Patsy Byrne Movies

Rowan Atkinson returns to the role of royal scoundrel Edmund Blackadder in this hilariously skewered romp through British history. On the eve of the New Millennium, the latest incarnations of Blackadder and his eternal flunkey Baldrick step into a time machine, purportedly based on a design by Leonardo da Vinci. On a dare, the boys agree to check out a few historical high points -- only to become totally lost in time and space, bouncing back and forth (hence the title) from the Jurassic Period, to the era of Robin Hood, to the reign of Queen Elizabeth, back again to 1999, and back again "forward into the past." Several of the regular performers from the previous Black Adder TV series are once again in attendance, including stars Atkinson and Tony Robinson, Miranda Richardson, Hugh Laurie, and Rik Mayall. Produced for exhibition at England's Millennium Dome on January 1, 2000, Black Adder V: Back and Forth was previewed on December 6, 1999, and subsequently telecast on the Sky TV satellite service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on the novel by Marion Meade, this costume drama retelling of the doomed 12th century romance of Abelard and Heloise was directed by Clive Donner. Abelard (Derek de Lint) is a philosophy professor at the cathedral school of Notre Dame. Considered the greatest teacher in Paris at a time when professors of philosophy are required to be chaste, Abelard is a champion of reason and a man of the people. Despite what it could mean to his career and standing, however, Abelard falls in love with a student, Heloise (Kim Thomson), an upper class teenage girl raised in a convent and possessing an insatiably curious intellect, along with a rebellious attitude toward the second-class status of women in her society. When word of the relationship begins to filter out, Heloise's ambitious uncle Fulbert (Denholm Elliott), who had hoped to marry her off to a wealthy gentlemen, schemes to end the romance, as does the bishop of Paris (Bernard Hepton). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

The cast and crew of the satirical British comedy series Blackadder reunited for this perverse one-hour spin on Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Rowan Atkinson stars as Ebeneezer Blackadder, a kindly and beloved London businessman. Alas, Ebeneezer is too warm-hearted and generous to suit his greedy, grasping ancestors, who on Christmas Eve appear in spectral form to force their descendant to live down to Blackadder family tradition. Also appearing are Tony Robinson as Baldrick, Robbie Coltrane as The Spirit of Christmas, Miriam Margoyles as Queen Victoria, Jim Broadbent as Prince Albert, and Miranda Richardson in the dual role of Elizabeth I and Asphyxia XIX. A Blackadder's Christmas Carol made its British TV bow on December 22, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Returning to British TV after a three-year absence, the satirical sitcom The Black Adder once again starred Rowan Atkinson, this time as Lord Edmund Blackadder, illegitimate great-great-grandson of the original series' delightfully scurrilous anti-hero. Blackadder II was ushered in on January 9, 1986, with the episode titled "Bells." The scene is England; the year, 1558. Lord Edmund can't understand why he is so attracted to his new manservant Bob. He gets his answer in a hurry: "Bob" is really Kate (Gabrielle Glaster), who has disguised herself as a boy to escape a life of prostitution. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Newly appointed the Lord High Executioner, Lord Edmund Blackadder takes his new responsibilities quite seriously. Assigned to remove the head of the "blasphemous" Lord Farrow, Edmund does so with dispatch and élan. Unfortunately, he discovers ex post facto that Lord Farrow has been pardoned by the Queen (Miranda Richardson). "Head" originally aired in England on January 16, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lord Edmund Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson) is heavily in debt to the Bishop of Bath and Wales (Roland Lacey), a disagreeable sort who eats babies for fun. In his efforts to raise the necessary money, Edmund runs into an unexpected obstacle: his own Queen Elizabeth I (Miranda Richardson). Can our "hero" wriggle out of this one, or will this be the only 12-minute TV show in history? "Money" was originally telecast on February 5, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This made-for-TV adaptation of Anita Brookner's novel is an account of a novelist, still smarting from a failed relationship, who finds refuge at a Swiss lakefront resort. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

The returning soldier is amnesia victim Alan Bates, who remembers nothing of his life before suffering shell-shock--not even his long-term marriage to snooty Julie Christie. Spinsterish Ann-Margret, who has long harbored a fondness for Bates, hopes to take advantage of his memory loss. But both Christie and Ann-Margret are challenged by a third woman, Bates' childhood sweetheart Glenda Jackson. Poor Bates deals with all of this by not dealing with it. A fairly faithful rendition of the Rebecca West novel on which it is based, Return of the Soldier ambles along at its own languid pace to a inconclusive conclusion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An institutionalized schizophrenic with a Messiah complex inherits the position of an English Earl in this cutting satire of British society, based on a play by Peter Barnes. The film's irreverent tone is established with the disturbingly hilarious death of the thirteenth Earl of Gurney during a bizarre attempt at auto-erotic asphyxiation. To the dismay of the earl's family, the title passes to his son Jack (Peter O'Toole), who has been locked away for eight years after claiming to be the second coming of Jesus Christ. Mad but harmless, Jack is released to assume his seat. However, his embrace of Christianity proves incompatible with a position of power in "normal" society, where peace and love are considered serious weaknesses, and a somewhat unhinged psychiatrist is called to help him adjust. Meanwhile, Jack's scheming uncle, Sir Charles (William Mervyn), works on developing a complex scheme to trick Jack out of his position. Loaded with idiosyncratic touches from eccentric camera angles to unexpected outbursts of song, the film creates an experience nearly as inspired and mad as O'Toole's brilliantly hilarious central performance. The film's devilish invention may at times seem overloaded, but most drawbacks are redeemed by the sharpness of the satire, particularly during the memorably disturbing finale. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide