Jean Marsh Movies

Produced for the BBC in 2001, The Mayor of Casterbridge is the second British miniseries version of Thomas Hardy's 1886 novel (the first was filmed in 1978). This time, Ciarán Hinds stars as Michael Henchard, an unemployed drunkard who, in a moment of greedy delirium, sells his wife, Susan (Juliet Aubrey), and their infant daughter, Elizabeth Jane, to a passing sailor -- for a price of five pounds. Sobering up the next day, Henchard conducts a frenzied search for his family, only to find that they have already gone. Swearing off liquor, Henchard promises to re-invent himself as a solid and dependable citizen. He succeeds so thoroughly in this endeavor that, 18 years later, he has risen to the rank of mayor of Casterbridge. About to make his reformation complete by wedding attractive young Lucetta (Polly Walker), Henchard is aghast to discover that his wife and now-grown daughter (played as an adult by Jodhi May), have returned home. Hounded by his conscience, Henchard bends over backward to make amends to his loved ones -- only to revert to his old, disreputable self when things go terribly wrong. Meanwhile, a new intrigue has blossomed vis-à-vis a romantic triangle involving Elizabeth Jane, Lucetta, and handsome, righteous Donald Farfrae (James Purefoy). The Mayor of Casterbridge made its U.S. debut August 17, 2003, on the A&E cable channel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Agatha Christie's super sleuth Mark Easterbrook gets involved with a trio of contemporary witches while looking into the death of a priest. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

What if Germany had won WW II and successfully taken over Europe? Based on a novel by Robert Harris, this compelling drama is set in just such a world, 30 years after the Germans defeated the Allies at Normandy on D-Day. By this time, the country is known as Germania and since the war it has been at odds with the United States. In hopes of bringing peace, the two government leaders, Hitler and president Joseph Kennedy Sr. are planning a historic summit in hopes of obtaining detente. It's a tense situation and matters are made worse when an SS detective and an American reporter begin investigating a series of murders. Together, they discover a horrible and long-suppressed secret: Hitler and his regime were responsible for the deaths of over six million Jews during the war. Armed with this damning information, the two must hurry to the summit to stop President Kennedy from making a terrible mistake. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Written by George Eliot (of Silas Marner fame), the 1859 novel Adam Bede trenchantly addresses the issues of ingrained social prejudices. Played in this British TV adaptation by Iain Glen, the titular Adam Bede is a humble carpenter, enamored of the beautiful but shallow Hetty Sorel (Patsy Kensit). Surrendering to the "political correctness" of her times, Hetty spurns Adam in favor of a wealthy marriage to a nobleman, Lord Arthur (James Wilby). Though he is deeply hurt by this, Adam never relinquishes his love for Hetty and spends the balance of the story trying to win her back in his own single-minded, diligent fashion. Counterbalancing the romantic melodrama is the calm, good-hearted presence of Adam's erstwhile sweetheart, Dinah Morris (Susannah Harker), perhaps the only character in the novel without an agenda. Adapted for television by Maggie Wadey, Adam Bede made its BBC debut in 1991, then aired as part of the PBS anthology Masterpiece Theatre on March 1, 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The made-for-cable Bejewelled stars Emma Samms as a museum curator. Entrusted with collection of valuable jewels, she heads to London. Here she is obligated to fend off any number of potential thieves. It is also up to her to determine whom she can trust and whom she can not. Dennis Lawson, Jade Maigri, Aeryk Egan, Dirk Benedict costar. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Made for British television, Act of Will focuses on three generations of women in a proud, indomitable family. Australian-born director Don Sharp brings to his soap-opera material the same energy and vitality that he'd previously lavished on such theatrical features as Kiss of the Vampire (1963) and Hennessy (1985). Since a portion of the production money was ponied up by Hollywood, American actor Peter Coyote is given a crucial role in the World War II sequences. Among the distaff cast members are the always welcome Jean Marsh (Upstairs, Downstairs), Victoria Tennant (the former Mrs. Steve Martin) and Elizabeth Hurley (who, as of this writing at least, is the girlfriend of Hugh Grant). Act of Will received its widest American exposure on public and cable television. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

