Peter Hammond Movies

Two different cases begin to intertwine as Sherlock Holmes stays on the sidelines in this episode from the television series The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. While Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett) is occupied with other business, Watson (Edward Hardwicke) strikes out on his own as he searches for a young man who has been sending strange messages to two sisters. Meanwhile, Holmes's gifted brother Mycroft (Charles Gray) has been asked to help find a very valuable missing gem known as "the Mazarin Stone," and he soon finds himself crossing paths with Watson. Originally aired in England in 1994, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes: The Mazarin Stone was first shown in America as part of the PBS anthology series Mystery. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Jeremy Brett returns as master detective Sherlock Holmes in this adaptation of the Arthur Conan Doyle short story produced for British television. Hettie Doran (Paris Jefferson) is a wealthy American who has agreed to marry Lord Robert St. Simon (Simon Williams), widely regarded as the most eligible bachelor in Great Britain. On the day of the nuptials, Hettie goes missing, and Sherlock Holmes (Brett) and his assistant, Watson (Edward Hardwicke), are called in to investigate by the distraught groom. However, Holmes has personal misgivings about the case, which have been provoked by a series of troubling dreams. Sherlock Holmes: The Eligible Bachelor also features Rosalie Williams and Geoffrey Beevers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Taped in Britain, The Dark Angel is an extra-long entry of PBS' Mystery series. Peter O'Toole heads a cast of dissipated, decadent 19th century aristocratic types. The script is based on a novel by Sheridan LeFanu, whose fascination with vampirism and "the undead" precipitated Bram Stoker by nearly thirty years. As in most gothic novels, the characters are motivated by greed, lust and the desire to hide Deep Dark Family Secrets from the outside world. The Dark Angel was originally presented in several weekly installments, here boiled down to 150 minutes for videocassette convenience. The film bears absolutely no relation to the 1935 Hollywood period drama of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This long-running TV series features John Thaw as the morose but shrewd detective of the title, who along with his partner -- the dependable Sgt. Lewis -- investigates a variety of murderous crimes against the picturesque back-drop of Oxford, England. ~ Mark Hockley, All Movie Guide

Directed by Peter Hammond and based on one of the short stories originally penned by mystery legend Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "Wisteria Lodge" follows Holmes and Watson (Jeremy Brett and David Burke) as they struggle to keep up with a foreign tyrant, an English governess, and a police inspector involved in a wild chase. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Based on what some consider to be Elizabeth Bowen's best novel, The Death of the Heart focuses on one of her primary themes, a young woman's first love. Portia Quayne (Jojo Cole) is orphaned, and at the age of 16 she must go live with her relatives, Anna (Patricia Hodge) and Thomas Quayne (Nigel Havers). The time is 1937, and this upper-crust couple are a bit too selfish and amoral (Anna) or just aloof (Thomas) for Portia; she cannot relate to them. Complicating matters is young Eddie (Daniel Chatto), a high-society do-nothing who awakens Portia's romantic ardor and then makes fun of her in front of her friends. Besides, he is interested in Anna. Portia cannot tolerate either her home environment or her mistreatment at the hands of Eddie, and she runs away looking for help from a sympathic Major Brutt (Robert Hardy). ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In this animated film, based on the novel by Raymond Briggs, an older English couple must struggle to deal with their altered reality when a nuclear war strikes, destroying their peaceful lives. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

In this unusual western, children play all the major roles. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Although there have been several British TV adaptations of Emily Bronte's gothic romance Wuthering Heights, this five-part 1978 version is the one regarded as being the most faithful to the original novel. In covering the star-crossed romance between the headstrong Cathy (Kay Adshead) and wild gypsy boy Heathcliff (Ken Hutchinson), this adaptation did not (as have so many others) end with Cathy's death, but instead carried over the story into the next generation, wherein the vengeful Heathcliff continued to wage his private war of retribution against the people whom he felt had wronged him. Irish playwright Hugh Leonard handled the adaptation, deftly juggling the many characters and subplots without the slightest sense of strain. Wuthering Heights was originally beamed out to the British Isles from September 24 to October 22, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A Lancashire lass refuses to eat the meal her mother has prepared for her. Her thick-eared father (James Mason) insists that she ingest every bite. This seemingly minor incident snowballs into big trouble for everyone concerned. Hard to believe, but this was based on a very popular stage play by Bill Naughton. The comic edge is blunted by the film's use of real Bolton locations, which tend to make the exaggerated passions and gesticulations of Mason and his family seem more pathetic than humorous. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Adapted from a novel by Brian Marshall, the four-part British miniseries The White Rabbit was the story of WWII hero Wing Commander Yeo-Thomas. Played by Kenneth More, the protagonist was seen joining the French resistance during the early stages of the Nazi occupation. Though at first successful in eluding the enemy, Yeo-Thomas was ultimately captured and placed in a concentration camp -- but the story was far from over. The White Rabbit was originally telecast in Great Britain from September 16 to October 7, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide