Richard Loncraine Movies
A rare director with the ability to shift between Shakespeare and spy films at the drop of the hat, Richard Loncraine has been turning out fine movies in nearly every genre since the mid-'70s. As equally adept as he may be at all kinds of films, it's precisely his wide versatility that has likely kept the director from gaining widespread notice outside the world of cinema scholars. A U.K. native and respected artist whose detailed sculptures were often found on display at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Loncraine aspired to become a set designer before honing his skills as an actor. His talents outside of the film world served to reflect his versatility in the realm of cinema, and Loncraine first courted commercial success as the creator of Newton's Cradle, those incessantly clacking silver balls that quickly became a fixture of every CEO's desk from the U.K. to the U.S. in the early '80s. Loncraine soon began directing documentaries and educational BBC programs, and a series of commercials helped him refine his skills behind the camera. When director John Schlesinger chose him to create the toys designed by a pivotal figure in 1971's Sunday, Bloody Sunday, Loncraine convinced the director to hire him as an actor. The opportunity proved a pivotal one for Loncraine, and, in 1975, he made his directorial debut with the musical drama Flame. Not only was the film well received by both critics and audiences, but it also spawned a fruitful partnership between Loncraine and actor Tom Conti that would endure for years to come. Loncraine subsequently tried his hand at several other genres, including horror (The Haunting of Julia, 1977), spy-thrillers (Deep Cover, 1980), comedy (The Missionary, 1982), and psychological thrillers (Brimstone and Treacle, 1982) -- all to surprising effect. After moving into crime drama territory with Bellman and True (1987), the director took a break from the screen before returning with the affecting drama The Wedding Gift in 1994. Though 1995's Richard III made a unique attempt to meld classic Shakespeare with a speculative historical setting, the film drew mixed responses from audiences despite earning several BAFTA and Oscar nominations. In 2002, Loncraine received an Emmy for his contributions to the acclaimed HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. The following years found him experimenting more and more with drama with such releases as The Gathering Storm (2002), My House in Umbria (2003), and Godspeed, Lawrence Mann (2004). Directing that year's Wimbledon, Loncraine worked with one of his most star-studded casts to date in a tale of a dispirited tennis player who finds hope for the future after meeting a young female player from the Wimbledon circuit. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Inspired by the childhood experiences of actor George Hamilton, director Richard Loncraine's bittersweet period comedy tells the tale of one mother's attempt to find a new father for her two young boys after catching her husband with another woman. Beautiful but mercurial, Ann Devereaux (Renée Zellweger) has always gotten by on her own charms. Her husband, Dan (Kevin Bacon), is a successful bandleader, but when Ann becomes a witness to his infidelity, she packs their two sons, George (Logan Lerman) and Robbie (Mark Rendall), into her baby-blue Cadillac Coupe de Ville convertible and never looks back. The year is 1953, and Ann is convinced that her girlish charms are still as irresistible as ever. At first their trip is something of an adventure for everyone involved, but the harder Ann searches for a suitable mate the more she realizes that true gentlemen are a dying breed. As time wears on, flamboyant fledgling actor Robbie and cynical aspiring writer George begin to tire of changing schools, their increasingly humble lodgings, and their mother's romantic misadventures. It's a life of instability and unpredictability punctuated by moments of sheer panic, and as Ann forms a different future for her family than either of her sons could have ever imagined, observant George learns to look past her narcissistic exterior and appreciate the determination, dignity, and love that lies just beneath the surface. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Renée Zellweger, Kevin Bacon, (more)
