Fanny Carby Movies

This is a TV remake of the Cary Grant/Ingrid Bergman vehicle, in which a British actress begins an affair with an American diplomat. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

Jaclyn Smith is a curious choice to play the title character in the made-for-TV biopic Florence Nightingale. This fact, however, never enters into the consciousness of the viewer, thanks to Smith's excellent performance. Some liberties are taken with the details of the life of "The Lady with the Lamp," notably the addition of a largely speculative romance between Florence and her young swain (Timothy Dalton). The best scenes--and the most accurate--occur during the Crimean War sequences and during Nightingale's strenuous efforts to form the Red Cross. Co-produced by Tony Richmond, Jaclyn Smith's husband, Florence Nightingale debuted April 7, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

John Hurt stars as John Merrick, the hideously deformed 19th century Londoner known as "The Elephant Man". Treated as a sideshow freak, Merrick is assumed to be retarded as well as misshapen because of his inability to speak coherently. In fact, he is highly intelligent and sensitive, a fact made public when one Dr. Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins) rescues Merrick from a carnival and brings him to a hospital for analysis. Alas, even after being recognized as a man of advanced intellect, Merrick is still treated like a freak; no matter his station in life, he will forever be a prisoner of his own malformed body. Unable to secure rights for the famous stage play The Elephant Man, producer Mel Brooks based his film on the memoirs of Frederick Treves and a much later account of Merrick's life by Ashley Montagu. The film is lensed in black and white by British master cinematographer Freddie Francis. Though nominated for eight Academy Awards, the film was ultimately shut out in every category. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Schoolboy Stephen Brassett travels to different lands by sticking chewing gum onto one of his teacher's inventions in this children's adventure film. ~ All Movie Guide

Among the first of the late 60s anti-war films that reflected growing concern over the Vietnam War, How I Won the War takes a cold, dark look at the Good War, World War II. In adapting Patrick Ryan's 1963 novel, screenwriter Charles Wood and director Richard Lester offered a narrative fractured by characters making side comments to the camera, stylized cinematography, inserts of newsreel war footage, and plenty of absurdist humor and slapstick. Ernest Goodbody (Michael Crawford) is a bumbling British officer who manages to get most of his small company of musketeers killed while on a mission in North Africa to set up a cricket pitch behind enemy lines for officers of the advancing British army. The rest of the company dies in an ensuing campaign in Europe near the war's end, but all of the men continue to march along, appearing as monochromatic ghosts. (Original prints of the film intercut real battle footage tinted to match the color of the soon-to-be ghost soldier. Some prints of the film, including one shown on Turner Classic Movies, present the newsreel shots in black and white, undercutting the stylized touch.) The story is framed as a flashback, with Goodbody relating his version of events to a German officer (Karl Michael Vogler), while the real version of events, demonstrating Goodbody's ineptitude, plays out on screen. Among the supporting players are John Lennon, who had worked with Lester on A Hard Day's Night and Help; Roy Kinnear, a Lester regular, as a fat soldier who is certain his wife is cheating on him; Jack MacGowran as the troop's designated fool, and Michael Hordern as a general almost as oblivious to his suffering men as Goodbody. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide

This gently farcical British comedy stars Hayley Mills and Hywel Bennett as Jenny and Arthur, a young couple who have just gotten married. However, while both of them are filled with anticipation for their honeymoon, a practical joke played by their "friends" causes their bed to collapse just as they're about to consummate their relationship. Through a variety of misfortunes, they end up spending the night at the home of Arthur's parents, where nervousness and a certain lack of privacy make it difficult for them to enjoy their first night together as they'd wish. While a bit of frank language and some fleeting nudity by former child star Hayley Mills generated a certain amount of controversy upon first release, by today's standards The Family Way is more easily seen as the compassionate relationship comedy its creators intended. The Family Way is also of note to Beatles fans as the first film scored by Paul McCartney. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this suspenseful espionage film a British agent and a man from NATO attempt to bust a communist spy ring. Following the discovery of a roll of top secret microfilm following a plane crash, the two finds themselves embroiled in a complex web of treachery and double agents. Fortunately, they survive all and bring the rogue spies to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Bernard Lee, better known as "M" in the James Bond movies, makes one of his periodic appearances as novelist Edgar Wallace's diligent Scotland Yard investigator protagonist in The Share Out. This time Lee takes on a clever blackmailing ring which preys upon above-suspicion government officials. As usual, Lee wraps things up in little more than an hour, permitting this film to slip comfortably into the syndicated Edgar Wallace Theatre weekly TV package. Reliable supporting players like Patrick Cargill (the inspector in the Beatles' Help!) and Alexander Knox (the Canadian actor best known for playing the title role in 1945's Wilson) lend credence to the proceedings. The Share Out was the 35th in producer Jack Greenwood's 47-installment Edgar Wallace series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This microcosmic comedy/drama is set in the kitchen of a swank London restaurant. The kitchen's unofficial father-figure is chef Carl Mohner, who gleefully advises his fellow workers to enjoy life and to seek their heart's desires. But no one is around to boost Mohner's morale when his planned marriage to waitress Mary Yeomans is shot down in flames. This culinary variation of the Grand Hotel theme was the handiwork of screenwriter Sidney Cole. Because of its nonstop action and huge cast, the stage adaptation of The Kitchen has become a favorite of local repertory theatres in both England and the US. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide