Alan Plater Movies
- 2000
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A group of trailblazing female musicians try to take another shot at success in this musical comedy-drama produced for the premium cable network HBO. In the 1940s, the Blonde Bombshells were the finest all-female jazz band in the U.K., playing hot swing music that helped raise England's spirits during the dark days of WWII. Fifty years later, Elizabeth (Judi Dench), one of the band's sax players, is trying to decide what to do with herself after the death of her husband. Pulling her axe out of mothballs, Elizabeth starts playing again, and after meeting Patrick (Ian Holm), the group's former manager (and drummer-in-drag), they decide to put the group back together for a reunion tour. But they soon discover that putting the band back on the road after over fifty years is no easy task. The Last of the Blonde Bombshells also stars Leslie Caron, Olympia Dukakis, and jazz vocalist Cleo Laine. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judi Dench, Ian Holm, (more)
- 1997
Based on a novel by George Orwell, this satiric comedy concerns Gordon Comstock (Richard E. Grant), an advertising copywriter who fancies himself a poet. While Gordon has published a small volume of his verse that received faint words of praise in the press ("promising" was the most enthusiastic adjective used, in a review that turned out to be written by his publisher), he is convinced that literary greatness lurks deep within him. Deciding that he should begin living the bohemian lifestyle that is the mark of a true artist, Gordon quits his job, even though his friends think he's gone daft and even his publisher Ravelston (Julian Wadham) believes that he's being rash. Gordon's girlfriend Rosemary (Helena Bonham Carter) thinks he's being a bit silly but stands by him, even though Gordon's voluntary descent into poverty has a dire impact on their sex life; Gordon's new digs in a cheap boarding house offer little privacy, thanks to his prying landlady (Liz Smith), and Rosemary lacks Gordon's enthusiasm for love in the great outdoors. Desperate for money, Gordon takes a job in a used book shop (where he sees his own book marked down to three pence...with no takers), and he is forced to rethink his new lifestyle when he learns that one of his increasingly rare sexual assignations with Rosemary has left her pregnant. Originally titled Keep the Aspidistra Flying after Orwell's novel, this film was more widely distributed as A Merry War; it also briefly played under the title Comstock and Rosemary. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard E. Grant, Helena Bonham Carter, (more)
- 1996
In this British made-for-TV mystery, the title sleuths investigate the murder of a school principal. It's a puzzling case, because while every one knew he was dead, his body was supposedly buried in Austria. Instead, the body is accidentally unearthed beneath the memorial erected for him on the school grounds. A college student's death further complicates matters. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren Clarke, Colin Buchanan, (more)
The title character in this five-part British miniseries was a university lecturer (Alan Bates) with a fondness for anagrams and crossword puzzles. Laid off from his academic job, Oliver embarks upon a search for Aristotle, his favorite crossword compiler and creator of the intellectual game Mastermind. Following the trail to Wales, Oliver and his predestined companion, police officer Diane Priest (Sinead Cusack), get entangled in a life-threatening mystery. Written by the prolific Alan Plater, Oliver's Travels made its BBC bow in 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
A seemingly harmless man comes to a small town with a deadly mission in mind in this British made-for-television movie. Jack Shepherd stars as Peplow, a reserved man who meets up with a disenchanted, crippled veteran (Peter Egan) on the day of their town's annual fair. Unbeknownst to the curmudgeon vet, Peplow has come to town for more than just the fair. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
Peter Davison stars as bespectacled, aristocratic private detective Albert Campion in this two-part adaptation of Margery Allingham's novel Look to the Lady. Set in Suffolk, England during the 1930s, the story concerns the Gyrth Chalice, a 1000-year-old artifact stolen from a once-prominent family now on its uppers. In his efforts to recover the chalice and restore the Gyrth family's prestige, Campion and his assistant Lugg (Brian Glover) enlist the aid of a shabby drifter named Val (Robin Lermette). The key to the story is "the Daisy"--which also happens to be the name of one of the principal characters. In America, "ook to the Lady" was telecast November 23 and 30, 1989, as part of the PBS anthology Mystery! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Davison, Brian Glover, (more)
- 1988
After the success of the British mini-series The Beiderbecke Affair and its sequel The Beiderbecke Tapes, the BBC followed with The Beiderbecke Connection, the final installment of the trilogy. The lives of jazz lovers Trevor (James Bolam) and Jill (Barbara Flynn), now married and raising their first child, become more complicated after they agree to take in a friend who has recently fallen on hard times. Though at times it seems their unexpected house guest be more trouble than they bargained for, he is, at least, a fellow jazz fan.
~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 1988
The elaborate British miniseries Shoulder to Shoulder was an anecdotal dramatization of the women's suffrage movement in England. Covering the period from the 1890s to the end of WWI, the series focused on the movement's most vocal proponent, Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst (Sian Phillips). As Emmeline's militancy increased, her fervor spilled over to her daughters, Christabel (Patricia Quinn) and Sylvia (Angela Down), much to the delight of her husband, pioneering feminist barrister Richard Pankhurst. With the founding of the Women's Social and Political Union in 1903, Mrs. Pankhurst and her chief lieutenant Lady Constance Lytton (Judy Parfitt) shifted into full gear, despite the efforts of patronizing politicians and surprising brutal police officials to stifle the pro-vote movement. The series was unsparing in its accuracy, with its stark portrayal of the bitter rift between sisters Sylvia and Christabel over the latter's disenchantment with the increasingly violent activities of the W.S.P.U., its disturbing depiction of the force-feeding methods used by the police to quell a hunger strike, and its gruesome reenactment of activist Emily Davison's suicidal act of bravado during a horse race (a tragedy recorded by newsreel photographers of the period). Originally telecast by the BBC in 1974, the six-part Shoulder to Shoulder premiered in the United States on October 5, 1975, as part of the PBS Masterpiece Theatre anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The Beiderbecke Tapes is the second entry in playwright-screenwriter Alan Plater's Beiderbecke Trilogy (following 1985's The Beiderbecke Affair and preceding 1988's The Beiderbecke Connection). The British television miniseries follow the crime-solving adventures of a jazz-loving schoolteacher, Trevor Chaplin (James Bolam), and his environmentally conscious significant other, Jill Swinburne (Barbara Flynn), as they play amateur sleuths in the Yorkshire countryside. In this second installment, the lovers find themselves in danger when they accidentally obtain a cassette tape of top-secret government information. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Bolam, Barbara Flynn, (more)
- 1987
The British miniseries Tales From Sherwood Forest had nothing to do with Robin Hood. Instead, the story dealt with a Nottingham café owner named Eric (Pete Postlethwaite), who was obsessed with the American movie Casablanca. Accordingly, Eric fancied himself to be the immortal Rick, while all his friends and customers took on the identities of the other Casablanca regulars in his imagination. Created by Alan Plater, the six-part, six-hour series represented the British TV debut of comic actor Stephen Tompkinson. Tales From Sherwood Forest was seen on Central Television in 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
Joan Hickson stars as Miss Jane Marple in this made-for-TV adaptation of one of Agatha Christie's classic murder mystery tales. An odd advertisement appears in the Chipping Cleghorne Gazette, which announces that a murder will take place on October 5 at 7 p.m. at a cottage in Little Paddocks. While the neighbors and assembled curiosity seekers who show up are expecting some sort of a stunt, it turns out the advertiser was good to their word, and three shots ring out, leaving a man dead. So who is the killer, and why did they commit such a bizarre crime? Could it be retiree Mrs. Blacklock (Ursula Howells), her cousins Julia (Samantha Bond) or Patrick (Simon Shepherd), her close friend Miss Bunner (Renee Asherson), or gardener Mrs. Haymes (Nicola King), all of whom happened to be living at the scene of the crime? ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Hickson
- 1985
"The Solitary Cyclist" is an episode of the television series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, an excellent series of adaptations of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories, produced in Britain for Granada TV. In this episode, directed by Paul Annett, the renowned Jeremy Brett portrays the famed detective aided by his companion Dr. Watson (David Burke). Here, Holmes aids Violet Smith (Barbara Wilshere) in discovering the identity and intentions of a curious follower. This episode, written by Alan Plater, is one of the most enjoyable of the Holmes stories and is faithful to the original story first published in the Strand Magazine during the late 19th century is exceptional. This series was followed by several sequels, as well as some feature-length TV movie adaptations. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeremy Brett, David Burke, (more)
The internationally produced The Inside Man was inspired by a true story. In 1981, a Soviet submarine ran aground on the coast of Sweden. The sub was carrying a hush-hush laser search device, which promptly vanished. In this 1984 recreation of the incident, Dennis Hopper is cast as the CIA agent assigned to track down the missing laser. Aided by young assistant Gosta Ekman Jr., Hopper finds himself in a life-and-death struggle with a variety of foreign agents, each with his own agenda. Hardy Kruger co-stars in this rugged adventure yarn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Hopper, Hardy Kruger, (more)
- 1983
The ghost of a young girl terrorizes a man in this episode from the British {\anthology] series. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeremy Kemp, Peter Machin, (more)
Adapted from a series of novels by Anthony Trollope, the Masterpiece Theatre production of The Barchester Chronicles features Donald Pleasence as Reverend Harding. Scandal taints the town of Barchester after the local church becomes the object of a scathing investigative report about the use of church funds. The husbands of Harding's daughters are feuding with each other and each manipulates Harding for their individual purposes. A change in church leadership brings Harding into contact with Reverend Obadiah Slope (Alan Rickman), an unpleasant man who may be hiding some deep secrets. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 1981
- R
The later years of the life of author D.H. Lawrence are dramatized in this screen biography. Following the controversial reception of his novel The Rainbow, David Herbert Lawrence (Ian McKellen) and his wife Frieda (Janet Suzman) leave England for the U.S., where they hope that Lawrence's bold themes will be received in a more tolerant climate. Such is not the case, and the Lawrences travel first to Mexico, and then to Italy while David attempts to complete and then publish his best known (and most controversial) work, Lady Chatterley's Lover. However, as the furor over the book taxes David's well being, tuberculosis saps his physical health. The supporting cast includes John Gielgud as censorship crusader Herbert G. Muskett and Ava Gardner as Mabel Dodge Luhan. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian McKellen, Janet Suzman, (more)
- 1977
Few traditional British TV histories have been willing to describe the basic plot line of the BBC comedy-drama series Middlemen, presumably on the theory that no one will believe it. The fact remains, however, that the series' six 50-minute episodes chronicled the misadventures of a prosthetic toenail salesman, played by Frank Windsor. The program was written by the prolific Alan Plater, who never entered into any project lightly, no matter how silly the basic setup. Middlemen originally aired in 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
James Herriot wrote several well-loved books about his experiences as a small-town veterinarian in the Yorkshire countryside of Britain in the 1930s. One of them gave its title to the film All Creatures Great and Small. That family movie was so successful that this movie It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet, or All Things Bright and Beautiful was made. All the stories told explore the richness of the interactions between humans and animals and the quirky wisdom which a young country veterinarian develops under the wise and eccentric tutelage of his senior in practice, Siegfried Farnon. These stories later inspired a popular BBC television series. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Alderson, Colin Blakely, (more)
- 1975
Previously filmed by director Carol Reed in 1939, A.J. Cronin's Depression-era novel The Stars Look Down served as the basis for this 13-part, 13-hour British miniseries. The story took place in a poverty-stricken village in the North East, which relied upon the local coal mines and fisheries for its meager income. Ian Hastings headed the cast as David Fenwick, the son of a mining family, whose chances to escape his grimy surroundings were compromised by a number of highly dramatic complications -- and, ultimately, by his own conscience and sense of duty. Also in the cast was Alun Armstrong, making a meal of his role as all-purpose villain Joe Gowan. The Stars Look Down was broadcast by Granada Television from September 4 to November 27, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
The title character in this satirical British TV miniseries was played by comic actor Les Dawson. The star was seen as a man coincidentally named Dawson, a habitual griper who perpetually slammed his noggin against the brick wall of British bureaucracy. The program consisted of three half-hour plays by Alan Plater, each a self-contained entity with the redoubtable Dawson in the thick of things. The Loner was beamed out by Yorkshire Television from May 7 to 21, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Written by Albert Plater, the six-episode British series Trinity Tales was inspired by Geoffrey Chaucer's Old English masterpiece The Canterbury Tales. Instead of the original's pilgrimage to a sacred shrine, the catalytic journey in Trinity Tales was a bus ride en route to the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final in Wembley. To pass the time, the bus' passengers -- bearing such Chaucer-esque designations as Stan the Fryer, Smith the Man of Law, and Alice the Wife of Batley -- swapped tall tales and sexual anecdotes. Trinity Tales was served up by BBC2 from November 21 to December 26, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
