Peter Medak Movies
Were it not for the Russian put-down of the Hungarian uprising in 1956, director Peter Medak might well have been one of the leading lights of the New Hungarian Cinema of the 1970s. As it happened, Medak was forced to flee to Britain, where after a lengthy apprenticeship he was allowed to direct TV movies and to work as second-unit director on such films as Kaleidescope (1966) and Funeral in Berlin (1967). After making his theatrical-film directorial bow in 1968, Medak garnered praise for his handling of the very black comedy A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1972). He followed this with The Ruling Class (1972) a rude, irreverent, achingly funny combination of theatrical and cinematic knowhow which skewered every traditional value held near and dear by the British aristocracy (the hero imagines he's Jesus Christ, then switches to Jack the Ripper). In between bread-and-butter assignments like Zorro the Gay Blade (1982), Medak has continued pushing the envelope of taste and style with such films as The Krays, a 1990 crime story concerning London's notorious identical-twin gang bosses (whom Medak knew personally), and Romeo Is Bleeding (1994), a horrifying and sometimes darkly hilarious study of modern-day gang activity. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1985
It was perhaps inevitable that, somewhere along the line in Magnum, P.I.,Higgins (John Hillerman) would end up emulating his namesake Professor Henry Higgins, the hero of Shaw's "Pygmalion"--which of course was the source material for the musical hit "My Fair Lady." In this episode, Higgins takes on the job of transforming his punk-rocker cousin Sally Ponting (played by Jillie Mack, future wife of series star Tom Selleck) into a proper lady in time for her marriage to wealthy young Timothy Finch (David Traylor). Meanwhile, Magnum (Tom Selleck) is kept busy tracking down the con artist who caused Higgins' friend Agatha (Gillian Dobb) to lose her life savings in a crooked investment scheme. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Featuring an all-star cast, this episode from the cable-television series Faerie Tale Theatre tells the tale of how a vain king gets his comeuppance. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1984
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This made-for-TV children's film (from the Faerie Tale Theatre) concerns five princesses who wear out the soles of their shoes each day. The King promises a fortune to the person who can figure out the reason for the problem. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1983
This version of Hans Christian Andersen's story was produced for Faerie Tale Theatre. It is the story of a young maiden who bravely faces the fearsome ice-hearted Snow Queen in order to free her beloved. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Paul Reubens is the troublemaking title character in this installment of Faerie Tale Theatre. Carl Reiner stars as Gepetto, the lonely woodcarver who wishes for a son and creates a wooden marionette named Pinnochio as a substitute. One night a good fairy pays a visit and brings Pinnochio to life, but not without a catch -- he must behave himself and never lie or else his nose will grow. This charming adaptation also features James Coburn as a sly gypsy and a scene-stealing Lainie Kazan as the outrageous Blue Fairy with a hilariously exaggerated Italian accent. ~ Carrie Downes, All Movie Guide
- 1983
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The classic tale of a kind-hearted princess stalked by a jealous stepmother is brought to life in this early episode of Faerie Tale Theatre. Elizabeth McGovern is Snow White, the princess whose stepmother, the queen, banishes her because she is jealous of the girl's beauty. She takes up residence with a septet of friendly dwarfs in the woods, but eventually falls victim to a poisoned apple delivered by the queen in disguise. Only a kiss from a prince (Rex Smith) will awaken her. Veteran actress Vanessa Redgrave portrays the insanely wicked queen, and Vincent Price lends his incomparable voice and screen presence to the film as the queen's omnipresent magic mirror. ~ Carrie Downes, All Movie Guide
- 1982
In this mystery a psychiatrist and his wife are surprised to find that the quiet seaside town they just moved to is plagued by strange deaths that occur during mysterious storms. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In this spoof, Don Diego Vega (George Hamilton) follows in his father's footsteps as he dons the identity of Zorro in an attempt to defend the weak and innocent from the ravages of the evil. However, when Vega falls victim to a debilitating injury, it is up to his gay twin brother, Bunny Wigglesworth (George Hamilton), to take up the mask and sword. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Hamilton, Lauren Hutton, (more)
- 1981
In her first TV-movie appearance, Genevieve Bujold plays Elizabeth, an attractive heiress from the North who becomes the second wife of aristocratic Creole plantation owner Charlie Beaufort (Chad Everett) in the mid-19th century. As the new "Mistress of Paradise," Elizabeth immediately finds herself fending off the amorous advances of neighboring plantation master Buckley (Anthony Andrews). Worse still, the heroine begins to suspect that the official story of the death of the first Mrs. Beaufort may not be entirely true. Brazenly borrowing story elements from both Gone With the Wind and Jane Eyre, the Mississippi-filmed Mistress of Paradise debuted October 4, 1981, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Peter Medak's The Changeling is among a handful of films, including The Haunting (1963), Ghost Story (1981), and Lady in White (1988), that have successfully recreated the intimate, drawing-room atmosphere of supernatural horror fiction. After his wife and daughter are killed in a snowbound car accident, classical composer John Russell (George C. Scott) relocates from New York to Seattle to teach at his alma mater. Looking for a quiet place to rest and continue writing music, he is referred Claire Norman (Trish Van Devere) at the Seattle Historical Preservation Society. Claire shows John a large, sparsely