Julian Mitchell Movies
Literary genius, legendary wit, bon vivant, and gay martyr, Oscar Wilde was a man whose legend has grown to iconic proportions since his death at the beginning of the 20th century. Establishing Wilde (Stephen Fry) as a loving family man, complete with a wife (Jennifer Ehle) and two adorable sons, the film takes pains to portray him as a dignified genius who was as pained by what he considered his own sin -- his homosexuality -- as he was delighted by the sins of others. From his initial encounters with Robbie Ross (Michael Sheen), his first male lover, through his tragic affair with the beautiful and bratty Alfred Lord Douglas (a perfectly cast Jude Law), Wilde is seen as a conflicted fellow, warring with his own urges even as he dazzles everyone around him. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Fry, Jude Law, (more)
- 1996
- PG
Anthony Hopkins made his directorial debut with this adaptation of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, recasting the action in Hopkins' homeland of Wales. Ieuan Davies (Anthony Hopkins) has devoted most of his life to managing the estate of Professor Blathwaite (Leslie Phillips); while he's generally been content with his lot in life, lately Ieuan feels he's thrown away his existence and wishes he'd done something with himself. The Professor spends only the summer at his estate, and brings along his second wife, Helen (Kate Burton), whom Ieuan has long loved from afar; his frustrated love for her leads him to drink heavily and contemplate murder and suicide. Family friend Dr. Lloyd (Gawn Grainger) is also attracted to Helen, much to the dismay of Ieuan's niece, a plain woman in love with the good Doctor. In addition to directing and starring in August, Hopkins also composed the musical score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Hopkins, Kate Burton, (more)
The relationship between the obsessive, brilliant painter Vincent Van Gogh and his more practical brother Theo is at the center of director Robert Altman's well-received biography, originally produced as a miniseries for European television. Now universally acknowledged as masterpieces, Vincent Van Gogh's works were ignored in his lifetime, despite the best efforts of Theo, a struggling gallery owner. When he fails to make a profit from his brother's work, Theo finds himself torn between art and commerce, a conflict deepened by Vincent's increasing emotional neediness. Soon, the situation worsens, and both brothers are forced to struggle with depression and madness. Altman's distinctive directorial approach avoids clichés, allowing his leads to create contradictory and sometimes unlikable characters. Tim Roth captures Vincent's devotion to his art, his difficult personality, and his descent into mental illness without resorting to histrionics, while Paul Rhys provides equally proficient work as the more repressed Theo. The cinematography by Jean Lepine illuminates the links between Altman's trademark wandering camera and Van Gogh's impressionistic painting style. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
A pair of British lads, one gay and one socialist, chafe at the restrictions of boarding school life in this period piece, which was adapted from Julian Mitchell's novel and play of the same name and loosely based on the Burgess-Maclean spy scandal of the 1950s. In the 1930s, upper-class scions Tommy Judd (Colin Firth) and Guy Bennett (Rupert Everett) are both nearing the end of their careers at an unnamed public school that bears a striking resemblance to Eton. Tommy, a Marxist intellectual, refuses to participate actively in the school's rigid social hierarchy. But Guy, when not mooning after pretty boys, angles for a position next term as one of the "gods," or master prefects, of his house. When a faculty member stumbles onto the homosexual fumblings of a pair of students, one boy commits suicide and a scandal erupts. The administration and senior students do their best to ensure nothing of this sort ever sullies their reputation again. Considering that homosexual experimentation is rampant and that Guy has slept with most of the prefects in his house, the strict new rules leave a bad taste in his mouth. They also put a damper on his Wildean lifestyle, especially after he falls hopelessly in love with James Harcourt (Cary Elwes), a dreamy boy from one of the other houses. Things come to a head when autocratic prefect Fowler (Tristan Oliver) intercepts a letter from Guy to James and sentences Guy to a savage beating. By film's end, Guy's complicity in the power games of the British class system has been challenged, and his friend Tommy's communist dogma has made a lasting impression; a framing device portrays Guy as an elderly former spy living in exile in Soviet Moscow. Another Country was shot at Cambridge, Oxford, and Althorp Hall (Princess Diana's childhood home) after the producers were denied permission to shoot at Eton. Everett and Firth both appeared in the original London theater production alongside Kenneth Branagh and Daniel Day-Lewis; on-stage, it was actually Firth who played Guy. For a more factual account of the Burgess-Maclean affair, see the TV movie An Englishman Abroad. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, (more)
Clichéd, slow-paced, and with a well-worn storyline, this melodrama revolves around the sad tale of Olivia (Lisa Eichhorn), a woman who falls in love with Rollo (Michael York), a married man, and then suffers torment when she becomes pregnant and realizes she has no choice but to abort the baby. Predictable from the very beginning, this mediocre film is raised up several notches by Lisa Eichhorn's interpretation of Olivia. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael York, Lisa Eichhorn, (more)
Adapted from Jane Austen's final novel, the five-part British drama series Persuasion starred Anne Firbank as Anne Elliot, a young woman dangerously close to becoming an "old maid." Seven years earlier, Anne had allowed her opinions to be swayed by others (local busybody Lady Russell [Marian Spencer] in particular) and had spurned the advances of dashing Captain Wentworth (Bryan Marshall). Regretting her rashness, Anne could only stand aside in quiet desperation as the now-affluent and well-connected Wentworth ardently pursued the much-younger Louise Musgrove (Zhivila Roche). But though Anne might have been too proud to admit that she still harbored affection for Wentworth, her pride could easily be cast aside should she perceive an opportunity to win the Captain back. This TV version of Persuasion made its British TV bow on April 18, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Firbank, Bryan Marshall, (more)
- 1966
An expert in ancient hieroglyphics unexpectedly finds himself involved in a web of international intrigue in this chic, enjoyably tongue-in-cheek espionage adventure. Gregory Peck stars as David Pollock, an American professor whose predictable academic routine is overturned when he is hired to help translate a mysterious message written in an obscure ancient text. The real trouble begins, however, when everyone from a wealthy oil magnate to a foreign government to brutal criminals starts to chase Pollock, desperate to discover the nature of the deciphered message. Along for the ride is Yasmin Azir (Sophia Loren), the gorgeous lover of Pollock's employers, whose loyalties are questionable, to say the least. The tangled narrative proves less important than the film's stylish surface, from the colorful London locations to the Henry Mancini score. Certain touches date the film, like a brief foray into psychedelia, but the modish visuals are generally an appropriate match to the insouciant tone. Not taking itself seriously enough to be truly thrilling, Arabesque nevertheless stands as a witty, well-made example of a particular breed of airy, intentionally superficial comic adventure. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gregory Peck, Sophia Loren, (more)
