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Feature Films shot in Malta... 100 and counting
Here are some feature films that have been shot in Malta. For more information on locations used
contact the Malta Film Commission. Films have been listed by release date.
Astérix et Obélix: Au Service de Sa Majesté (2012)
Director: Laurent Tirard
Synopsis:
Cast: Gérard Depardieu, Edouard Baer and Fabrice Luchini
Kon-Tiki (2012)
Directors: Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg
Cast: Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen, Anders Baasmo Christiansen and Gustaf
Skarsgård
Synopsis:
The true story about legendary explorer Thor Heyerdahl and his epic
crossing of the Pacific on a balsa wood raft in 1947.
World War Z (2012)
Director: Marc Forster
Cast: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos and James Badge Dale
Synopsis:
Max Brooks' epic tome of a fictional time of global war against the undead is brought to life in this
Paramount Pictures/Plan B production. Quantum of Solace's Marc Forster directs from a script by
Changeling scribe J. Michael Straczynski. Brad Pitt stars as a journalist covering the disaster, with
Mireille Enos, Anthony Mackie, and Bryan Cranston heading up the rest of the cast.
Die Männer der Emden (2012)
Director: Berengar Pfahl
Cast: Sibel Kekilli, Ken Duken and Felicitas Woll
Synopsis:
Emden men is telling the story of a journey, halfway around the globe and the existential
experiences of fifty-two men on a desperate dash home. An unbelievable story, based on historic
facts, that made all that where involved heros – dead or alive.
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Le Cochon de Gaza (2011)
Director: Sylvain Estibal
Cast: Sasson Gabai, Baya Belal and Myriam Tekaïa
Synopsis:
After a storm, Jafaar, a Palestinian fisherman from Gaza, catches by chance
in his net a pig that has fallen off a cargo boat. Although initially
determined to get rid of this unclean animal, he decides to try to sell it and
thereby add a little extra income to his pitiful existence.
Poor Jafaar then enters into an incredible and dubious business venture. In
this tragicomedy, all the little folk of Gaza, caught between everyday
hardship, Israeli military constraints, and the diktat of the fundamentalists
in control, are represented by this poor fisherman whose only concern is to survive from day to day
and who is willing to do anything to do so.
Jafaar, constantly making jokes about himself, even during tragic moments, evolves in this biting
comedy and leaves us hoping that if we can all get along individually, despite our differences, then
perhaps we will eventually get along collectively.
Wickie auf Großer Fahrt (2011)
Director: Christian Ditter
Cast: Jonas Hämmerle, Waldemar Kobus and Valeria Eisenbart
Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010)
Director: Gautham Menon
Cast: T.R. Silambarasan, Trisha Krishnan and Ganesh
Synopsis:
Every moment experiences a new feeling, fresh thoughts, the zest for life,
love, ambition and a lot more...! Karthik and Jessie meet each other, one
unassuming evening... And it's love at first sight, for Karthik. Not having
seen a beauty such as Jessie in years passed by, Karthik is love struck,
dumbstruck, and spellbound... all at once. Jessie is the girl next door, in the
typical sense. Secretive glances make way to obvious glances and the two
get acquainted sooner or later. What begins with an unexpected friendship
breaks boundaries to take shape as love.
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The Devil's Double (2010)
Director: Lee Tamahori
Cast: Dominic Cooper, Ludivine Sagnier and Raad Rawi
Synopsis:
Dominic Cooper (An Education) headlines director Lee Tamahori's factbased docudrama centring on the nightmarish experiences of an Iraqi army
lieutenant whose life became a living hell after he was hand-selected to be
a "fiday" (body double) for Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's ruthless son
Uday. Baghdad, 1987: Iraqi soldier Latif Yahia (Cooper) becomes privy to the
inner workings of the royal family after receiving an offer he can't refuse.
Desperate to protect his family and terrified of making any fatal missteps,
Latif studies Uday's every personal tick in order to become the spitting
image of the so-called "Black Prince." While some Iraqis might have been honoured to be presented
with such a unique opportunity, Uday's unparalleled sadism and debauched lifestyle quickly began
to eat away at the very core of Latif's soul. As war with Kuwait looms on the horizon, Latif finds
himself increasingly drawn to Uday's ravishing mistress Sarrab (Ludivine Sagnier), a woman with her
own terrifying tales to tell about time spent with Iraq's cruellest son. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Agora (2009)
Director: Alejandro Amenábar
Cast: Rachel Weisz, Max Minghella and Oscar Isaac
Synopsis:
A fourth century slave (Max Minghella) is confronted with his love for his
intellectual alchemist master, Hypatia of Alexandria (Rachel Weisz), and the
temptations of freedom spurred by the rise of Christianity in this historical
epic from acclaimed filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar. ~ Jeremy Wheeler,
Rovi
Wickie und die starken Männer (2009)
Director: Michael Herbig
Cast: Jonas Hämmerle, Waldemar Kobus and Günther Kaufmann
Synopsis:
Vicky is a Viking-boy who lives with his parents Halvar and Ylva in the small
village Flake. He is a typical Viking boy, but rather fearful. He is also not very
strong but smart. One day he sails with the grown up Vikings out to the sea
and to experience a great and funny adventure.
A Previous Engagement (2008)
Director: Joan Carr-Wiggin
Cast: Juliet Stevenson, Tchéky Karyo and Daniel Stern
Synopsis:
A second honeymoon in Malta turns into a life-altering experience for a
bored Seattle librarian and her unadventurous, insurance salesman husband
in this mature romantic comedy starring Juliet Stevenson, Tchéky Karyo, and
Daniel Stern. Twenty-five years ago, Julia (Stevenson) and her passionate
French lover Alex (Karyo) made a promise to meet up in the romantic
Mediterranean hot spot where they exchanged their first glance. Now stuck
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in a marriage with a man who seems more interested in assembling jigsaw puzzles than pleasing his
neglected wife, Julia takes her husband Jack (Stern) on a trip to Malta under the guise of celebrating
a second honeymoon. But the truth is that Julia has been fantasizing about Alex for years, and she's
determined to make good on her promise to meet him, perhaps rekindling their old flame in the
process. When Alex shows up with his sexy young girlfriend (Kate Miles) in tow, Julia can't help but
wonder if she and her lover have been leading the wrong lives all these years. Later, when Alex
storms their holiday villa declaring his devotion to Julia for the whole world to hear, Jack makes his
mission to become the lover his wife has always longed for. In order to make that transformation
Jack will take lessons in dancing and loving from a passionate ex-chorus girl (Valerie Mahaffey), but
when the time comes for Julia to decide between the husband she's never known and the lover she's
always longed for, will his noble efforts be enough to save a failing marriage? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
U-900 (2008)
Director: Sven Unterwaldt Jr.
Cast: Atze Schröder, Oliver Wnuk and Yvonne Catterfeld
Synopsis: Suggesting a cross between Down Periscope and Lange flate Ballaer
II, this slapstick military farce sends up the conventions of Das Boot-like war
films by observing the zany misadventures of a submarine crew fleeing
conflict in 1940s Germany. Yvonne Catterfeld lends a supporting role as
Maria, a sexy young woman who dresses in male drag and poses as an officer
aboard the aforementioned sub. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
Nie Kłam, Kochanie (2008)
Director: Piotr Weresniak
Cast: Piotr Adamczyk, Marta Zmuda and Beata Tyszkiewicz
Synopsis:
His taste for the good life suddenly threatened by some pressing financial
problems, Krakow bon vivant Marcin discovers that in order to tap into his
wealthy aunt's vast fortune he will first be required to take a wife. Marcin
may be a playboy, but he's no dummy, and quickly rushes out to find a
fiancée. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Novaya Zemlya (2008)
Director: Aleksandr Melnik
Cast: Konstantin Lavronenko, Andrei Feskov and Marat Basharov
Synopsis:
Hundreds of violent criminals battle one another for survival in a frozen
wasteland in this violent action picture from Russia. It's 2013, and mass
murderer Ivan Zhilin (Konstantin Lavronenko) has finally been brought to
justice for his crimes. Found guilty, Ivan is given a choice of two punishments
-- life in prison, or exile to an island in the arctic where he'll stay with a few
hundred other condemned men. Ivan chooses life on the island, and he's
shipped off to Terra Nova with fellow criminal Nikolai (Andrei Feskov), with
whom he strikes up a wary friendship. While Terra Nova was supposed to be stocked with provisions
for the prisoners, animals have found and eaten most of the food, and as the desperate men
struggle for survival they separate into gangs who square off against one another. Soon monstrous
Monkey (Pavel Sborschikov) has become de facto leader of Terra Nova, and he and followers feed on
the flesh of their enemies they've held in a makeshift prison. Ivan flees Terra Nova's new "society" to
live on his own, living off the land and eventually allowing Nikolai to join him. In time, Ivan and
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Nikolai hatch a plan to escape, but they realize they'll need help from Monkey and his cannibal allies
if they're to regain their freedom. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Nepobedimyy (2008)
Director: Oleg Pogodin
Cast: Vladimir Epifantsev, Sergei Astakhov and Harry Borg
Synopsis:
Yegor Kremnyov is a Russian special intelligence agent. During his last
mission, which was supposed to be simple and safe, all of his accomplices
were killed. But the guy that they were to have captured turned out to be
the secretary of the fugitive oligarch Sorkin (Mikhail Shering), who has been
on the wanted list for a long time. According to rumours, Shering has secret
papers that are of interest not only to Russian intelligence, but also to the
powerful West crime syndicate. Now Kremnyov is faced with the difficult
task of bringing Shering home. He is surrounded by treachery, conspiracy,
ambushes and traps, but nevertheless Yegor plans to deliver Shering on his own. But Kremnyov’s
main trap is the very cargo he is to deliver - Shering. It is not so easy for Kremnyov to avoid the
influence of his fellow traveller. This dangerous journey will change them both - both the fugitive
Shering and the invincible Kremnyov.
Ein Fliehendes Pferd (2007)
Director: Rainer Kaufmann
Cast: Ulrich Noethen, Ulrich Tukur and Katja Riemann
Synopsis:
A middle-aged man and his wife find their leisurely vacation routine
uncomfortably compromised by the appearance of a former classmate and
his curiously young girlfriend. For the past twelve years, Helmut and his wife
Sabine have spent their holidays at Lake Constance. As the lazy days of
summer roll by, Helmut bird watches and Sabine swims. At night they dine
together, eventually retiring to bed with a good book and the promise of
another relaxing day on the lake. But this year, Helmut has a chance run in
with his former classmate Klaus. Of course it would be all well and good if
the Helmut and Klaus were simply able to reminisce about their childhoods together, but Klaus is
never far away from his enchanting, and far-too-young girlfriend Hel. Over the course of the next
few days, Klaus finds every excuse possible to stop by and pay his old friend a visit. Helmut can't help
but being annoyed by the obvious comparisons as the two couples spend more time together than
he would like. Later, as the mismatched quartet sets out on a sailing trip, a sudden squall blows away
the thin veneer of amicability, prompting everyone aboard to come clean about their true feelings. ~
Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Eichmann (2007)
Director: Robert Young
Cast: Troy Garity, Thomas Kretschmann and Franka Potente
Synopsis:
The man responsible for the destruction of more than six million lives
accounts for his role as the architect of Adolf Hitler's final solution in this
historical drama starring Stephen Fry, Franka Potente, and Thomas
Kretschmann. Based on the final confession made by Adolf Eichmann just
before his execution in Israel, director Robert Young's film begins 15 years
after the World War II has ended. Eichmann has been captured by Israeli
intelligence. As a senior officer in the SS, Eichmann played a pivotal role in
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making the Holocaust a nightmarish reality. Now, as Eichmann prepares to die in front of the entire
world, he accounts for his participation in one of the greatest atrocities ever committed. ~ Jason
Buchanan, Rovi
Pars: Kiraz Operasyonu (2007)
Director: Osman Sinav
Cast: Mehmet Kurtulus, Nida Safak and Selçuk Yöntem
Synopsis:
In a very dangerous police operation famous undercover Narcotic agent
Ertugrul faces with a puzzling situation. Unfortunately he gets killed along
with his wife in front of their children before he solves the secret in the
dark labyrinths of the world of drugs. Sixteen years later, his older son
Attila, who has grown up to be a Narcotic officer with the nickname
"Panther", will seek his revenge. In a narcotic operation, Attila along with
his partner Asena, who is a female narcotic officer, they seize a huge
amount of drugs that belongs to infamous drug kingpin Hashasi who is
disguised himself as a respectable industrialist Vahdet Bozcan. Vahdet who has strong ties with
politicians, pressures the authorities to post Attila to another job. Attila being demoted and striped
from all his privileges desperately tries to find his way out. On top of everything, Atilla loses his only
brother Tayfun to a drug related crime and gets into depression. With the support of Asena and his
colleagues Atilla puts himself together and unofficially starts pursuing Hashasi known as Vahdet
Bozcan. In this long run, Attila pursues Vahdet from Turkey to Holland from France to Greece and
from Monaco to mysterious streets of Istanbul and the drug infested schools of Istanbul. This time
Attila is determined to find the killers of both his father and his brother while fighting against the
drug network that starts from the top officials of the country and ends up in schools. With the help
of Inci, a guidance teacher in the school of his late brother Tayfun, and Asena, Attila finds his way
out but only to be lost in a love triangle between these two women. But he has a mission to
complete. Attilla is ready to sacrifice everything even his life to the fight against drugs. ~ imdb.com
Largo Winch (2007)
Director: Jérôme Salle
Cast: Tomer Sisley, Kristin Scott Thomas and Miki Manojlovic
Synopsis:
Billionaire and corporate kingpin Nerio Winch has been murdered, and the
suspects are innumerable. It would seem like nearly anyone might have had
the mogul wacked, and things only get more mysterious when it's revealed
that Nerio had a secret son -- a boy he adopted from a Bosnian orphanage
three decades ago named Largo. But Largo has been accused of drug
trafficking, and is being held in a jail in the Amazon rain forest. What seems
like an odd coincidence soon proves to be the ultimate case of corporate
intrigue. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Tempelriddernes skat III: Mysteriet om slangekronen (2007)
Director: Giacomo Campeotto
Cast: Julie Grundtvig Wester, Christian Heldbo Wienberg and Nicklas Svale
Andersen
Synopsis:
Four adventurers and the Grand Master of the Knights Templar travel to
Malta on a mission to return the priceless Snake Crown to its rightful owners
find their noble quest hopelessly complicated after the crown is stolen and
the leader of the group is abducted by an ancient order to priests. Mathias
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and his team are determined to ensure that the Snake Crown is safely returned to the Maltese
Knights, but just as they set out to accomplish their mission Mathias is kidnapped and the crown is
stolen. Now it's up to the rest of the team to rescue their friend and retrieve the crown. ~ Jason
Buchanan, Rovi
Sommer (2007)
Director: Mike Marzuk
Cast: Jimi Blue Ochsenknecht, Sonja Gerhardt and Jannis Niewöhner
Synopsis:
A 15-year-old boy moves to Amrum, an island in the North Sea, to be with
his grandmother, but ends up butting heads with a local surfer gang.
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou and Jean Reno
Synopsis:
Dan Brown's controversial best-selling novel about a powerful secret that's
been kept under wraps for thousands of years comes to the screen in this
suspense thriller from director Ron Howard. The stately silence of Paris'
Louvre museum is broken when one of the gallery's leading curators is found
dead on the grounds, with strange symbols carved into his body and left
around the spot where he died. Hoping to learn the significance of the
symbols, police bring in Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), a gifted
cryptographer who is also the victim's granddaughter. Needing help, Sophie calls on Robert Langdon
(Tom Hanks), a leading symbologist from the United States. As Sophie and Robert dig deeper into
the case, they discover the victim's involvement in the Priory of Sion, a secret society whose
members have been privy to forbidden knowledge dating back to the birth of Christianity. In their
search, Sophie and Robert happen upon evidence that could lead to the final resting place of the
Holy Grail, while members of the priory and an underground Catholic society known as Opus Dei give
chase, determined to prevent them from sharing their greatest secrets with the world. Also starring
Ian McKellen, Jean Reno, and Alfred Molina, The Da Vinci Code was shot on location in France and
the United Kingdom; the Louvre allowed the producers to film at the famous museum, but scenes
taking place at Westminster Abbey had to filmed elsewhere when church officials declined
permission. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Open Water 2: Adrift (2006)
Director: Hans Horn
Cast: Susan May Pratt, Richard Speight Jr. and Niklaus Lange
Synopsis:
A seafaring birthday celebration takes a turn for the terrifying when the
passengers of a luxury yacht forget to lower the automated ladder before
jumping into the ocean for a playful swim. It was a perfect setting for a
relaxing weekend at sea, but sometimes even the best-planned trips can
take an unexpected turn for the worst. After diving into the ocean and
realizing to their horror that they have forgotten to lower the safety
ladder, the friends who had set out for a simple weekend getaway realize
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that they have become helplessly stranded in the middle of the ocean. The sheer sides of the yacht
are impossible to climb, and now the group is growing increasingly desperate. As the grim reality of
their helpless situation slowly begins to dawn on the doomed friends, hydrophobic Amy (Susan May
Pratt) struggles to maintain her composure after realizing that her baby daughter Sarah is helpless
and alone aboard the boat. Now treading water as panic begins to set in, the once inseparable
friends fast begin to turn on one another as exhaustion begins to set in and the vast ocean threatens
to swallow the entire group without a trace. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Munich (2005)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Eric Bana, Daniel Craig and Marie-Josée Croze
Synopsis:
The 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany, were supposed to be a peaceful
gathering of outstanding athletes from around the world, but on September
5, the games took a sinister turn when eight masked Palestinian terrorists
invaded the Olympic village, killing two Israeli athletes and abducting nine
others. The kidnappers demanded safe passage out of Germany in addition
to the release of Arab prisoners in Israeli and German prisons, but when
they arrived at the Munich airport they were met by German police and
military forces, and in the melee that followed, all nine hostages were
killed. In the wake of the killings, the Israeli government gave Mossad, the nation's intelligence
agency, a special assignment -- to track down and eliminate the Palestinians responsible for the
death of the Israeli athletes. A young and idealistic Mossad agent (Eric Bana) is assigned to the fourman unit created to wipe out the Olympic terrorists, but while he believes in serving his country, as
their bloody work goes on he begins to buckle under the weight of his work and wonders if he can
morally justify his nation's acts of revenge. Munich also stars Geoffrey Rush, Daniel Craig, Mathieu
Kassovitz, and Ciarán Hinds. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
A Different Loyalty (2004)
Director: Marek Kanievska
Cast: Sharon Stone, Rupert Everett and Julian Wadham
Synopsis:
The Marek Kanievska thriller A Different Loyalty stars Rupert Everett and
Sharon Stone as war reporters who come across each other's path while
they are both on assignment in Beirut. When Everett's character goes
missing, Stone's character begins an investigation on her own. She soon
realizes that he may have known much more about international politics
than he was letting on. Can she rescue him before any number of
governments can put a stop to her quest? ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
Troy (2004)
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Cast: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana and Orlando Bloom
Synopsis:
Homer's sprawling tale of love and war in ancient Greece comes to the
screen in all its grandeur in this epic-scale adventure. In 1193 B.C., Paris,
Prince of Troy (Orlando Bloom), has fallen in love; however, the beautiful
woman who has beguiled him is Helen, Queen of Sparta (Diane Kruger),
who is wed to King Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson). While Helen is hardly
immune to Paris' charms, this doesn't blunt Menelaus' fury when Paris
steals her away from him. Menelaus' brother Agamemnon (Brian Cox), the
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power-hungry king of the Mycenaeans, is eager to expand his empire through Troy to the lands of
the Aegean Sea, and he uses Paris' romantic slight against Menelaus as an excuse to wage an all-out
war against the great walled city. Priam, King of Troy (Peter O'Toole), summons his armies, led by
Prince Hector (Eric Bana), to meet the onslaught of Agamemnon's forces, but while the great city has
yet to yield in a battle, Agamemnon has a formidable ally -- Achilles (Brad Pitt), a mighty and
seemingly unstoppable warrior whose presence could tip the scales in Agamemnon's favour. Sean
Bean, Julie Christie, Saffron Burrows, and Rose Byrne highlight the film's supporting cast. ~ Mark
Deming, Rovi
Alexander (2004)
Director: Oliver Stone
Cast: Colin Farrell, Anthony Hopkins and Rosario Dawson
Synopsis:
The fourth film to chronicle the life of fourth-century B.C. ruler Alexander
the Great, Oliver Stone's Alexander stars Colin Farrell as the titular
Macedonian conqueror. The film follows the young king as he leads his
forces on a bloody empirical conquest across the known world, taking large
parts of Asia and the Middle East to amass a giant empire, all by the time
he turned 25. Anthony Hopkins co-stars as Ptolemy I along with Rosario
Dawson as Roxane, Angelina Jolie as Olympias, Jared Leto as Hephaistion,
Val Kilmer as King Philip II, and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Cassander. ~
Matthew Tobey, Rovi
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
Director: Stephen Norrington
Cast: Sean Connery, Stuart Townsend and Peta Wilson
Synopsis:
Based on the comic book miniseries by Alan Moore, The League of
Extraordinary Gentlemen takes place in an alternate universe where the
characters of several literary classics exist in reality. As if that weren't
enough, they've been assembled together in 1900 by Queen Victoria as a
team of evil-fighting heroes. Among them are Allan Quatermain (Sean
Connery) from H. Rider Haggard's King Solomon's Mines; Mina Harker (Peta
Wilson) from Bram Stoker's Dracula; Tom Sawyer (Shane West) from
several works by Mark Twain; Dorian Gray (Stuart Townsend) from Oscar
Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray; Captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah) from Jules Verne's 20,000
Leagues Under the Sea; The Invisible Man (Tony Curran) from H.G. Wells book of the same name;
and several others. Working together, the odd assortment of characters must combine their powers
to defeat a mysterious villain and save the world from certain destruction. Directed by Stephen
Norrington (Blade), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen also stars Jason Flemyng, Tom
Goodman-Hill, and David Hemmings. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
The Death of Klinghoffer (2003)
Director: Penny Woolcock
Cast: Sanford Sylvan, Christopher Maltman and Yvonne Howard
Synopsis:
John Adams' audacious contemporary opera about the 1985 capture of the
ocean liner Achille Lauro is given a faithful screen adaptation in this
production financed by the British television network Channel 4. A large
group of tourists book passage aboard the Achille Lauro for a 12-day cruise
in the Mediterranean, and when the ship docks in Alexandria for two days,
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just over half of the passengers head into town for shopping and sightseeing. While the ship is
docked, a maid cleaning a stateroom discovers four of the passengers left on board are actually
members of the Palestine Liberation Organization who are traveling incognito. Startled by their
discovery, the PLO cadre is forced to move forward immediately with their plan, and they round up
the passengers on board, holding them hostage in the dining room, and demanding the release of 50
Palestinian activists held in Israeli jails in exchange for the freedom and safety of the tourists. As
Egyptian, American, Italian, and Palestinian authorities bicker over the best way to handle the
situation (and who would negotiate with the terrorists), the kidnappers find themselves dealing with
rebellion among their captives, and an argument between the four PLO members and Leon
Klinghoffer, a Jewish-American confined to a wheelchair, eventually escalates into violence. The
Death of Klinghoffer stars Christopher Maltman, Sanford Sylvan, Tom Randle, Yvonne Howard, and
Kamel Boutros. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Silmido (2003)
Director: Woo-Suk Kang
Cast: Sung-kee Ahn, Kyung-gu Sol and Jun-ho Heo
Synopsis:
Based on a true story of 1968 Korean Republic Army plan to assassinate
North Korean president Kim Il-Sung. 31 criminals and death row inmates are
recruited into secret training on the island of Silmi; for two years they are
subjected to maximum mental and physical abuse before the mission is
cancelled and the unit terminated. ~ imdb.com
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
Director: Kevin Reynolds
Cast: Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce and Richard Harris
Synopsis:
The classic tale of swashbuckling adventure by the senior Alexandre Dumas
comes to the screen in its umpteenth incarnation, this time from Kevin
Reynolds, directing his first feature in five years. James Caviezel stars as
Edmond Dantes, an honest sailor who plans to marry his beautiful lover
Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk). Edmond doesn't know that his best friend
Fernand Mondego (Guy Pearce) secretly desires Mercedes for himself and
schemes with fallen aristocrat Villefort (James Frain) to frame Edmond for a
crime he didn't commit. Sentenced to life on the remote island prison of D'If, Edmond becomes
consumed by plans for revenge. Thirteen years pass and he meets a fellow innocent convict, Abbe
Faria (Richard Harris), who becomes Edmond's mentor in sword fighting, finance, and escape,
confiding that a vast treasure awaits a discoverer on the island of Monte Cristo. Eventually, Edmond
is able to get away using Faria's tunnels and makes his way to Monte Cristo, where he retrieves the
fortune and uses it to make himself over as the wealthy "Count of Monte Cristo." With the help of a
loyal sidekick (Luis Guzman), Edmond insinuates himself into French royalty and sets about getting
revenge on Villefort and Fernand, who is now married to Mercedes. The Count of Monte Cristo
(2002) also stars Michael Wincott and Albie Woodington. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
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Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre (2002)
Director: Alain Chabat
Cast: Gérard Depardieu, Christian Clavier and Jamel Debbouze
Synopsis:
Based on the original '60s French comic books by René Goscinny, Astérix &
Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre is the big-budget sequel to the 1999 box-office
hit Astérix and Obélix vs. Caesar. Empress Cleopatra (Monica Bellucci)
makes a wager with Julius Caesar (played by writer/director Alain Chabat)
that her people can build a beautiful palace in three months. She chooses
architect Numerobis (Jamel Debbouze) for the project, which must be
completed in time or he will be fed to the crocodiles. Numerobis travels to
Gaul to get help from the super powered Panoramix (Claude Rich) and the
warriors Astérix (Christian Clavier) and Obélix (Gérard Depardieu), along with their faithful pet
Dogmatix. They use their magic potion to make the Egyptian slave-labour population into
superheroes, thereby building the palace in no time. Meanwhile, the angry architect Amonbofis
(Gérard Darmon) and Julius Caesar don't want to see them succeed. At the time of its release,
Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre was the most expensive French film ever made, with a budget of
$50 million. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
Swept Away (2002)
Director: Guy Ritchie
Cast: Madonna, Adriano Giannini and Bruce Greenwood
Synopsis:
Guy Ritchie, best known for the tough-guy crime comedies Snatch and Lock,
Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, goes for a change of pace with this remake
of Lina Wertmuller's 1974 comedy-drama, with his wife Madonna in tow.
Amber Leighton (Madonna) is the wife of Dr. Anthony Leighton (Bruce
Greenwood), the wealthy and successful head of a pharmaceutical
company. While Amber seemingly leads a charmed life, it doesn't appear to
make her very happy, and she often inflicts her typically foul mood on those
around her, especially the hired help. Anthony decides to surprise Amber
with a cruise from Italy to Greece, with four of their friends in tow, but Amber doesn't much care for
the notion. Amber feels the yacht they've hired is far beneath her standards, and she makes
Giuseppe (Adriano Giannini), the first mate of the crew, the primary target of her dissatisfaction.
Giuseppe, an ardent leftist, feels nothing but contempt for Amber, but for the sake of his job he
can't say a word in response to her attacks. One day, Amber declines an invitation to go diving with
her friends, but later changes her mind, demanding that Giuseppe take her to the underwater caves.
Giuseppe warns Amber that a storm is brewing, and his prediction proves to be right on the money;
soon, Amber and Giuseppe are stranded on a desert island, and suddenly they discover the tables
are turned. Giuseppe, a trained fisherman and outdoorsman, knows how to survive on the island,
while Amber is utterly helpless, and he forces her to cower under his commands in order to survive;
before long, their mutual antagonism has begun to turn into something approaching unfettered lust.
Adriano Giannini, who plays Giuseppe, is the son of Giancarlo Giannini, who played the equivalent
role in Wertmuller's original film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
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Pinocchio (2002)
Director: Roberto Benigni
Cast: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi and Carlo Giuffrè
Synopsis:
Academy Award-winner Roberto Benigni adapts the classic children's tale
by Carlo Collodi for the big-budget family-oriented comedy Pinocchio. In
his usual fashion, Benigni directs and stars, this time as the little puppet
boy made out of wood. The familiar story begins as a log of pinewood falls
out of a cart and lands in front of woodcarver, Geppetto (Carlo Giuffré),
who carves the puppet out of longing for a son. When the puppet begins
to come alive and cause trouble, Geppetto is arrested and Pinocchio is left
to his own naïve worldview. After getting a stern warning from the Blue
Fairy (Benigni's wife and producer Nicoletta Braschi), Pinocchio sets out to reunite with his father,
become a real boy, and succumb to some desire for adventure. Along the way, he meets a number
of characters played by mostly Italian stage actors, including Franco Javarone, Peppe Barra, and Kim
Rossi Stuart. The popular Italian comedy team Fichi d'India plays the roles of the Cat and Fox.
Released by Miramax in the U.S., the film received an English-dubbed soundtrack with the voice
talents of Glenn Close, David Suchet, and Breckin Meyer as Pinocchio. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
The Emperor's New Clothes (2001)
Director: Alan Taylor
Cast: Ian Holm, Iben Hjejle and Tim McInnerny
Synopsis: A fanciful retelling of the story of Napoleon Bonaparte (played by
heralded actor Ian Holm, this British costume comedy suggests that it was
Napoleon's double, not the man himself, who died on St. Helena Island.
The film begins by presenting Napoleon after his defeat at Waterloo, at the
home of a young boy (Tom Watson), where he watches a slide show of his
actions and begins to tell his story. The film flashes back to Napoleon's six
years of house arrest, when he dictated his memoirs to an aide (Murray
Melvin). He has concocted a scheme with his sidekicks Montholon (Nigel
Terry) and Bertrand (Hugh Bonneville) and a valet named Marchand (Eddie Marsan) to plant a
double in his place so he can escape to Paris, where he can then reclaim his throne as emperor of
France. Posing as a galley hand, Napoleon steals a ship, but mistakenly arrives in Belgium, where he
must then make his way back to France by barge. When he finally arrives in Paris, he discovers his
contact, Truchaut, has died, and he enlists the help of his widow Pumpkin (played by Mifune's Iben
Hjelje). Unable to reveal his true identity, Napoleon kills time by using Pumpkin and other supporters
to start a profitable business, and Pumpkin begins to find herself drawn to Napoleon, though
knowing his real identity. The film was directed by American filmmaker Alan Taylor, who helmed the
quirky 1995 comedy Palookaville. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi
Revelation (2001)
Director: Stuart Urban
Cast: Natasha Wightman, Udo Kier and Diran Meghreblian
Synopsis:
A powerful ancient relic holds the key to ultimate destruction in director
Stuart Urban's religious-flavoured thriller Revelation. Since the crucifixion
of Christ, the Loculus has eluded the grasp of the demonic Grand Master
(Udo Kier), who seeks to find the artefact and learn its mysterious secrets
in order to unlock its power to devastating results. As the Grand Master
continues his quest for the Loculus, a billionaire mogul named Magnus
Martel (Terence Stamp) enlists the reluctant aid of his computer expert
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son, Jake (James D'Arcy), and an alchemy student named Mira (Natasha Wightman) in finding the
Loculus before the Grand Master completes his quest. Traveling the world in a race to save the soul
of humankind, the trio attempts to unlock the centuries-old secrets of the Loculus, which may
ultimately reveal the connection between science and religion as well as the salvation of the human
race. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
U-571 (2000)
Director: Jonathan Mostow
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton and Harvey Keitel
Synopsis: In this World War II action thriller, American reconnaissance
agents learn that a German submarine is sinking. The doomed ship carries
an Enigma Machine, a special coding device that allows high-level Axis
forces to send messages that can't be read without a similar encryption
mechanism. Obtaining a working Enigma device would be invaluable for
the Allied war effort, so a U.S. sub is sent out to rescue the machine.
However, German forces have already picked up the sub's distress signal
and are en route to rescue their comrades. U-571 features a distinguished
cast, including Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel, and Jon
Bon Jovi. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Gladiator (2000)
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix and Connie Nielsen
Synopsis:
A man robbed of his name and his dignity strives to win them back, and gain
the freedom of his people, in this epic historical drama from director Ridley
Scott. In the year 180, the death of emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard
Harris) throws the Roman Empire into chaos. Maximus (Russell Crowe) is
one of the Roman army's most capable and trusted generals and a key
advisor to the emperor. As Marcus' devious son Commodus (Joaquin
Phoenix) ascends to the throne, Maximus is set to be executed. He escapes,
but is captured by slave traders. Renamed Spaniard and forced to become a
gladiator, Maximus must battle to the death with other men for the amusement of paying
audiences. His battle skills serve him well, and he becomes one of the most famous and admired
men to fight in the Coliseum. Determined to avenge himself against the man who took away his
freedom and laid waste to his family, Maximus believes that he can use his fame and skill in the ring
to avenge the loss of his family and former glory. As the gladiator begins to challenge his rule,
Commodus decides to put his own fighting mettle to the test by squaring off with Maximus in a
battle to the death. Gladiator also features Derek Jacobi, Connie Nielsen, Djimon Hounsou, and
Oliver Reed, who died of a heart attack midway through production. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Merisairas (1996)
Director: Veikko Aaltonen
Cast: Bob Peck, Katrin Cartlidge and John Castle
Synopsis:
The crew aboard a freight ship are stuck as sea, shunned at all ports
because of the toxic waste the ship carriers. ~ imdb.com
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White Squall (1996)
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Caroline Goodall and John Savage
Synopsis:
Based on a true incident from 1960, White Squall is the story of the tragic
sinking of the Albatross, a prep school educational two-masted schooner,
during a Caribbean storm. Screenwriter Todd Robinson wrote the script
after meeting one of the tragedy's survivors, Chuck Gieg. In the film, Gieg
(Scott Wolf) is the narrator. He and his fellow students, whose parents have
paid handsomely for their schooling, which combines classroom work with
real-life adventure, are introduced to their grizzled seafaring captain,
Christopher Sheldon (Jeff Bridges). Gieg is initially sceptical of Sheldon's authority, but he gradually
comes to see the captain as a model of manhood. The other boys aboard include Frank Beaumont
(Jeremy Sisto), a self-absorbed snob; Dean Preston (Eric Michael Cole), a troublemaker and bully;
Tod Johnston (Balthazar Getty), a returning student; and the naïve Tracy Lapchick (Ethan Embry).
John Savage plays the pompous English teacher aboard the ship. Various incidents establish the
boys' insecurities and relationships with the authorities -- and foreshadow their eventual fate. The
killer squall comes up quietly but soon turns deadly, and the boys are forced to go beyond their
privileged upbringings and deal with real danger. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi
Cutthroat Island (1995)
Director: Renny Harlin
Cast: Geena Davis, Matthew Modine and Frank Langella
Synopsis: Morgan Adams (Davis) is the daughter of a pirate who has
followed in her father's footsteps. When he dies, he passes along his ship, a
crew of bandits, and one third of a treasure map (which happens to be
tattooed on his skull). Morgan is eager to search out the rest of the map and
retrieve the riches, but the fragment she holds is in Latin. Morgan then buys
a well-educated slave, William Shaw (Matthew Modine), who can read the
ancient language and already has a taste for the criminal life. However,
Morgan and William are not long into their search when they discover that
someone else is following the same trail for the rest of the treasure map: Dawg Brown (Frank
Langella), Morgan's uncle and as black-hearted a scurvy dog as ever boarded a ship. As Morgan and
Dawg battle each other over the fragments of the map, a British journalist (Maury Chaykin) covers
their feud for the penny press. William Shaw was originally to have been played by Michael Douglas,
who dropped out in the early stages of this troubled production. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Casque Bleu (1994)
Director: Gérard Jugnot
Cast: Gérard Jugnot, Victoria Abril and Valérie Lemercier
Synopsis: More than a dozen years ago, Patrick (Gerard Jugnot) and Alicia
(Victoria Abril) began their relationship by chance at the Peace Inn Hotel on
a Mediterranean island. However, despite the fact that they have returned
to the place where they first fell in love, it will take more than that for their
relationship to survive. For one thing, Alicia is not about to forgive him for
the one episode of his infidelity that she knows about. For another, they are
no longer wide-eyed young people. Others at the hotel have their own
romantic preoccupations, such as the hotel's charming gay male owner, who
is being besieged by a clueless young woman who has developed a crush on him. Surely the people
at the hotel long for this vacation to end, along most of the problems that have come with it, but
they are taken hostage in a local civil war and have even more difficulties. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
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Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992)
Director: John Glen
Cast: Marlon Brando, Tom Selleck and Georges Corraface
Synopsis:
John Glen directed this throwback to the costume dramas of the 1930s and
1940s, but without a smidgen of their energy and verve. George Corraface
plays Christopher Columbus as a dynamic and muscular comic-book hero.
