The 39 Steps 1935  N/R, 87 min.
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
aka: The Thirty-Nine Steps
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: Madeleine Carroll, Robert Donat, Lucie Mannheim, Godfrey Tearle, Peggy Ashcroft, John Laurie, Peggy Simpson, Helen Haye, Frank Cellier, Wylie Watson, Gus McNaughton, Jerry Verno, Miles Malleson, John Turnbull, Frederick Piper
Canadian citizen Richard Hannay (Robert Donat) is visiting England when he goes to the Palladium where he sees an act starring "Mr. Memory" (Wylie Watson). In the middle of the show, a shot rings out, and Richard is approached by terrified Miss Annabelle Smith (Lucie Mannheim) who begs him to help her. She tells him that she is a British spy being targeted by international agents out to kill her. The next morning, Annabelle appears at Richard's door–dying from a knife wound, muttering "39 steps," and giving Richard a map. Richard uses the map that leads him to Scotland. He meets Pamela (Madeleine Carroll) on the trip to Scotland, and she ends up serving as his assistant when the two of them become involved in a world of espionage and murder.
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Edward & Mrs. Simpson 1978  TV, 270 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Waris Hussein
Cast: Edward Fox, Cynthia Harris, Peggy Ashcroft, Maurice Denham, Marius Goring, Nigel Hawthorne, Cherie Lunghi, Kika Markham, Jessie Matthews, Andrew Ray, John Shrapnel, David Waller
In the sequel to the biography of King Edward VII, "Edward the King" (1975), this made-for-TV British miniseries is based on the life of King Edward VIII who gave up his throne to be with the woman he loved, the divorced American socialite Wallace Simpson.
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Madame Sousatzka 1988 PG-13, 121 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: John Schlesinger
Cast: Shirley MacLaine, Navin Chowdhry, Twiggy, Shabana Azmi, Peggy Ashcroft, Leigh Lawson, Lee Montague, Robert Rietty, Geoffrey Bayldon, Sam Howard
A London piano teacher (Shirley MacLaine), who is rather eccentric, teaches gifted and talented students. This story is built around her relationship with a young Indian student (Navin Chowdhry).
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The Nun's Story 1959  N/R, 149 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Cast: Audrey Hepburn, Peter Finch, Edith Evans, Dean Jagger, Peggy Ashcroft, Mildred Dunnock, Beatrice Straight, Lionel Jeffries, Colleen Dewhurst, Niall MacGinnis
Sister Luke (Audrey Hepburn) discovers that she is not prepared to serve the church after the Nazis murder her father. She simply cannot forgive them. The film received eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Actress, and Director.
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A Passage to India 1984 PG, 163 min.
Genre: Adventure / Drama
Director: David Lean
Cast: Judy Davis, Victor Banerjee, Peggy Ashcroft, James Fox, Alec Guinness, Nigel Havers, Richard Wilson, Antonia Pemberton, Saeed Jaffrey, Art Malik, Michael Culver, Clive Swift, Roshan Seth, Ann Firbank
David Lean succeeds again in this story that takes place in 1928 when a young Englishwoman (Judy Davis) leaves for India, where she is to marry. During a visit to the Marabar caves, she is apparently raped, an event which ends in a court trial. Academy Awards were received for Best Supporting Actress (Peggy Ashcroft) and Musical Score. There were also nine other nominations, including Best Picture, Actress, and Director.
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Secret Ceremony 1968  N/R, 109 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Joseph Losey
Cast: Elizabeth Taylor, Mia Farrow, Robert Mitchum, Peggy Ashcroft, Pamela Brown, Michael Strong, Robert Douglas
After Cenci (Mia Farrow) and Leonora (Elizabeth Taylor) meet on a bus, they set up housekeeping in Cenci's gothic home–only to have their lives further confused by the arrival of Albert (Robert Mitchum), Cenci's stepfather. There is a second version out there that cut and added material for TV, which is not as good and is a few minutes shorter.
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Sunday Bloody Sunday 1971 R, 110 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: John Schlesinger
Cast: Peter Finch, Glenda Jackson, Murray Head, Peggy Ashcroft, Tony Britton, Maurice Denham, Bessie Love, Vivian Pickles, Harold Goldblatt, Richard Pearson, Frank Windsor, Thomas Baptiste, June Brown, Hannah Norbert, Marie Burke
In this story of a bisexual love triangle, set in London during the early 1970s, Bob Elkin (Murray Head) is the lover of both Dr. Daniel Hirsh (Peter Finch) and Alex Greville (Glenda Jackson)–who happen to share the same answering machine service. Bob and Alex agree to babysit for the five children of Alva and Bill Hodson (Vivian Pickles and Frank Windsor), but on Saturday morning Bob excuses himself and leaves. Alex knows that he is headed off to see Daniel and does not handle the problem well–all of which Bob will learn when he returns on Sunday. This is a groundbreaking film on the subject of homosexuality. Great performances make this adult drama an event well-worth viewing. Oscar nominations were received for Best Actor (Finch), Best Actress (Jackson), and Best Director.
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Three Into Two Won't Go 1969  R, 93 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Peter Hall
Cast: Rod Steiger, Claire Bloom, Judy Geeson, Peggy Ashcroft, Paul Rogers, Elizabeth Spriggs, Lynn Farleigh, Earl Hindman, Sheila Allen, Diana Webster
Aging businessman Steve Howard (Rod Steiger) ignores his marriage vows to wife Frances (Claire Bloom) and begins an affair with a young hitchhiker (Judy Geeson).
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| 1. The 39 Steps (1935)
aka: The Thirty-Nine Steps
2. Edward & Mrs. Simpson (1978)
3. Madame Sousatzka (1988)
4. The Nun's Story (1959)
5. A Passage to India (1984)
6. Secret Ceremony (1968)
7. Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)
8. Three Into Two Won't Go (1969)
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