furnished estate in the outlying countryside. He takes the house, appreciating its remoteness and the solitude it might afford, and diverts himself by renovating and settling in. He even starts to compose, putting aside his older work in favor of a new, sentimental piece for the piano. It is not long, however, before he begins having nightmares about the accident that killed his wife and daughter. Possibly because of this trauma, he is open to communications from the house's ghostly occupants. Pursuing a loud, repetitive pounding noise in an upper room, he stumbles on the apparition of a young boy drowning in a tub. Working together with Claire, John discovers frightening parallels between this vision and buried events from the house's past. Horror writer M.R. James once said that his goal as a writer was to make the reader feel "pleasantly uncomfortable." Those looking for a similar experience in movies will appreciate The Changeling as a gem in the horror genre. ~ Anthony Reed, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George C. Scott, Trish VanDevere, (more)
- 1980
The Babysitter is sweet-faced Stephanie Zimbalist, who is hired as housekeeper by married couple Patty Duke Astin and William Shatner. As she takes care of the couple's daughter (Quinn Cummings), Zimbalist slowly, subtly poisons the child's mind against her parents. She then sets about to seduce Shatner, fully intending to ruin his relationship with Astin. While not as horrific as the similar theatrical feature The Hand That Rock the Cradle (1992), The Babysitter is unsettling enough to give married viewers pause before hiring their own nannies. John Houseman does a "special guest star" stint in this made-for-TV melodrama, which first aired November 28, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
In this dark British comedy, a despondent businessman (Graham Chapman) decides to end it all after his wife leaves him. Unfortunately, he lacks the courage to do it to himself and so hires a professional assassin, telling him to do the deed no matter what. A short time passes and things look considerably brighter for the businessman who suddenly decides he wants to live. Unfortunately, nothing he says can convince his would be killer to stop his pursuit, and comic mayhem ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Graham Chapman, David Jason, (more)
- 1974
Released several years after it was filmed, this standard Peter Sellers comedy focuses on Dick Scratcher (Sellers), a bumbling, roughly-hewn chief cook on a pirate ship trying to keep an unsteady control of things after he murders the captain. Once the captain is dead, Scratcher is the only one who knows where the pirate's stash lies hidden and that is the source of his control over everyone, even the second mate Pierre (Anthony Franciosa). Into this precariously balanced situation comes little Jeremiah (Richard Willis) who wants to learn all about sailing the high seas and becomes a third factor in the struggle for control of the ship and the hidden treasure. Meanwhile, Bill Bombay (Spike Milligan), another pirate captain, is also out for the same treasure, complicating everything. Both Sellers and Milligan launch into improvised routines -- but in general, the acting is frenetic and underpar while the story runs aground instead of pulling into port with a reasonable ending. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Sellers, Anthony Franciosa, (more)
- 1974
The Persuaders were a pair of globe-trotting, sophisticated playboys who solved crimes of passion and espionage every week on television. This video contains some of their most memorable exploits. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1973
The Third Girl From the Left might have passed without notice had the film not been the highly touted TV-movie debuts of Kim Novak and Tony Curtis. Kim heads the cast as an ageing Las Vegas chorus girl, while Tony plays a third-rate nightclub comic. Determining that her romance with Curtis is dead-ending, Kim takes up with handsome young delivery boy Michael Brandon. The screenplay by Dory Previn (Andre's ex) paints a fairly bleak picture of the Vegas showbiz scene. Previn also supplies a song, "Gloria" sung not by Novak but by Curtis! Third Girl from the Left was originally telecast October 16, 1973. ~ 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
- Starring:
- Peter O'Toole, Alastair Sim, (more)
- 1971
The plight of an English couple struggling to raise a disabled child is given a darkly humorous treatment in this English comedy. Based on the successful stage play by Peter Nichols, the film centers on the parents of Jo, nicknamed "Joe Egg," a mentally challenged invalid subject to violent seizures. The couple (played by Alan Bates and Janet Suzman) attempts to maintain a stoic and occasionally cheerful facade in the face of their daughter's condition, but they find themselves unable to cope with the strain. Faced with the imminent collapse of their marriage, they eventually agree that euthanasia may be the answer to their troubles. Some viewers may consider the subject matter inappropriate for comedy, but the film mines its uneasy laughter not from the child's plight but from the eccentricities of the parents' reactions. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Bates, Janet Suzman, (more)
- 1968
An unmarried London couple tries to interject some life into their romantic pursuits in this uneven mystery. Theo (Peter McEnery) and Vivien (Glenda Jackson) take over the used furniture store owned by Theo's father, who is dying of cancer. Reingard (Diane Cliento) is the German neighbor who produces a photograph of World War I flying ace the Red Baron, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Theo. The couple then takes delight in enacting elaborate fantasies in which Theo is first the notorious turn-of-the century killer, Dr. Crippen and then the Red Baron. Things take a deadly turn when the couple invite a photographer in to film them. Theo goes so far as to buy a vintage airplane to put on the roof of his home. Vivien wishes to participate in the fantasy, but Theo becomes violent. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter McEnery, Diane Cilento, (more)