He has a dream to set sail to find a new passageway to India, but he needs
the backing of the Spanish government to do it. First, he must undergo a
grilling by Tomas de Torquemada (Marlon Brando). After passing muster
with Torquemada, he gets the blessing of Queen Isabella (Rachel Ward) and
King Ferdinand (Tom Selleck). Columbus then sets sail in a series of picture-postcard travelogue
shots as he sails the ocean blue and discovers a new world of wonders. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
Les 1001 Nuits (1990)
Director: Philippe de Broca
Cast: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Gérard Jugnot and Stéphane Freiss
Synopsis:
The tale of this movie is familiar enough, Sheherazade (Catherine ZetaJones) has been married to a ruler (Thierry Lhermitte) who wants many
wives, but only one at a time. Consequently, as soon as he has bedded
them, he has them put to death. In most retellings, the girl staves off this
unfortunate conclusion by putting off the event for a thousand and one
nights, telling irresistible stories instead. In this one, she gets hold of a magic
lamp and acquires a genie named Jimmy Genius (Gerard Jugnot) from the
20th century, who helps her escape and avoid recapture a thousand and one ways, by providing her
with airplanes, cars, and other twentieth-century magical devices. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
Der Skipper (1990)
Director: Peter Keglevic
Cast: Jürgen Prochnow, Patsy Kensit and Elizabeth Hurley
Synopsis:
This thriller stars Jurgen Prochnow as an alcoholic sailor who agrees to
deliver two young English women to the Caribbean. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
Erik the Viking (1989)
Director: Terry Jones
Cast: Tim Robbins, John Cleese and Mickey Rooney
Synopsis: An unusually principled young Viking becomes increasing
uncomfortable with all the killing and plundering that goes with the job, and
sets out on a magical journey in order to bring about world peace. Former
Monty Python member Terry Jones attempts to have his story of Erik's
seemingly hopeless quest operate as both witty, lunatic satire and sincere
children's fantasy. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
15
Leviathan (1989)
Director: George P. Cosmatos
Cast: Peter Weller, Richard Crenna and Amanda Pays
Synopsis:
Leviathan, a sci-fi thriller directed by George Pan Cosmatos, is the story of a
group of scientists who discover a sunken Russian submarine which
contains a monster that is the product of a genetic experiment. This film, a
hybrid of both The Abyss and Alien, has a decent cast, including Peter
Weller as Beck, the lead oceanographer. Working with a good budget,
action director Cosmatos, should have been able to put together better
action sequences and a more frightening monster, but he gives this
derivative, silly film below-par special effects and no particular visual style.
Leviathan, while it may entertain a less-sophisticated viewer, has little to offer fans of the genre who
are looking for thrilling special effects. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi
Black Eagle (1988)
Director: Eric Karson
Cast: Shô Kosugi, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Doran Clark
Synopsis:
Black Eagle takes as its inspiration Reagan-era cold war paranoia. After a
renegade scientist goes AWOL, a top secret device is up for grabs.
International intrigue ensues, with CIA agent Ken Tani aka Black Eagle and
KGB operative Andrei, played by Jon Claude van Damme at the centre. The
picture builds towards their inevitable showdown where American interests
are preserved. Black Eagle was van Damme's second picture. ~ Brian
Whitener, Rovi
Iron Warrior (1987)
Director: Alfonso Brescia
Cast: Miles O'Keeffe, Savina Gersak and Elisabeth Kaza
Synopsis:
A warrior must battle a demonic sorceress and her minions in order to save
his kingdom in this sword-and-sorcery picture also known as Ator the Iron
Warrior. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
Pirates (1986)
Director: Roman Polanski
Cast: Walter Matthau, Cris Campion and Damien Thomas
Synopsis:
Although the title evokes a swashbuckling adventure, Roman Polanski's
Pirates turns out to be a seagoing tale with a bit of a difference. Captain Red
(Walter Matthau) runs a hardy pirate ship with the able assistance of Frog, a
dashing young French sailor (Cris Campion). One day Capt. Red is captured
and taken aboard a Spanish galleon, but thanks to his inventiveness, he
raises the crew to mutiny, takes over the ship, and kidnaps the daughter of
the governor of Maracaibo (Charlotte Lewis). ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
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Les Loups Entre Eux (1985)
Director: José Giovanni
Cast: Claude Brasseur, Jean-Hugues Anglade and Robert Arden
Synopsis:
Set up along the general plot lines of films like The Dirty Dozen, this routine
spy-action drama of espionage and counter-espionage involves ten men
trained by NATO attache Straub (Edward Meeks) for a dangerous special
mission. The men include leader Larcier (Claude Brasseur), a Romani, a man
who is a crack shot, a safe-cracker, a professional mountain climber, and
others. The team's assignment is to scale a rocky cliff somewhere in the
Mediterranean area, rescue a general from captivity before he is forced to
reveal NATO secrets, and bring the general back safely. After the men successfully complete the
mission with only two casualties, NATO reveals a cold-blooded brutality that changes the picture and
continues the violence. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
Final Justice (1985)
Director: Greydon Clark
Cast: Joe Don Baker, Rossano Brazzi and Venantino Venantini
Synopsis:
Joe Don Baker stars as a Texas sheriff attempting to stem corruption in his
own community. Failing this, the sheriff (Baker) is compelled to follow the
mob perpetrators all the way to Italy. It is hardly uplifting entertainment,
but it certainly delivers the goods in terms of bloody action. ~ Hal Erickson,
Rovi
Der Scheenman (1984)
Director: Peter F. Bringmann
Cast: Marius Müller-Westernhagen, Polly Eltes and Towje Kleiner
Synopsis:
In this German action-thriller, Dorn (Marius Muller-Westernhagen) has a
stroke of bad luck that gets him involved in the world of drug dealers, with
no easy way out. While in his hotel room on Malta, Dorn is trying to figure
out how to sell 50,000 copies of a porn magazine he has stashed there,
when the police burst in and he just barely makes it out of the window and
into the room below. That turns out to be a jump from the frying pan into
the fire, because there is a dead man in the room below, and the next thing
he knows, Dorn is being chased by the police for murder. Eventually, Dorn gets away from the
clutches of the Maltese police force and ends up in Amsterdam with a mountain of cocaine to
unload. But then he runs into Cora (Polly Eltes) who advises him to sell the cocaine to a Chinese drug
lord. Dorn manages to pull off the sale for a hefty profit, but then events take a turn for the worse
one more time, leaving him in another tight spot. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
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Trenchcoat (1983)
Director: Michael Tuchner
Cast: Margot Kidder, Robert Hays and Gila von Weitershausen
Synopsis:
In this pseudo-farce, the heroine Mickey (Margot Kidder) takes two weeks
off work to go to Malta and write a mystery novel and finds herself caught
up in a series of real-life murders that she weaves into her progressing
story. Caught between a parody, a children's film, and a who-dunnit, the
overplayed Disney charm of Trenchcoat wears thin very quickly. ~ Eleanor
Mannikka, Rovi
Samraat (1982)
Director: Mohan Segal
Cast: Dharmendra, Jeetendra and Hema Malini
Synopsis:
Captain Chawla has been employed for years with a cargo shipping
company run by Ranbir. While celebrating the New Year Chawla hears
gunshots and goes under to investigate. Ranbir finds out that Chawla was
misusing his captaincy and smuggling gold bars, and files a police
complaint, Chawla is arrested and imprisoned. His daughter, Suman,
returns from England and decides to find out what really happened.
L’Ultimo Squalo (1981)
Director: Enzo G. Castellari
Cast: James Franciscus, Vic Morrow and Micaela Pignatelli
Synopsis:
A quaint little beach town is terrorized by a bloodthirsty great white shark
in the infamous Italian Jaws rip-off The Last Shark. As usual, the powers
that be turn a blind eye to it for tourist reasons, although eventually even
they cannot escape the ocean of blood at their doorstep. Cue novelist
Peter Benton (James Franciscus) and shark hunter Ron Hamer (Vic
Morrow), who valiantly seek to kill the beast. Best known for the Universal
Pictures lawsuit that found the film's North American theatrical release cut
short and subsequent releases barred due to the blatant similarities to
Steven Spielberg's blockbuster and its sequel, The Last Shark lives on in movie legend and Japanese
laserdisc bootlegs for those who can find it. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
Inseminoid (1981)
Director: Norman J. Warren
Cast: Robin Clarke, Jennifer Ashley and Stephanie Beacham
Synopsis:
This unsettling British Alien clone (released in the U.K. under the sleazy
title Inseminoid) is set in the labyrinthine underground caverns of a
remote planet, where a team of scientific explorers find themselves in the
bizarre predicament of defending themselves from a rampaging, pregnant
crew member (Judy Geeson). It seems the poor woman has been
impregnated by a slime-covered insectoid alien (as depicted in a surreal
and truly disgusting flashback), and the resulting hormonal imbalance has
transformed her into an inhumanly strong, psychopathic killer. She
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promptly sets about dismembering and eating everyone in sight (no doubt because of the baby's
nutritional requirements) before finally giving birth to a pair of snarling little mutants bearing a
more-than-passing resemblance to the terror tykes from the It's Alive series. Aside from the
admittedly "unique" premise, this is a fairly standard rip-off -- complete with characters resembling
their Alien counterparts -- and the lovely Geeson's rabid, eye-popping performance is more than a
bit uncomfortable to watch. The American video release is missing a great deal of the original's
graphic violence. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
Clash of the Titans (1981)
Director: Desmond Davis
Cast: Laurence Olivier, Harry Hamlin and Claire Bloom
Synopsis:
The heroic Perseus battles strange creatures and overcomes fantastic
challenges while the gods of Olympus argue over his fate in loose
adaptation of several classic tales of Greek mythology. The film was
critically lambasted for its awkward pacing and lack of originality, not to
mention the sometimes embarrassing performances by Laurence Olivier
and other distinguished veterans. However, Clash of the Titans
nevertheless found some popularity amongst younger audiences, thanks
largely to interesting (if inconsistent) special effects work from legendary
stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
Popeye (1980)
Director: Robert Altman
Cast: Robin Williams, Shelley Duvall and Ray Walston
Synopsis:
Based on the long-running comic strip created by E.C. Segar (and less on
the animated cartoons created by Max Fleischer, which were decidedly
different in tone and approach), Popeye follows the sailor man with the
mighty arms (played by Robin Williams in his first major film role) as he
arrives in the seaside community of Sweethaven in search of his long-lost
father. Popeye meets and quickly falls for the slender Olive Oyl (Shelley
Duvall, in the role she was born to play), but Olive's hand has already been
promised to the hulking Bluto (Paul Smith), of whom Olive can say little
except, well, he's large. Eventually, Popeye and Olive are brought together by Swee' Pea (Wesley
Ivan Hurt), an adorable foundling, and Popeye finally meets his dad, Poopdeck Pappy (Ray Walston).