With episode one of the four-part "Battlefield," Doctor Who launched its 26th (and thus far final) season. The Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and Ace (Sophie Aldred) travel to the England of the not-too-distant future, arriving on the battlefield where King Arthur once battled Mordred over possession of the sword Excalibur. He soon discovers that this ancient war is far from over and that a UNIT convoy headed by stalwart Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) is in danger of being destroyed -- not only by a group of extra-dimensional villains, but also by galloping inflation. Jean Marsh of Upstairs, Downstairs fame, who previously appeared in the 1965 Doctor Who adventure "The Dalek Masterplan," is here cast as the sorceress Morgaine. Originally telecast on September 6, 1989, "Battlefield, Episode 1" was written by Ben Aaronovitch. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the second episode of the four-part story "Battlefield," the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) discovers that the long-ago battle between King Arthur and Mordred of possession of the sword Excalibur has spilled over into the 20th century. A group of warriors from another dimension insist that the Doctor is actually the ancient wizard Merlin -- a conclusion also jumped to by the resurrected Mordred (Christopher Bowen). Meanwhile, the Doctor's friends, Ace (Sophie Aldred) and the Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney), face their own separate perils. Jean Marsh of Upstairs, Downstairs fame, who previously appeared in the 1965 Doctor Who adventure "The Dalek Masterplan," is here cast as the sorceress Morgaine. Originally telecast on September 13, 1989, "Battlefield, Episode 2" was written by Ben Aaronovitch. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Though Willow was one of director Ron Howard's few box-office disappointments, it definitely deserves a second look. At once an epic celebration and a gentle spoof of the sword-and-sorcery genre, the film concerns the efforts by little person Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) to protect a sacred infant from the machinations of a wicked queen (Jean Marsh). One source book has assessed the picture as a combination of The Ten Commandments and Snow White. This is true enough, except that neither one of those properties offered such offbeat casting choices as Billy Barty and Jean Marsh. Executive producer George Lucas has (through the conduit of screenwriter Bob Dolman) added elements of his own Star Wars saga to the stew. The results are generally satisfactory, though the film is sometimes weighed down by too much plot, and the action sequences may not be suitable for very young children. Incidentally, this is the film where co-star Val Kilmer met his future wife Joanne Whalley. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This '80s follow-up to The Wizard of Oz is based upon two of L. Frank Baum's later Oz books. In Return to Oz (a version that may be a bit too scary for young children), Auntie Em sends Dorothy to a sanitarium where hopefully she will clear her head from all of the "Oz nonsense." This doesn't work, for soon Dorothy manages to return to Oz, but things have definitely changed. She finds her old friends turned to stone and discovers that the awful Nome King has taken over Oz. ~ Rovi

Another of the many Sidney Sheldon novels given the TV-miniseries treatment in the 1970s and '80s, Master of the Game yielded a three-part, nine-hour extravaganza, with enough corporate and romantic intrigue to fill an entire television season. Covering nearly 100 years, the story (which remained astonishingly faithful to the book) begins in the late 19th century, when ruthless young Scottish entrepreneur Jamie McGregor (Ian Charleson) emigrates to South Africa, in hopes of accumulating enough wealth and power to get even with his longtime enemy, Dutch merchant Van der Merwe (Donald Pleasence). Thanks to an extremely prolific diamond mine, the money comes quickly -- as does vengeance, when McGregor deflowers Van der Merwe's convent-educated daughter, Margaret (Cherie Lunghi). The result of this indiscretion is a daughter named Kate (Dyan Cannon), who turns out to be the "Master" of the title. Upon attaining adulthood, Kate assumes control of her father's vast financial empire, ruling her inherited international conglomerate, and her husband, David Blackwell (David Birney), with an iron fist. The story continues into the next several generations, with Kate's lily-livered son, Tony (Harry Hamlin), giving birth to twin daughters, Eve and Alexandra (both played by Liane Langland). One is good, the other evil; the evil twin threatens threaten to destroy everything that Kate has so painstakingly built up. Eventually, they both become the victims of a sneering, malevolent gigolo (Fernando Allende) with a penchant for beating young women senseless. Told in flashback, the narrative comes to a head during Kate's 90th birthday celebration, an event tainted by the efforts of a mysterious killer to wipe the domineering matriarch and her family from the face of the earth. Largely filmed on location, Master of the Game was telecast by CBS from February 19 to 22, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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, Rovi