A businessman becomes the last line of defense for his family and his business in this thriller. Jack Stanfield (Harrison Ford) is an upper-echelon technology executive at Landrock Pacific Bank, a leading financial institution based in Seattle. Stanfield oversees security for Landrock, and has made sure that their online banking services are the best-protected in the world, and that the bank's data is safe from hackers and other intruders. However, Stanfield finds out the hard way that his system does indeed have a flaw when he's visited by Bill Cox (Paul Bettany), a cold and calculating man who has spent months learning everything there is know about Stanfield and his family. Cox's underlings have taken Stanfield's wife, Beth (Virginia Madsen), and their two children hostage, and they inform Jack that they will be released only when he uses his knowledge of the bank's security systems to deposit 100 million dollars in Cox's account in an offshore bank. Stanfield is deeply wary but willing to go along to ensure the safety of his family, but when he has reason to doubt that Cox and his cohorts will live up to their end of the bargain, he swings into action to exact justice against the criminals. Firewall also stars Alan Arkin, Robert Forster, and Mary Lynn Rajskub. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harrison Ford, Paul Bettany, (more)
Directed by Richard Loncraine, Wimbledon follows the plight of aspiring tennis-star Peter Colt (Paul Bettany), whose bad luck seems to manifest itself just about everywhere. Professionally, Peter is near the very bottom of the world tennis ranks, and personally, he can't find love despite his best efforts to do so. In a rare turn of events, however, Peter is chosen as a wildcard to play at Wimbledon, the tennis world's most prestigious competition. While there, he meets American tennis ingénue Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst), and his confidence on the court and off improves tenfold as he falls further in love with her. Driven by his newfound luck, Peter climbs to the top of the tournament players at record speed, until he actually has a fighting chance of winning the men's singles title -- the question is whether or not his good fortune will hold out long enough for him to get the trophy. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirsten Dunst, Paul Bettany, (more)
Adapted from William Trevor's novella of the same name, the made-for-cable My House in Umbria stars Dame Maggie Smith as Mrs. Emily Delahunty, a British romance novelist living in Italy. While on a shopping excursion to Milan, Emily barely survives a terrorist train bombing. Though she recovers fairly rapidly from her ordeal, three others -- a German journalist a British general and a traumatized orphan girl -- still bear profound physical and emotional wounds. In the spirit of democracy and compassion, the pluck Mrs. Delahunty invites her fellow survivors to recuperate at her lavish Italian estate. This ersatz family gets along famously -- at least until the arrival of the orphan's priggish uncle, American entomologist Tom Riversmith (Chris Cooper), who strongly disapproves of Mrs. Delahunty's carefree lifestyle. Filmed on location in Tuscany and Rome, My House in Umbria debuted May 25, 2003, on the HBO cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Barker, Chris Cooper, (more)
Today, Winston Churchill is regarded as one of the great leaders of his time, and a hero for helping to guide Great Britain through the crises of World War II. But in the 1930s, Churchill's place in history hardly seemed assured; his early warnings against the growing threat of the Third Reich were taken seriously by few of his contemporaries, and he suffered through a variety of personal, professional, and economic setbacks before German attacks on England gave credence to his theories about Hitler's desire to overtake Europe, and gave Churchill the opportunity to rise to the greatness that was his destiny. The Gathering Storm is a made-for-television biographical drama based on Churchill's memoirs about his life leading up to World War II. Albert Finney stars as Winston Churchill, Vanessa Redgrave plays his wife, Clementine, and Derek Jacobi appears as Stanley Baldwin. Jim Broadbent and Ronnie Barker co-star. Produced for the BBC, The Gathering Storm received its American premier on the HBO premium cable network in the spring of 2002. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Albert Finney
- 2001
Richard Loncraine (Richard III) directed the second installment of HBO's acclaimed Band of Brothers mini-series, "Day of Days." The action begins just before D-Day, and finds the men of Easy Company on a harrowing night-jump over Normandy. Their first mission is to take out German artillery so the invasion force can land on the beach the next day. As the C-47 planes are bombarded from the ground, the paratroopers of Easy Company anxiously await the order to jump. After their plane's co-pilot is hit, the pilot quickly gives Lieutenant Winters (Damian Lewis) and his men the green light to jump, but they (and the rest of the surviving paratroopers) are far from their drop zone. Winters lands in the woods, and is quickly joined by John Hall (Andrew Scott), a baby-faced private from Able Company. As they look for more men from their respective units, Winters, despite the fact that he lost his rifle in the jump, is able to keep the nervous young soldier calm. "We're not lost, private," he reassures him, "we're in Normandy." Soon they meet up with some other men, including Guarnere (Frank John Hughes), who is angry over the recent news of his brother's death in Italy, and Malarkey (Scott Grimes), who's obsessed with finding a souvenir Luger for his kid brother back in Oregon. The makeshift platoon, under Winters' direction, successfully ambushes a German supply cart. Eventually, they reach their rendezvous point, where the scattershot remains of several airborne companies have gathered. Here, Malarkey finds a surprising connection with a captured German. Meanwhile, with their commanding officer unaccounted for, Winters takes command of Easy Company, and leads a small team of men on a daring assault of a cluster of German artillery units. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Richard Loncraine takes Shakespeare's classic tale of treachery, Richard III, and transplants it to the 1930s. Ian McKellen is Richard who, as the film opens, begins plotting against his brother Edward, who has just ascended to the throne after a bloody civil war. Richard begins by seducing and wedding Lady Anne (Kristin Scott Thomas), whom he made a widow during the war. With the help of some loyal henchmen, Richard succeeds in murdering his older brother Clarence (Nigel Hawthorne), which so upsets Edward that he dies. Eventually, the crown falls to the young Prince of Wales (Marc Williamson). Richard is assigned to be the young king's protector, but instead, he has the boy and his brother jailed in the Tower of London. Richard seizes control over the country, but his ruthless quest for power eventually makes him powerful enemies, led by Henry Richman (Dominic West), who attempt to stop him. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, (more)
This British drama was originally created for British television but was later released in the U.S. It is based on a true story and chronicles the struggles of Deric and Diana Longden, a happily married couple who try to cope with Diana's inexplicable degenerative disease which causes occasional paralysis of her extremities and periodic blackouts. The doctors have no clue as to what ails her. Their love sustains them, but finally Diana comes to grips with the fact that the illness may prove fatal. She decides that before she goes, they should find Deric a replacement. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, (more)
- 1987
In flashback, we learn how nerdish computer whiz Bernard Hill has gotten himself involved with nasty gang boss Richard Hope. When Hill's wife leaves him and his stepson, he gets drunk and loses his job; before he cleans out his desk, he sells one of his "worthless" computer tapes to Hope. The latter kidnaps Hill's son, forcing the computer geek to do a printout of the tape. The information contained therein turns out to be a map of the National General Bank security system. From this point onward, be prepared for lots of twists, double-crosses and surprises. The question posed by Bellman & Ture: will Bernard Hill, sucked into the criminal gang, retain his own honesty despite big-money temptation? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bernard Hill, Kieran O'Brien, (more)
Michael Palin wrote and stars in this comedy as The Reverend Charles Fortescue, an unassuming missionary called back to England after spending ten years in Africa teaching children in a native village. Upon arriving in London, he finds that his new assignment is to take charge of a slum mission for prostitutes. He obtains money for the running of the mission from a wealthy woman, Lady Ames (Maggie Smith), whom he meets on the boat sailing to England from Africa. Lady Ames guarantees Fortescue the money on the condition that he take it upon himself to add a little spice to her dormant sex life. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Palin, Maggie Smith, (more)
The arrival of a mysterious stranger disrupts the lives of the members of a British family in this dark, psychological thriller. The stranger is one Martin Taylor (Sting), a dangerous charmer who ingratiates himself with the Bateses, a dignified, older couple (Denholm Elliott and Joan Plowright). The couple becomes especially fond of Martin after he demonstrates a strong, caring rapport with their daughter, a disabled invalid. It is only when he has become a part of the household, unofficially serving as the daughter's caretaker, that Martin's true, potentially demonic nature begins to show itself. Based on a script by Dennis Potter, the creator of the brilliant British television miniseries Pennies from Heaven and The Singing Detective, the film layers its already charged situation with hints of the supernatural, aspiring to be both disturbing family drama and provocatively ambiguous morality play. Some moments of MTV-like stylization threaten to diminish the mood of slow suspense and unhealthy obsession, but Potter's distinctly warped sensibility and the solid performances generally carry the film over its rough patches. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sting, Denholm Elliott, (more)