Director Robert Altman in no way tempered his trademark style for this big-budget family opus,
crowding the screen with a variety of characters and allowing his cast to overlap as much dialogue as
they want. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Raise the Titanic (1980)
Director: Jerry Jameson
Cast: Jason Robards, Richard Jordan and David Selby
Synopsis:
American scientists are assigned by the U.S. navy to retrieve a cache of
extremely valuable radioactive material that went down with the Titanic.
They must hurry for the Russians are after it too. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
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Warlords of Atlantis (1978)
Director: Kevin Connor
Cast: Doug McClure, Peter Gilmore and Shane Rimmer
Synopsis:
Also known as Seven Cities to Atlantis, this is a British-produced adventure
fantasy which uses rather ordinary special effects. In Victorian England, an
explorer, Greg Collinson (Doug McClure), leads an unlikely expedition to
discover the lost continent of Atlantis. Among the team are scientists
Professor Aitken (Donald Boisset) and son Charles (Peter Gilmore). The
crew members mutiny, setting their sights on the legendary treasures of
Atlantis. The ship is attacked by sea monsters and a giant octopus. Sinking
to the bottom of the sea, the explorers find that Atlantis is populated by
intelligent beings from another planet who enslave the shipwrecked sailors. The aliens' goal is to
create a fascist state that will rule the world, and they want to recruit Charles to help them. Delphine
(Lea Brodie), the daughter of one of the shipwrecked slaves, helps the heroes find a high priestess,
Atsil (Cyd Charisse), who holds the key to their chances of escaping. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi
Sweeney 2 (1978)
Director: Tom Clegg
Cast: John Thaw, Dennis Waterman and Denholm Elliott
Synopsis:
The Sweeney started out as a British TV detective program all about
Scotland Yard's Flying Squad. Its popularity spawned a reasonably
satisfying 1976 feature film, starring the TV series' Tom Thaw. In Sweeney
2, Thaw is called upon to solve a series of carefully orchestrated bank
robberies, which turn out to be the handiwork of an elite team of crooks
headquartered in a posh Maltese apartment complex. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Force 10 from Navarone (1978)
Director: Guy Hamilton
Cast: Harrison Ford, Robert Shaw and Edward Fox
Synopsis: Force 10 From Navarone was a sequel to the 1961 blockbuster
The Guns of Navarone and tells the tale of ten widely divergent WW II
troubleshooters who attempt to blow up a crucial bridge in Yugoslavia. As
in the first Navarone film, one of the guerillas is a traitor: group leader
Mallory (Robert Shaw) knows the identity of the turncoat, but can't prove it
until it's almost too late. The beautiful female resistance leader is played by
Barbara Bach, while Harrison Ford, fresh from his Star Wars success, is the
romantic lead. Others in the cast include Edward Fox, Franco Nero and Alan
Badel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Midnight Express (1978)
Director: Alan Parker
Cast: Brad Davis, Irene Miracle and Bo Hopkins
Synopsis:
Midnight Express is a harrowing tale of a naïve American caught in a
nightmare of his own making thousands of miles from his home. Billy Hayes
(Brad Davis) is an American tourist visiting Turkey with his girlfriend Susan
(Irene Miracle) when he's caught by customs officials trying to smuggle a
large amount of hashish out of the country. The crime would normally carry
20
a sentence of four years, but officials decide to make an example of Billy, and he draws a 30-year
sentence despite the promises of his Turkish legal counsel. While Susan and Billy's father (Mike
Kellin) pledge to do everything they can to speed Billy's release, in fact there's little than can be
done. Billy quickly finds himself in a hellish prison that's a nightmare of filth, violence, rape, inedible
food, and unspeakable health conditions. However, Billy gains a few confidantes behind bars: Jimmy
(Randy Quaid), an American in a constant state of emotional overdrive; Max (John Hurt), an
intelligent, drug-addicted Englishman; and Erich (Norbert Weisser), a gay Scandinavian who is
attracted to Billy but accepts his gentle refusals of sex. Before long, Billy is convinced that he can
take no more, and he makes plans to take the "midnight express" -- jailhouse slang for escape. While
his friends are willing to help, they also make clear that almost no one who has tried to escape has
lived to tell the tale. Based on a true story, Midnight Express was a box-office hit which won wide
acclaim for the performances of Brad Davis and John Hurt; and the screenplay, by Oliver Stone, won
an Academy Award. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Orca (1977)
Director: Michael Anderson
Cast: Richard Harris, Charlotte Rampling and Will Sampson
Synopsis:
Another big-budget monster movie from producer Dino de Laurentiis, Orca
concerns the mutual revenge pact between an obsessive whaler (Richard
Harris) and an angry killer whale, whose pregnant mate Harris killed. The
whale strikes back by biting off Bo Derek's leg, so Harris and concerned
biologist Charlotte Rampling follow it to frozen northern waters for the
climactic showdown. Just in case you like Jaws better than Moby Dick,
there's a killer shark thrown in for good measure. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977)
Director: Sam Wanamaker
Cast: Patrick Wayne, Jane Seymour and Taryn Power
Synopsis:
Famed stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen concocts a collection of
fantastic creatures -- including a saber-tooth tiger, a chess-playing baboon, a
giant walrus and three banshees -- for this follow-up to The Golden Voyage
of Sinbad. Patrick Wayne stars as Sinbad, who seeks the hand of Princess
Farah (Jane Seymour) in marriage but cannot get her brother, Prince Kassim
(Damian Thomas), to agree to the match because he has been turned into a
baboon by his evil stepmother. In order to receive the blessing of Farah's
brother, Sinbad must travel to a faraway realm and find a wizard named
Melanthius (Patrick Troughton), the only one who can break the evil spell placed upon Kassim. ~ Paul
Brenner, Rovi
Shout at the Devil (1976)
Director: Peter R. Hunt
Cast: Lee Marvin, Roger Moore and Barbara Parkins
Synopsis: Peter R. Hunt directed this World War I action-adventure, based
upon the novel by Wilbur Smith. Roger Moore and Lee Marvin team up as
Sebastian, a witty and cosmopolitan Englishman, and Flynn O'Flynn, a boozy
and ornery Irish American, who decide to blow up a German battleship that
has been hidden away for repairs in Southeast Africa. Helping the two in
their quest to sink the battleship is Sebastian's wife Rosa (Barbara Parkins),
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who has her own reasons for seeing the ship is destroyed -- the Germans took the life of her only
child. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
Charas (1976)
Director: Ramanand Sagar
Cast: Dharmendra, Hema Malini and Ajit
Synopsis:
Suraj Dharmendra his dad, and sister live in Uganda while their properties
and business in India are managed by an employee named Kalicharan.
When they are forced to leave Uganda, after political upheaval caused by
General Idi Amin, Kalicharan fears they will find out he has invested their
money in smuggling drugs and has their house set on fire. Suraj's father is
killed and his sister is abducted. He is then recruited by the police to stop
Kalicharan's smuggling activities which leads him to Europe. He meets
Sudha Hema Malini a beautiful dancer, who has been blackmailed by
Kalicharan, into helping smuggle the drugs. Suraj must try to find his sister, end the drug smuggling
and take his revenge on Kalicharan.
Il Lupo dei Mari (1975)
Director: Giuseppe Vari
Cast: Chuck Connors, Giuseppe Pambieri and Barbara Bach
Synopsis:
In this exciting adaptation of Jack London's novel The Sea Wolf a brutal and
mad sea captain terrorizes his crew. He rescues the wealthy survivor of a
shipwreck and forces the fellow to join his crew. After observing and taking
considerable abuse from the cruel captain, the young man stages a mutiny
and kills the evil tyrant. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Children of Rage (1975)
Director: Arthur Allan Seidelman
Cast: Helmut Griem, Olga Georges-Picot and Cyril Cusack
Synopsis:
An Israeli doctor (Helmut Griem) is working with guerrillas at an enclave
when the Palestinians attempt to blow up a dance-hall. The doctor is
stunned to discover an old friend among the terrorist dead. A fictional story
- but based on a true contemporary background of Middle East conflict and
bloodshed. An examination of both sides' point of view in an area split by
bitter passions. ~ John Bush, Rovi
L'Invenzione di Morel (1974)
Director: Emidio Greco
Cast: Anna Karina, Giulio Brogi and John Steiner
Synopsis:
A dejected and worn-out man spends an inordinate amount of time
observing what appear to be well-dressed 1920s high-society types moving
in and around a library set in the middle of an otherwise deserted island.
Eventually, an irritating explanation for this situation is paired with an
improbable one. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
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Voir Malte et Mourir (1974)
Director: José Bénazéraf
Cast: Lea Lander, Erna Schurer and Joëlle Blum
Synopsis:
The great powers are finding enormous difficulties in securing energy
sources. So the United States, the Soviet Union and France are up at arms in
trying to entice a sheik who owns valuable oil wells. The battle will be
fought not with weapons but by glamorous women, corrupt and corrupting;
not take place at sea or on the heads of battle, but in the beds of Malta
where the Sheikh he placed his headquarters.
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974)
Director: Gordon Hessler
Cast: John Phillip Law, Caroline Munro and Tom Baker
Synopsis:
The second of special-effects wizard Ray Harryhausen's three Sinbad epics,
this film finds the titular hero played by John Philip Law, while the principal
villain, Koura, is portrayed by future Dr. Who Tom Baker. The plot sends
Sinbad and his crew on a quest for a valuable and magical golden tablet.
Harryhausen's "Dynamation" highlights include a six-armed statue, a oneeyed centaur and a flying griffin. Caroline Munro also stars. Golden Voyage
of Sinbad was followed by Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1979). ~ Hal
Erickson, Rovi
The Mackintosh Man (1973)
Director: John Huston
Cast: Paul Newman, Dominique Sanda and James Mason
Synopsis:
John Huston directed this cold war spy thriller (from a script by Walter Hill)
concerning a British agent trying infiltrate the organization of a nefarious
communist spy. Paul Newman is Joseph Reardon, a British secret agent
commissioned by Mackintosh (Harry Andrews) to impersonate a jewel thief.
When the police are tipped off about his diamond robbery, Reardon is
arrested and shipped off to a high-security prison. At the prison, he meets a
convicted Russian spy and the two are involved in a prison break, arranged
by a mysterious group called the Scarperers. After the successful breakout,
Reardon finds himself drugged and sent to Ireland. It turns out that the escapade was organized by
Mackintosh in the hopes Reardon could infiltrate the Scarperers and gather information on the
group's leader, Sir George Wheeler (James Mason), and prove him to be a Russian spy. ~ Paul
Brenner, Rovi
Pulp (1972)
Director: Mike Hodges
Cast: Michael Caine, Mickey Rooney and Lionel Stander
Synopsis:
A year after Get Carter (1971), director Mike Hodges and star Michael
Caine reunited for this comic crime thriller. Caine stars as Mickey King, a
writer of cheap paperback detective novels, living in Rome and cranking
one noir book after another. King is approached by Ben Dinuccio (Lionel
Stander) and offered an abnormally large sum to ghost write the
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autobiography of a mystery celebrity. The intrigued King agrees and is transported to a remote
island where he meets his subject, Preston Gilbert (Mickey Rooney), a one-time movie star known
for playing gangsters and notorious for hanging out with real-life mobsters off the set (a sly jab at
Frank Sinatra and George Raft). Now dying of cancer, Gilbert wants King to jot down his life story
before he dies. Although he's an abusive jerk, Gilbert's had an interesting life and King sets about
getting it all down on paper, but then the star is murdered at a party, leaving King with no conclusion
to his tale. Playing detective like the heroes of his stories, King pieces together a mystery involving
Gilbert's past, his ex-wife, a transvestite who's supposed to be dead, and an Italian prince running
for office. Though largely dismissed at the time of its release by fans and critics disappointed at its
dissimilarity to Get Carter, Pulp (1972) was championed by a few and became something of a cult
favourite over subsequent decades. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
Murphy's War (1971)
Director: Peter Yates
Cast: Peter O'Toole, Siân Phillips and Philippe Noiret
Synopsis: Peter Yates directed this quirky World War II war drama starring
Peter O'Toole as Murphy, an Irishman who survives the torpedoing of a
merchantman ship off the jungle coast of Venezuela by a German U-boat.
Murphy is rescued by French oil engineer, Louis Brezon (Philippe Noiret),
who reluctantly takes Murphy to a nearby Quaker mission hospital. Nursed
back to health by a missionary nurse (Sian Phillips), Murphy himself nurses
a grudge against the German U-boat that blew up the British merchant
ship. Meanwhile, a pilot is brought to the mission whose plane had been
shot down by the Germans. He begs Murphy to find his airplane to keep it
out of enemy hands. But after the pilot dies, Murphy has another idea -- to find the plane, locate the
hated U-boat, and blow it to smithereens. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
When Eight Bells Toll (1971)
Director: Etienne Périer
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Jack Hawkins and Robert Morley
Synopsis:
In this complex, undersea thriller from author Alistair MacLean, a heroic
diver attempts to prevent pirates from stealing gold bullion. His superiors
assign him and his helper to pretend to be marine biologists and travel off
the coast of Scotland where a puzzling series of murders have occurred. ~
Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Zeppelin (1971)
Director: Etienne Périer
Cast: Michael York, Elke Sommer and Peter Carsten
Synopsis:
Set during World War I, Zeppelin stars Michael York as Geoffrey RichterDouglas, a British defector who goes to work in the fledgling German
airship industry. In truth, Richter-Douglas is a spy, who has feigned
defection in order to steal the plans for the revolutionary new Zeppelin.
Our hero goes undercover so well that, when he tries to inform his own
government of a German plan to steal the Magna Carta and thus
irreparably damage British morale, no one believes him! Marius Goring
costars as the inventor of the Zeppelin, who is racked with guilt when he
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learns that his creation is to be used for underhanded purposes, while Elke Sommer plays Goring's
wife, who ends up helping Richter-Douglas to thwart the robbery scheme. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Hell Boats (1970)
Director: Paul Wendkos
Cast: James Franciscus, Elizabeth Shepherd and Ronald Allen
Synopsis:
In this WW II actioner set in 1942, an American officer serving with the
British Royal Navy attempts to blockade Malta and then destroy a German
arsenal located in Sicily. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Mister Jerico (1970)
Director: Sidney Hayers
Cast: Patrick Macnee, Connie Stevens and Herbert Lom
Synopsis:
Mister Jerico stars Patrick Macnee as smooth con artist Dudley Jerico.
Marty Allen, the brillo-haired member of the Allen and Rossi comedy team,
is good for a few laughs as Jerico's sidekick. The pair are in Malta to pull off
a spectacular scam. The publicity packet for Mister Jerico assured that we'd
see "a comic run of fake and real gems, mixed identities, and pell-mell
chases." What we never saw was the weekly series for which Mister Jerico
was so obviously the pilot film. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Eyewitness (1970)
Director: John Hough
Cast: Mark Lester, Lionel Jeffries and Susan George
Synopsis:
Ziggy (Mark Lester) is the young boy who witnesses the murder of a visiting
black official by the police. Much like the boy who cried wolf, Ziggy has been
known to stretch the truth and exaggerate. He is unable to convince the
adults that he witnessed the killing. The murderous cops are soon on his
trail as he hits the road with his sister (Susan George) and her boyfriend
(Tony Bonner). The real police soon follow, after convincing his parents that
Ziggy has told the truth for once. The boys grandfather (Lionel Jeffries) is the
retired Colonel, a lighthouse keeper and lovable curmudgeon. Jeremy Kemp
is the police chief, and the main heavy is played by Peter Vaughan. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
Adventures of Gerrard (1970)
Director: Jerzy Skolimowski
Cast: Peter McEnery, Claudia Cardinale and Eli Wallach
Synopsis:
Peter McEnery stars as Col. Etienne Girard, Hussar officer of the Napoleonic
era. The story takes place during the Little Corporal's 1808 campaign in the
Spanish peninsula. Col. Gerard's adventures include an ongoing war of
nerves against Napoleon's forces, not to mention a steamy affair with one
Countess Teresa Claudia Cardinale. "Nappy" himself is played by Eli Wallach,
who certainly has the right temperament for the role, even though he's
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much too tall to be thoroughly convincing. The Adventures of Gerard is based on characters created
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Can Hieronymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True
Happiness? (1969)
Director: Anthony Newley
Cast: Anthony Newley, Joan Collins and Alexander Newley
Synopsis:
Singer, songwriter, and actor Anthony Newley produced, directed, cowrote, scored, and starred in this bizarre autobiographical musical in which
a famous entertainer takes a look back at the circumstances of his life.
