outwardly the soul of Christian charity, Mrs. Voray is actually a drunken harridan who treats the children like her own personal slaves. It is said that when the villainess received her comeuppance, movie audiences were known to stand up and cheer. The most intriguing aspect of this melodramatic exercise is that the screenplay was written by legendary Welsh poet Dylan Thomas! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi