The Barretts of Wimpole Street 1957  N/R, 105 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Sidney Franklin
Cast: Jennifer Jones, John Gielgud, Bill Travers, Virginia McKenna, Susan Stephen, Vernon Gray, Jean Anderson, Maxine Audley, Leslie Phillips, Laurence Naismith
This remake of "The Barretts of Wimpole Street" (1934), which Sydney Franklin also directed, again reveals the love story of poets Elizabeth (Jennifer Jones) and Robert Browning (Bill Travers) who fall in love and marry despite objections by Elizabeth's father (John Gielgud).
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Born Free 1966  N/R, 95 min.
Genre: Family
Director: James Hill
Cast: Virginia McKenna, Bill Travers, Geoffrey Keen, Peter Lukoye, Omar Chambati, Bill Godden, Robert S. Young, Bryan Epsom, Geoffrey Best, Robert Cheetham
Elsa is a lioness that George and Joy Adamson (Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna) raise in their Kenya game preserve. As she matures, Elsa becomes a problem to contain, and the Adamsons realize she must be trained to live in the jungle and fend for herself. The title song won an Academy Award, as did the musical score.
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Carve Her Name with Pride 1958 N/R, 119 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Lewis Gilbert
Cast: Virginia McKenna, Paul Scofield, Jack Warner, Denise Grey, Alain Saury, Maurice Ronet, Anne Leon, Sydney Tafler, Avice Landone, Nicole Stephane, Noel Willman, Bill Owen, Billie Whitelaw, William Mervyn, Michael Goodliffe
This story is based on the real life of Violette Szabo (Virginia McKenna) who joined the British secret service during World War II. Her husband (Alain Saury) had just been killed in North Africa, but Violette left her baby girl behind and parachuted into enemy territory to begin work as a British agent. Violette was captured and sent to a concentration camp where she was tortured and finally executed. Her bravery in not revealing British secrets earned her (posthumously) the George Cross.
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The Cruel Sea 1953  N/R, 126 min.
Genre: Adventure
Director: Charles Frend
Cast: Jack Hawkins, Donald Sinden, Stanley Baker, John Stratton, Denholm Elliott, John Warner, Bruce Seton, Liam Redmond, Moira Lister, Virginia McKenna
This is Nicholas Monsarrat's story about convoys during World War II and the dangers they encountered from both Nazi submarines and the harsh North Atlantic weather.
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Holocaust 2000 1977  R, 102 min.
Genre: Horror / Thriller
aka: The Chosen
Rain of Fire
Director: Alberto De Martino
Cast: Kirk Douglas, Agostina Belli, Simon Ward, Anthony Quayle, Virginia McKenna, Alexander Knox, Spiros Focas, Ivo Garrani, Adolfo Celi, Romolo Valli, Massimo Foschi, Geoffrey Keen, John Carlin, Peter Cellier, Gerard Hely
The inherent danger of nuclear power plants is exploited in this film about Robert Caine (Kirk Douglas) whose son (Simon Ward) is the devil. In that guise, he has come to build new nuclear plants with built-in failure mechanisms.
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Ring of Bright Water 1969  G, 107 min.
Genre: Family
Director: Jack Couffer
Cast: Bill Travers, Virginia McKenna, Peter Jeffrey, Jameson Clark, Helena Gloag, W.D. Joss, Roddy McMillan, Jean Taylor Smith, Archie Duncan, Kevin Collins, John(2) Young, James Gibson
When Graham (Bill Travers) spots an otter, Mij, on a busy London street, the two form a bond. Graham recognizes that the Scottish Highlands would provide a better environment for Mij. So, they move into an old cabin and enjoy adventures in this story about friendship and love.
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The Ship That Died of Shame 1955 N/R, 91 min.
Genre: Adventure / Drama
aka: PT Raiders
Director: Basil Dearden, Michael Relph
Cast: Richard Attenborough, George Baker, Bill Owen, Virginia McKenna, Roland Culver, Bernard Lee, Ralph Truman, John Chandos, Harold Goodwin, John Longden, Stratford Johns, David Langton
World War II has ended when three shipmates (Richard Attenborough, George Baker, and Bill Owen) get together looking for something to do with their empty lives. The solution: buy their old gunboat, which will enable them to set up a smuggling operation.
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 Sliding Doors 1998 R, 105 min.
Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: Peter Howitt
Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow, John Hannah, John Lynch, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Zara Turner, Douglas McFerran, Paul Brightwell, Nina Young, Virginia McKenna, Kevin McNally, Terry English, Paul Stacey, Peter Howitt, Joanna Roth, Neil Stuke
"Sliding doors" refers to those of a subway train through which Helen's (Gwyneth Paltrow) dreams offer two different futures–depending on which door she chooses. Helen has just been fired from her PR job, and one subway door opens while the other is closed. The alternatives to Sarah's future are shown as she travels down alternative paths of her life.
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The Smallest Show on Earth 1957 N/R, 81 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama
aka: Big Time Operators
Director: Basil Dearden
Cast: Bill Travers, Virginia McKenna, Leslie Phillips, Peter Sellers, Margaret Rutherford, Bernard Miles, Francis De Wolff, Sid James, Sam Kydd, June Cunningham, George Cross, George Cormack, Stringer Davis, Michael Corcoran, Lynne Roberts
Matt and Jean Spenser (Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna) inherit a dilapidated movie theater in a small British town. Also included in the deal are the drunken ticket-taker/projectionist Percy (Peter Sellers), former silent-movie organist Mrs. Fazackalee (Margaret Rutherford), and janitor Tom (Bernard Miles) who are determined to keep their beloved theater open. Matt and Jean try to make the theater look like a successful business but encounter more than a few problems–until Tom comes up with a plan to torch the competing theater. Lots of fun.
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Waterloo 1970 G, 123 min.
Genre: Adventure
Director: Sergei Bondarchuk
Cast: Rod Steiger, Christopher Plummer, Orson Welles, Jack Hawkins, Virginia McKenna, Dan O'Herlihy, Michael Wilding, Donal Donnelly, Terence Alexander, Rupert Davies
Originally a four-hour film, this movie was cut way back for U.S. consumption. It is the story of Napoleon's take-over of Europe and his final downfall at Waterloo.
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The Wreck of the Mary Deare 1959 N/R, 105 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Michael Anderson
Cast: Gary Cooper, Charlton Heston, Michael Redgrave, Emlyn Williams, Cecil Parker, Alexander Knox, Virginia McKenna, Richard Harris, Ben Wright, Peter Illing
A salvage-boat captain, John Sands (Charlton Heston), testifies in the trial of Captain Gideon Patch (Gary Cooper) whose name is then cleared in the sinking of his ship, the Mary Deare.
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| 1. The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1957)
2. Born Free (1966)
3. Carve Her Name with Pride (1958)
4. The Cruel Sea (1953)
5. The Disappearance (1977)
6. Holocaust 2000 (1977)
aka: The Chosen
aka: Rain of Fire
7. Ring of Bright Water (1969)
8. The Ship That Died of Shame (1955)
aka: PT Raiders
9. Sliding Doors (1998)
10. The Smallest Show on Earth (1957)
aka: Big Time Operators
11. Waterloo (1970)
12. The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959)
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