Peter Burton Movies

This spy film purports to be inspired by the true story of Kim Philby (1912-1988), a British intelligence officer and Soviet spy during the 1940s and '50s who gained international notoriety when he blew his cover and defected to the USSR in 1963. But this fictional, unsophisticated, if not naive docudrama portrays a world of espionage in a cross between Nancy Drew and Sam Spade, and Philby's real story is buried in the process. The film opens with British double agent Philip Kimberly (Michael Caine) undergoing complete plastic surgery by order of his Soviet bosses, while his death is announced in the world press. With a different name and face, Kimberly -- now Kuzminsky -- is sent back to England in the guise of a Soviet citizen to retrieve a secret list of names he supposedly hid several years ago. Kusminsky/Kimberly defects at the British passport control, and later escapes his British guards -- leading to a manhunt by both British and Soviet agents. His chief nemesis is Admiral Scaith (Laurence Olivier) and the man he assigns to the case, Jaime Fraser (Robert Powell) -- who just happens to be living with Kimberly's daughter. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In this grim drama, a grieving widow finds herself seeking solace in the arms of her late husband's lover, a woman. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this WW II actioner set in 1942, an American officer serving with the British Royal Navy attempts to blockade Malta and then destroy a German arsenal located in Sicily. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

When a British farmer lapses into a coma, it appears to be the byproduct of a voodoo curse. Sent to the jungles of Kalaya to investigate, Steed uncovers a long-range plan to eliminate all Englishmen in the vicinity. The villains' principal weapons are superstition and a highly developed species of tsetse fly. As usual, Emma finds herself in jeopardy halfway through the proceedings. Written by Philip Levene, "Small Game for Big Hunters" was originally telecast in England on January 15, 1966; the first American telecast took place on April 4 of that same year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Terence Young directed this first of a long line of screen adventures with Ian Fleming's unflappable British Secret Service Agent 007 in a fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek style that set the tone for the rest of the popular series. Sean Connery sets the standard by which all future takers must measure themselves as the insouciant and devil-may-care James Bond. The story concerns Bond being sent to Jamaica to investigate the murders of a British agent and his secretary. During his investigation, he comes into contact with the evil and unscrupulous Chinese scientist Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman) who, living on an island called Crab Key, is hard at work in a nuclear laboratory. Dr. No's scheme is to divert rockets being fired from Cape Canaveral off their charted course and to blackmail the United States to get their rocket launches restored to normal. Helping Bond is Ursula Andress (mostly undressed in a bikini throughout most of the film), as well as bad gals like Zena Marshall, who almost leads Bond to his death in her bedroom, and Eunice Gayson, a Bond pickup in a London gambling house who proves herself a greater adversary than even James Bond can handle. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

In this British comedy, two look-a-likes, an airman and a secret agent, find double trouble when they are assigned a top-secret task by their government. The airman is to impersonate the agent to confuse the Nazis while the real agent sneaks into France to investigate the new buzz bombs. Unfortunately, their orders get switched and the airman ends up in France. When he is accidentally shot back to Europe inside one of the defused bombs, the airman becomes a national hero. Meanwhile the real agent tries and tries to prove his true identity. No one listens. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The Danzinger Brothers, those cost-conscious Hollywood filmmakers who brought you such gems as Babes in Bagdad, shifted their base of operations to England and Europe in the mid-1950s. It was in England where the Danzinger boys bankrolled The Betrayal, which represented a step up from some of their tackier American films. Phillip Friend stars as a WW II pilot who was blinded while imprisoned by the Nazis. He knows that one of his fellow officers betrayed him to the Germans, but now is unable to identity the traitor by sight. Friend is aided in his search for the turncoat by model Diana Decker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this tragic melodrama, a lonely child must stay with her uncaring aunt and uncle after her mother is hospitalized. Her estranged father is a fugitive. For love and companionship, the eleven-year old girl becomes friends with the housemaid. When at long last, she meets her dad, she must vow to never reveal his location to the police. This causes great internal conflict as the girl doesn't know whether to tell the truth or be loyal to her father. He eventually makes the choice easier by going straight. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The British omnibus thriller, Three Cases of Murder includes two supernatural tales and a straight whodunit. The first segment, "The Picture," was directed by Wendy Toye, based on a short story by Roderick Wilkinson. A museum tour guide, Jarvis (Hugh Pryse), is plagued by artworks going missing, and by the mysterious repeated breaking of the protective glass over a gloomy landscape painting. Jarvis is fascinated by the dark, foreboding house in the painting. One day while he's admiring it, he bumps into a stranger (Alan Badel, who appears in all three segments). Jarvis ends up following the stranger into the world of the painting with terrifying consequences. Eddie Byrne (General Willard in Star Wars) plays the demented taxidermist, Snyder. In the second segment, "You Killed Elizabeth," written by Sidney Carroll (who co-wrote The Hustler), and directed by David Eady, lifelong friends fall in love with the same woman. George (Emrys Jones) has always stood in Edgar's (John Gregson) shadow. The two have a falling out when they realize they both love Elizabeth (Elizabeth Sellars), and when she later turns up dead, it affects the friendship in a surprising way. Badel plays the friendly bartender, Harry. The final story, "Lord Mountdrago," was based on a story by W. Somerset Maugham. Directed by George More O'Ferrall, the segment stars Orson Welles as Lord Mountdrago, the officious secretary of state for foreign affairs. Mountdrago uses his oratory powers to destroy the career of a charismatic political opponent, Owen (Badel again). Mountdrago then finds himself tormented by the vengeful Owen, who seems to have found a way to enter his dreams. Andre Morrell (Bridge on the River Kwai) plays Mountdrago's baffled psychiatrist. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Filmed in England, They Who Dare is undeservedly the least-known of director Lewis Milestone's sound films. Set in the Aegean sea during World War II, the film recounts the exploits of Britain's Special Boat Squadron. Sent on life-or-death commando missions, the squadron (six English, four Greek) hops from island to island, sabotaging Axis air bases. The centerpiece of the film is an assignment to dynamite German air fields on the island of Rhodes. Robert Westerby is credited with the screenplay of They Who Dare, and Lewis Milestone insisted the story was taken verbatim from the reminiscences of the squadron's two survivors; on the other hand, star Dirk Bogarde claimed that the film was improvised as they went along. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After causing the needless death of another officer during a near-miss air disaster, a distraught army officer resigns from the military. Still, the American wants to serve in the war effort and so, calling himself a Canadian, enlists in the British military to train as a paratrooper. Revealing nothing about his past, he proves himself obedient and exceptionally skilled. This rouses the suspicion of his commanding officer who starts investigating the trooper. Later, the trooper more than proves himself during a dangerous mission to North Africa. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide