
Sidney Lumet directed this film version of Peter Shaffer’s dramatic play, transforming theatrical symbolism into cinematic realism. Richard Burton received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance as Martin Dysert, a psychiatrist determined to unravel the disturbed mind of Alan Strang (Peter Firth), a young stableboy. In a fit of rage, Strang has blinded a stable of six horses. The court then assigns Dysert to probe the young man’s mind in order to understand why he committed such a violent act. But the doctor, who is battling demons of his own, wonders if he can save the boy–and whether saving him at all is the right thing to do. Joan Plowright stands out as Dora Strang, the young boy’s mother.
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Tag Archives: UK
Black Dog (1998) Kevin Hooks, Patrick Swayze, Randy Travis, Meat Loaf, Action, Crime, Drama

An ex-con takes a job driving a truck cross country. What he doesn’t know is that the truck is filled with illegal weapons and now he must fight to survive and save his family.
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Beat the Devil (1953) John Huston, Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigida, Action, Adventure, Comedy

A quartet of international crooks – Peterson, O’Hara, Ross and Ravello – is stranded in Italy while their steamer is being repaired. With them are the Dannreuthers. The six are headed for Africa, presumably to sell vacuum cleaners but actually to buy land supposedly loaded with uranium. They are joined by others who apparently have similar designs.
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The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) Nathan Juran, Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, Richard Eyer, Family, Fantasy, Action

Sailing to Baghdad after a narrow escape from the monster island of Colossa, the wedding plans of legendary hero Sinbad (Kerwin Mathews) and Princess Parisa (Kathryn Grant) are spoiled by the scheming sorcerer Sokurah (Torin Thatcher). In return for his previous help with the cyclops on Colossa, Sokurah demands that Sinbad retrieve a lamp he lost on the island. When Sinbad refuses, the conjurer shrinks Parisa, forcing the sailor and his crew back to the high seas in order to save her.
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Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969) Terence Fisher, Peter Cushing, Veronica Carlson, Freddie Jones, Horror, Sci-Fi, Drama

Baron Frankenstein travels to a new town to meet Dr. Brandt, with whom he had hoped to collaborate. When he learns that Brandt is in a mental asylum he takes a room in a boarding house run by Anna, whose fiance, Karl, is a doctor who works at the asylum. Blackmailing Anna and Karl into helping him, Frankenstein kidnaps Brandt to learn his secrets.
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Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974) Terence Fisher, Peter Cushing, Shane Briant, Madeline Smith, Horror

Last of the Hammer Frankenstein films, this one deals with the Baron hiding out in an insane asylum, so that he may continue his experiments with reanimating the dead, along with inmate Dr. Helder, who has been institutionalized for conducting such experiments.
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Puppet on a Chain (1971) Geoffrey Reeve, Sven-Bertil Taube, Barbara Parkins, Alexander Knox, Action, Thriller

This detective thriller features one of the most exciting boat chases ever filmed, a scene that has been compared to the car chase in Bullitt. It is also notable for having much scenic footage of the Netherlands and of Amsterdam. In this film, the headquarters of a drug-smuggling cartel is the quarry of American narcotics agent Paul Sherman (Sven-Bartil Taube). Though the cartel’s activities are centered in Amsterdam, Sherman’s search for the headquarters leads to an island castle owned by an offbeat religious group. Sherman and his partner Maggie (Barbara Parkins) run into serious trouble when they try to gain access to the forbidding site. Paul escapes captivity and chases the culprits by boat.
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A Clockwork Orange (1971) Stanley Kubrick, Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates, Crime, Drama, Sci-Fi

In future Britain, charismatic delinquent Alex DeLarge is jailed and volunteers for an experimental aversion therapy developed by the government in an effort to solve society’s crime problem – but not all goes according to plan.
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Bleak Moments (1971) Mike Leigh, Anne Raitt, Sarah Stephenson, Eric Allan, Comedy, Drama

Bleak Moments (1971) is Mike Leigh’s first feature film. The film presents a stark portrayal of human isolation, centring on the failure of personal communication and social interaction. In its uncompromising outlook, it is closer to Meantime (1983) and Naked (1993) than to Leigh’s more optimistic works.
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High Spirits (1988) Neil Jordan, Peter O’Toole, Daryl Hannah, Steve Guttenberg, Comedy, Fantasy, Horror

When Peter Plunkett’s Irish castle turned hotel is about to be repossesed, he decides to spice up the attraction a bit for the ‘Yanks’ by having his staff pretend to haunt the castle. The trouble begins when a busload of American tourists arrive – along with some real ghosts. Among the tourists are married couple Jack and Sharon. Sharon’s father holds the mortgage on Castle Plunkett, so she’s hoping to debunk the ghosts. Jack, on the other hand, after meeting pretty ghost Mary, is very eager to believe. Can there be love between a human and ghost? Jack and Mary are going to try and find out.
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