Bill Hays Movies
WWII was remembered from a distinctly feminist point of view in the long-running British drama series Wish Me Luck. Jane Asher was cast as Faith Ashley, London-based coordinator for a team of female resistance fighters, who journeyed behind enemy lines to confound the Nazis. Ashley's chief operatives (and virtually the only ones to survive all 23 episodes) were Liz Grainger (Kate Buffery) and Matty Firman (Suzanna Hamilton). Created by Jill Hyem and Lavinia Warner, whose earlier credits included the internationally syndicated POW-camp series Tenko, Wish Me Luck was telecast in England from 1988 to 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1985
Based on a novel by Molly Keane, this literary drama focuses on the mutually antagonistic lives of three aging Irish sisters and a brother who live together in a run-down family mansion. One of the sisters is a widow, another a shoplifter, and a third a happy-go-lucky type. Although their brother Jasper (John Gielgud) tries to keep the peace, he is not always successful. Their tight enclave is disrupted when cousin Leda (Googie Withers) comes for a visit, stirring up unwanted memories. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Gielgud, Googie Withers, (more)
- 1979
This "classical" BBC series was inspired by the Orestia Trilogy of 5th century Greek playwright Aeschylus, as filtered through the contemporary eyes of prolific British playwrights Frederic Raphael and Kenneth MacLeish. The project boasted an all-star cast, headed by Denis Quilley as Agamemnon, Diana Rigg as Klytamnestra, and Helen Mirren as Cassandra. In keeping with the "trilogy" format, the series was presented in three 75-minute installments. Produced for British television in 1979, The Serpent Son later received limited American airplay courtesy of PBS. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The 1976 BBC miniseries Orde Wingate brings to life the military experiences of the title figure (portrayed here by Barry Foster), a British Major General known for building and commandeering two elite military units during the Second World War. The program places its strongest emphasis on exploring the young man's Zionist enthusiasm (which he cultivated during Palestinian service), and dramatizing his development of guerilla tactics, also in Palestine, that would later be employed by the Israeli Defense Force. The three-hour program co-stars James Cosmo, Arnold Diamond, and Denholm Elliott. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- 1973
- Add Leonard Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti to QueueAdd Leonard Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti to top of Queue
eonard Bernstein originally wrote his operetta Trouble in Tahiti - a protracted satirical commentary on the vapidness of American middle-class materialism - in 1951, as an attempt to combine lyric poetry, pop culture, and social commentary. The operetta incorporates seven scenes and unfolds against an animated suburban backdrop. Bernstein revived the production in 1973, starring Nancy Williams, Julian Patrick and Antonia Butler; the film of that revival comes to video in this new home release, entitled Leonard Bernstein: Trouble in Tahiti. Bernstein himself conducts, leading the London Symphonic Wind Band. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- 1970
A presentation of Yorkshire Television, the weekly sitcom Shine a Light starred Timothy Bateson and Tony Selby as lighthouse keepers Wallt Trott and Les Robinson. Assigned to man the lonely lighthouse at Bachelor Rock, the argumentative Wallt and Les did their "best" to keep their mutual animosity under control. Occasionally their constant bickering was interrupted by the arrival of such peripheral characters as Taffy Lewis (Howell Evans). Shine a Light lasted six half-hour episodes, which were shown in Britain from April 1 to May 27, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