- 1980
In this Dennis Potter-scripted TV film, Donald Pleasence plays Jason Cavendish, a retired Cambridge professor, who lives in a remote country estate with his second wife (Kika Markham), his daughter (Phoebe Nicholls), and his butler/secretary/confidant (Denholm Elliott). Their sleepy routine is disrupted by the arrival of Daniel Young (Tom Conti), who promptly saves the professor's life when the old man collapses in his garden. The grateful Cavendish invites the strange guest to stay for dinner, and the latter claims to be writing a thesis based on an allegorical book written by the professor many years ago. Soon, however, it becomes obvious that Daniel has a totally different agenda that has something to do with Cavendish's past. The movie's original British title, Blade on the Feather, refers to a line in the Eton Boating Song. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald Pleasence, Tom Conti, (more)
- 1978
Vanishing Army was originally produced for British television. The anecdotal storyline dwells upon the highs and lows of peacetime army life. The focus is on a career drill sergeant, played by Kenneth Cope. His career and behavior is compared with that of his more easygoing comrade in arms, portrayed by Bill Paterson. Vanishing Army made its American debut over the ARTS cable service (later known as A&E) in 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
The British/Canadian Full Circle is better known by its American title, The Haunting of Julia. The eponymous Julia, played by Mia Farrow, is driven to near-madness by the death of her daughter. Things don't get much better when Julia and her husband move into a forbidding old mansion. The events leading up to her daughter's horrible death threaten to repeat themselves, thereby explaining the film's original title. Based on a Peter Straub story, Full Circle covers familiar ground, but fans of Gothic horror will be generously served. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mia Farrow, Keir Dullea, (more)
British glam rock superstars Slade made their collective acting debut in this downbeat drama about a pop group's struggles with success. In the late '60s, Barry (Dave Hill), Paul (Jim Lea), and Charlie (Don Powell) are musicians who are barely making a living playing pub dates, weddings, and socials backing up egocentric vocalist Jack Daniels (Alan Lake). One night, the boys find themselves opening for a ghoulish show band called The Undertakers, and a prank played on their lead vocalist, Stoker (Noddy Holder), backfires and leads to a car chase which lands both groups in jail for the night. After a long night of thinking, Barry, Paul, and Charlie decide that they have no future with Daniels, and bring new pal Stoker aboard as their singer. Calling themselves Iron Rod, the new quartet clicks musically, but manager Ron Harding (Johnny Shannon) doesn't care for their new style and stops booking the group. Robert Seymour (Tom Conti), a marketing man from a wealthy family who thinks there's quick money in pop music, enters the picture and informs the band that he can make them major stars. Wary of Seymour but eager for success, the group signs a new management deal, and after Seymour changes their name to Flame and gives them an image makeover, the band scores a hit record and is soon playing a series of sold-out shows. But as fame beckons, tensions rise between the musicians and is not at all helped when Harding reenters the picture. Slade members Jim Lea and Noddy Holder wrote a set of original songs for the film, two of which ("Far Far Away" and "How Does It Feel") became hit singles in the U.K. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Noddy Holder, Dave Hill, (more)
This British film examines the choices individuals must make when confronted with a romantic relationship which is rewarding but does not offer them everything they want. In this sympathetic and psychologically precise drama, Alexandra Greville (Glenda Jackson), "Alex" to her friends, has a younger man as her sometime lover, the young sculptor Bob Elkin (Murray Head). Elkin is completely open about the fact that he is also the lover of her acquaintance, Dr. Daniel Hirsch (Peter Finch). These relationships continue in some kind of equilibrium until Alex and Bob agree to house-sit the children of a couple known to the three of them. In their roles, neither Head nor Finch "swished," or otherwise catered to homosexual stereotypes, and theirs was considered to be a groundbreaking, sympathetic portrayal of this kind of relationship, not condescending in any way. One highlight of the film is a scene in which Dr. Hirsch attends the Bar Mitzvah of his nephew. This critically well-received movie was unexpectedly successful at the box office. The film's director and screenwriter, as well as Jackson and Finch, were nominated for Academy Awards. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenda Jackson, Peter Finch, (more)
