Eleni 1985 PG, 114 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Peter Yates Cast: Kate Nelligan, John Malkovich, Linda Hunt, Oliver Cotton, Ronald Pickup, Rosalie Crutchley, Glenne Headly, Dimitra Arliss, Steve Plytas, Peter Woodthorpe
Based on Nicholas Gage's book, this is the story of Nick's (John Malkovich) investigation into the Greek Communists' execution of his mother in the late 1940s.
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Fortunes of War 1987 TV, 360 min. Genre: Drama
Director: James Cellan Jones Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Rupert Graves, Robert Stephens, Ronald Pickup, Vernon Dobtcheff, Ronald Fraser, Greg Hicks, Alan Bennett, James Villiers, Harry Burton, Michael Cochrane
Professor Guy Pringle (Kenneth Branagh) and wife Harriett (Emma Thompson) travel to Romania to teach. While there, World War II starts, and the audience follows the couple across Europe as people cope with the horrors of war. A good made-for-TV film.
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The Hound of the Baskervilles 1988 TV, 105 min. Genre: Mystery / Drama / Horror
Director: Brian Mills Cast: Jeremy Brett, Edward Hardwicke, Raymond Adamson, Alastair Duncan, Ronald Pickup, Rosemary McHale, Kristoffer Tabori, Edward Romfourt, James Faulkner, Fiona Gillies, Philip Dettmer, Stephen Tomlin, Bernard Horsfall, Don McKillop, William Ilkley
The Baskerville family may have a curse on it in the form of a hound, and Dr. Mortimer (Alastair Duncan) asks Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett) to investigate the death of the late Sir Charles Baskerville in order to prevent the new heir, his nephew Sir Henry (Kristoffer Tabori), from suffering the same fate. Holmes sends his assistant Dr. John Watson (Edward Hardwicke) to Baskerville Hall to look into the issue while Holmes performs his own investigation and realizes that someone in the family is ensuring that the curse continues.
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Ivanhoe 1997 TV, 300 min. Genre: Adventure / Drama
Director: Stuart Orme Cast: Steven Waddington, Victoria Smurfit, Ralph Brown, Rory Edwards, James Cosmo, Chris Walker, Susan Lynch, Aden Gillett, Christopher Lee, Ciaran Hinds, Roger Ashton-Griffiths, Nick Brimble, Trevor Cooper, Ronald Pickup, Sian Phillips
This rousing, made-for-TV miniseries is a good retelling of Sir Walter Scott's tale of the young knight Ivanhoe (Steven Waddington) who battles the evil Prince John (Ralph Brown) and his templar cohorts in 12th-century England. After returning from the Crusades, a disguised Ivanhoe finds himself in the middle of Prince John's efforts to replace Richard (Rory Edwards) as king of England. Ivanhoe enters a tournament to win back the love of Rowena (Victoria Smurfit). He wins the tournament but is injured, and is nursed back to health by Rebecca (Susan Lynch) with whom he falls in love. More problems lie ahead when Rebecca is condemned as a witch and is sentenced to be burned at the stake. Ivanhoe rescues Rebecca, but will he be able to restore Richard to the throne?
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Ivanhoe 1982 TV, 150 min. Genre: Adventure / Drama / Romance
Director: Douglas Camfield Cast: James Mason, Anthony Andrews, Sam Neill, Michael Hordern, Olivia Hussey, Lysette Anthony, Julian Glover, John Rhys-Davies, Ronald Pickup, George Innes, David Robb, Stuart Wilson, Michael Gothard, Tony Haygarth, Philip Locke
This TV version of the Sir Walter Scott classic is well done; the photography is excellent, with good performances all around. Wilfred of Ivanhoe (Anthony Andrews) returns to England after the Crusades only to immediately get involved in a struggle against the tyranny of Prince John (Ronald Pickup). King Richard (Julian Glover) has been kidnapped, and Prince John refuses to pay the ransom. With help from Rebecca (Olivia Hussey)–whose Jewish father, Isaac of York (James Mason), was held by the anti-Semites and Ivanhoe rescued–Ivanhoe finds hope in rescuing the throne of England. Then, Ivanhoe's partnership with Robin Hood (David Robb) will right many of the wrongs in England.
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The Letter 1982 TV, 96 min. Genre: Drama
Director: John Erman Cast: Lee Remick, Christopher Cazenove, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Ian McShane, Soon-Tek Oh, Ronald Pickup, Beulah Quo, Jack Thompson, Kieu Chinh, Sarah Marshall, James Hong, Molly Roden, Byron Chung, Peter Mintun, John Orchard
Somerset Maugham's story is told again. This time around, Lee Remick takes on the role of Leslie who is accused of murdering her lover. Leslie's story is told through flashbacks–first as a victim of rape, then as a victim of blackmail concerning an incriminating letter she wrote involving her deceased lover, and finally as a murder victim.
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The Mission 1986 PG, 126 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Roland Joffe Cast: Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, Ray McAnally, Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn, Ronald Pickup, Chuck Low, Cherie Lunghi, Bercelio Moya, Sigifredo Ismare
A Spanish Jesuit (Jeremy Irons) is in South America converting the Indians when he is joined by a slave hunter (Robert De Niro) who he manages to convert. Later, they join forces to protect the mission from the Portuguese who now own the colony. The film won an Academy Award for Cinematography and was nominated for six others, including Best Picture and Director.
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Never Say Never Again 1983 PG, 134 min. Genre: Action / Adventure / Drama / Thriller
Director: Irvin Kershner Cast: Sean Connery, Barbara Carrera, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Max von Sydow, Kim Basinger, Edward Fox, Bernie Casey, Alec McCowen, Michael Medwin, Ronald Pickup, Pamela Salem, Rowan Atkinson, Valerie Leon, Milos Kirek, Anthony Sharp
In this remake of "Thunderball" (1965), James Bond is back, and this time it is Sean Connery playing the indomitable Agent 007. SPECTRE has stolen two cruise missiles from the U.S. and is planning to use them in its plot to carry out nuclear blackmail against NATO countries. Bond's mission is to recover the missiles from the evil Maximilian Largo (Klaus Maria Brandauer), and he gets help from Largo's mistress Domino (Kim Bassinger) when he heads to the Bahamas in search of the missiles.
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Nijinsky 1980 R, 125 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Herbert Ross Cast: Alan Bates, George De La Pena, Leslie Browne, Alan Badel, Colin Blakely, Jeremy Irons, Ronald Pickup, Ronald Lacey, Vernon Dobtcheff, Janet Suzman
This is a good film biography of the brilliant, early 20th-century ballet star, Vaslav Nijinsky (George De La Pena), and his involvement in a homosexual affair with the Ballet Russe's manager, Sergei Diaghilev (Alan Bates).
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The Thirty-Nine Steps 1978 PG, 102 min. Genre: Action
Director: Don Sharp Cast: Robert Powell, David Warner, Eric Porter, Karen Dotrice, John Mills, George Baker, Ronald Pickup, Andrew Keir, Robert Flemyng, Timothy West
In this, the second remake (Alfred Hitchcock made the classic version), Richard Hannay (Robert Powell) and Appleton (David Warner) evade espionage agents during World War I.
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Three Sisters 1970 PG, 157 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Laurence Olivier, John Sichel Cast: Jeanne Watts, Joan Plowright, Louise Purnell, Derek Jacobi, Laurence Olivier, Alan Bates, Ronald Pickup, Sheila Reid, Kenneth MacKintosh, Daphne Heard, Harry Lomax, Judy Wilson, Mary Griffiths, Frank Wylie, Richard Kay
This filmed rendition of Chekhov's play involves three impoverished sisters–Olga, Masha, and Irina Prozoroff (Jeanne Watts, Joan Plowright, and Louise Purnell)–who are unhappy with their family life. Their father has died, and now their sister-in-law Natasha (Sheila Reid) has moved in and taken over the family home. Frustrated with their lives, the sisters now decide to leave their small town and make Moscow their home.
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| 1. Eleni (1985)
2. Fortunes of War (1987)
3. The Hound of the Baskervilles (1988)
4. Ivanhoe (1997)
5. Ivanhoe (1982)
6. The Letter (1982)
7. The Mission (1986)
8. Never Say Never Again (1983)
9. Nijinsky (1980)
10. The Thirty-Nine Steps (1978)
11. Three Sisters (1970)
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