Legendary singing star Heironymus Merkin (Newley) stands by the sea,
surrounded by a small mountain of souvenirs of his life and times, with his
mother (Patricia Hayes) and children (Tara Newley and Alexander Newley,
Newley's real life daughter and son) by his side. As Merkin shows his
captive audience reel after reel of footage from the story of his life, the film crew making the movie
grows impatient, wishing Merkin was more cooperative and waiting for an ending to the script. We
learn that Merkin was raised without a father, and his Uncle Limelight (Bruce Forsyth) encouraged
him to become an entertainer at a young age. As Merkin enjoys a hit with the tune "Piccadilly Lilly"
that catapults him to fame, he becomes partners with Goodtime Eddie Filth (Milton Berle), a
cheerful demon who introduces Merkin to the pleasures of women. As Merkin stumbles into a shortlived marriage with Filigree Fondle (Judy Cornwell) and enjoys a more successful relationship with
Polyester Poontang (Joan Collins, Newley's spouse at the time), he finds it difficult to resist the
temptation to bed nearly every attractive woman who crosses his path, and develops a lifelong
obsession with the young, innocent, yet nubile Mercy Humppe (Connie Kreski). Meanwhile, Merkin
is frequently visited by The Presence (George Jessel), who seems to hold the power of life and death
as he cracks one old joke after another. Also starring Stubby Kaye, Victor Spinetti, and Margaret
Nolan, Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe And Find True Happiness? was rated X
for its original release in 1969, though a slightly edited R-rated version was soon shipped to theaters,
though it didn't prevent the film from becoming a critical and financial flop. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Vendetta for the Saint (1969)
Director: Jim O'Connolly
Cast: Roger Moore, Ian Hendry and Gábor Baraker
Synopsis:
In this spy adventure taken from the TV series The Saint, suave Simon
Templar must stop a Sicilian Mafioso from succeeding on his personal
vendetta. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Battle of Britain (1969)
Director: Guy Hamilton
Cast: Michael Caine, Trevor Howard and Harry Andrews
Synopsis:
James Bond-flick director Guy Hamilton helmed this episodic, all-star World
War II film. With Sir Laurence Olivier heading up an ensemble cast as flight
commander Sir Hugh Dowdling, The Battle of Britain pays tribute to other
nationalities instrumental in fending off the waves of Luftwaffe planes,
26
notably the expatriate Polish and Czech pilots. Trevor Howard, Michael Caine, and Michael Redgrave
also populate the cast. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
A Twist of Sand (1968)
Director: Don Chaffey
Cast: Richard Johnson, Honor Blackman and Jeremy Kemp
Synopsis:
An adventure drama about a gang of smugglers searching for a cache of
hidden diamonds on the African coast, but soon greed gets the better of
them and it does not take very long for thieves to fall out. ~ Mark Hockley,
Rovi
Death is a Woman (1966)
Director: Frederic Goode
Cast: Trisha Noble, Mark Burns and Shaun Curry
Synopsis:
Death is a Woman is the American title of the British Love is a Woman. Patsy
Ann Noble is the woman in question, the mistress of a recently deceased
smuggler. Narcotics agent Mark Burns goes undercover to gain the
confidence of Noble and criminal mastermind William Dexter. Suddenly,
Dexter turns up dead and Burns is arrested for murder. We then learn the
full significance of the film's US title. In certain markets, this perplexing
melodrama was released as Sex is a Woman. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Casino Royale (1966)
Directors: Val Guest, Ken Hughes, and 4 more credits »
Cast: David Niven, Peter Sellers and Ursula Andress
Synopsis:
Retired after years of international espionage, Agent 007 is lured back into
action to battle the evil spy organization SMERSH in this notoriously
incoherent parody of the James Bond films. David Niven portrays the aging
Bond, who atypically rejects the advances of a variety of women, and agrees
to battle SMERSH's hold on the lavish Casino Royale only after organization
head M is murdered. Also mixed up in the affair are several other secret
agents, all named James Bond, played by everyone from Peter Sellers and
Woody Allen to a chimpanzee. Despite a star-studded cast, a large
production budget, and a hit score by Burt Bacharach, the film was universally panned as a muddled,
overlong failure, with the occasional amusing sequence lost in the unintelligible surroundings. The
participation of several screenwriters and five different directors, including John Huston, only adds
to the confusion. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
The Bedford Incident (1965)
Director: James B. Harris
Cast: Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier and James MacArthur
Synopsis:
The Bedford Incident was an attempt by Columbia Pictures -- which had
previously made Dr. Strangelove and released Fail-Safe -- to tap the well of
public anxiety surrounding nuclear weapons and the Cold War one more
time. Reporter Ben Munceford (Sidney Poitier) is allowed aboard a navy
27
ship on patrol near the Arctic Circle, under the command of Captain Eric Finlander (Richard
Widmark). His job is to observe the ship in action and do an article on Finlander, a hard-as-nails
sailor and a dedicated anti-Communist with a patriotic zeal that's extraordinary even in a man of his
rank and position. Finlander's main problem, however -- when he's not sparring with the reporter -is tracking and hunting a Soviet sub that he knows is patroling the same waters. What alarms
Munceford (and the audience) is that Finlander acts like there is an actual "hot" war going on; he
drives his men mercilessly, up to and past the breaking point, trying to hunt down the submarine
and force it to surface, and nothing -- not the questions of the reporter, the angry protests of the
newly-arrived medical officer (Martin Balsam), or the quietly voiced concerns of retired U-Boat
commander Commodore Shrepke (Eric Portman), aboard as an observer, can get him to relent.
Then, when it looks like Finlander has been proved right and has gotten away with his provocation of
the "enemy," a mistake by one over-tired young officer (James MacArthur) suddenly unleashes all of
the destructive power with which Finlander has been flirting. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
Treasure in Malta (1963)
Director: Derek Williams
Cast: Mario Debono, Aidan Mompalau de Piro and Charles Thake
Synopsis:
Two children spend an exciting holiday in Malta where their father is trying
to track down a valuable antique statuette.
The Silent Enemy (1958)
Director: William Fairchild
Cast: Laurence Harvey, Dawn Addams and Michael Craig
Synopsis:
The Silent Enemy is based on Commander Crabb, a book by Marshall Pugh.
This is the true story of young Lieutenant Crabb (Laurence Harvey), who in
1941 arrives in Gilbaltar to learn the rudiments of deep-sea diving. Crabb
isn't interested in recreation, however; there's a war on, and it is common
knowledge that a band of Italian frogmen have been sabotaging the British
naval forces. Without official permission, Crabb and a band of hardy
volunteers take on the task of scuttling the enemy's guerilla activities. Silent
Enemy is at its best during its underwater sequences, in which both British and Italian frogmen
deploy an astonishing variety of deep-sea weaponry. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Baby and the Battleship (1956)
Director: Jay Lewis
Cast: John Mills, Richard Attenborough and André Morell
Synopsis:
After a quayside mix-up with the Italian family of his fiancée, Able Seaman
Knocker White finds himself literally left holding the baby. Unable to return
it before his ship sails he enlists the help of best mate Puncher Roberts to
smuggle the child aboard. But babies are surprisingly demanding and
gradually the whole crew is drawn into helping keep it fed and washed - and
undiscovered. Even so, the officers above deck start to puzzle over the
increasingly strange happenings on board. ~ imdb.com
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The Battle of the River Plate (1956)
Directors: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Cast: John Gregson, Anthony Quayle and Ian Hunter
Synopsis:
Widely regarded as one of the best and most intelligent British war dramas
of the 1950s, The Battle of River Plate is the story of Britain's first significant
naval victory in WW2. John Gregson heads the cast as Captain Bell, skipper
of the Exeter, one of several vessels engaged in pursuit of the
"indestructable" Geman battleship Graf Spee. Taking refuge in the neutral
harbor of Montevideo, the Graf Spee is covertly protected by the Uruguayan
government. Eventually, however, German captain Langsdorff (Peter Finch)
is faced with a difficult decision: either stand his ground and fight a losing battle against the Exeter
and its sister ships, or scuttle the Graf Spee and save the lives of his crew. Battle of the River Plate
was released in the US as Pursuit of the Graf Spee. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Single-Handed (1953)
Director: Roy Boulting
Cast: Jeffrey Hunter, Michael Rennie and Wendy Hiller
Synopsis:
Jeffrey Hunter plays a young British sailor, the out-of-wedlock son of a highranking naval officer (Michael Rennie). Hunter's ship is torpedoed, leaving
him stranded on a German-occupied island. Armed with only a rifle, Hunter
is able to shoot at a German cruiser docked for repairs, and to slow down its
departure. The British Navy then moves in and sinks the ship. Hunter is
decorated for valor by the squadron commander--his own father. Though
set during World War II, Sailor of the King was adapted from C. S. Forester's
World War I novel Brown on Resolution (previously filmed in 1935, with
John Mills in the lead). This 1953 20th Century-Fox production was released in Britain as Single
Handed. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Malta Story (1953)
Director: Brian Desmond Hurst
Cast: Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins and Anthony Steel
Synopsis:
Malta Story stars Alec Guinness as WWII camera reconnaissance pilot Peter
Ross. Crash-landing in Malta, Ross presents his photographs to the resident
air officer (Jack Hawkins). The photos reveal that the Italians are planning a
major invasion of the island. Low on fuel and men, the officer is all but
helpless as the Italians mount their attack. Only the last-minute arrival
reinforcements and supplies prevent Malta from falling into the hands of
the enemies--but the story doesn't end there. Filmed on location, The
Malta Story boasts some exceptional aerial photography, not to mention excellent performances
from Guiness, Hawkins, Anthony Steele, Muriel Pavlow, Flora Robson and the rest of the stellar cast.
~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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They who Dare (1953)
Director: Lewis Milestone
Cast: Dirk Bogarde, Denholm Elliott and Kay Callard
Synopsis:
They Who Dare is undeservedly the least-known of director Lewis
Milestone's sound films. Set in the Aegean sea during World War II, the film
recounts the exploits of Britain's Special Boat Squadron. Sent on life-ordeath commando missions, the squadron (six English, four Greek) hops
from island to island, sabotaging Axis air bases. The centerpiece of the film
is an assignment to dynamite German air fields on the island of Rhodes.
Robert Westerby is credited with the screenplay of They Who Dare, and
Lewis Milestone insisted the story was taken verbatim from the
reminiscences of the squadron's two survivors; on the other hand, star Dirk Bogarde claimed that
the film was improvised as they went along. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Tell England (1931)
Directors: Anthony Asquith, Geoffrey Barkas
Cast: Fay Compton, Tony Bruce and Carl Harbord
Synopsis:
Writer/director Anthony Asquith's 1931 Battle of Gallipoli (alternate title:
Tell England) is a powerful piece of moviemaking. Carl Harbord and Tony
Bruce play two naïve young Britons who are filled with patriotic fervor
when World War I breaks out. Once on the battlefields of Europe however,
the boys are confronted with Hell on Earth. Their disillusionment with war
and warfare culminates in the death of one of the boys at Gallipoli. ~ Hal
Erickson, Rovi
Bolibar (1928)
Director: Walter Summers
Cast: Elissa Landi, Michael Hogan and Hubert Carter
Synopsis:
Leo Pertuz' novel The Marquise of Bolibar was the starting point for this
British silent film. The story is set during the 1808 military contretemps
between England and Spain. Elissa Landi plays the daughter of an artist
who leads a double life as a Spanish espionage agent. Inadvertently, Landi
provides the British with the capability to emerge triumphant. ~ Hal
Erickson, Rovi
The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands (1927)
Director: Walter Summers
Cast: Roger Maxwell and Craighall Sherry
Synopsis:
The reconstruction of two sea engagements of the First World War - the
Battles of the Coronel of 1st November 1914 and the Battles of the
Falkland Islands of 8th December 1914.
30
Sons of the Seas (1925)
Director: H. Bruce Woolfe
Cast: D.C. Kenerdine, E. Godfrey and Dorothy Barclay
31