Joss Ackland

The story of Russian emigrant Yanko Goorall and servant Amy Foster in the end of nineteenth century. When Yanko enters a farm, sick and hungry after a shipwreck, everyone is afraid of him, except for Amy. The film tells the story of a Ukraine émigré, and the only survivor from ship crash, named Yanko Goorall, and a servant Amy Foster in the end of nineteenth century. When Yanko enters a farm, sick and hungry after the shipwreck, everyone is afraid of him, except for Amy, who is very kind and helps him. Soon he becomes like a son for Dr. James Kennedy and romance between Yanko and Amy follows.

A Little League player is sent back into medieval times where he is given the task of saving Camelot. Young Calvin Fuller is pulled into King Arthur's court by Merlin. His mission: to save Camelot. To do this he must overcome the villain known as Lord Belascoe, train to become a knight, and rescue the Princess Katherine, who has fallen in love with him. Ultimately, He must help Arthur regain his confidence before he can go home. —Kevin Modglin <kevin615@delphi.com>

A mysterious fugitive befriends and protects a widow and her two children from corrupt developers trying to drive her off her land.

Jude Madigan (Curtis) suddenly leaves her husband, Robert (Gallagher) and three sons without any explanation. Three years later, when Robert finally files for divorce, Jude returns and tries to reclaim her former life. Robert refuses and insists on the divorce. Jude does not accept Robert's decision. She tries unsuccessfully to seduce him and harasses Robert's new girlfriend, Callie. Eventually, Jude manipulates and convinces her eldest son, Kes, that Callie is the only person standing in the way of their reunited family. Influenced by Jude, Kes details a plan to his two brothers to scare off Callis, convincing the younger boys that it is just a "game". As the boys debate the plan, Jude's mother, Lydia (Redgrave) overhears and confronts Kes and threatens to tell their father. Kes tries unsuccessfully to convince his grandmother that it was just a "game" and tries to stop her from calling his dad, a brief struggle ensues and Lydia accidentally falls down the stairs. While in the hospital, Lydia tells Jude she is not about to let her go through with her plans. In a fit of rage, Jude tries to murder her mother by asphyxiation but is interrupted by a nurse, Jude flees the hospital. Meanwhile, the boys, under the guise of playing the game, handcuffs Callie and puts her on "trial" for destroying their family. They tie her to a chair but when the youngest boy cuts himself on a broken glass, Callie convinces the middle child to free her before his brother dies. She runs with the boy in an attempt to find a hospital. The other boys get in Callie's car and chases them, but the brakes have been cut by Jude and they go over a cliff, leaving them perched precariously on a tree on the side of the cliff. Callie manages to rescue the middle son, but as she tries to rescue Kes, she slips and is left dangling from the car. Jude rushes to "help" by grabbing Callie's hand from Kes. Jude intentionally lets go of Callie's hand, who still manages to hang onto the car with her other hand. However, Jude loses her balance and falls to her death. The film ends with Robert's emotional embrace of Kes, who is very shaken after having a nightmare of Jude coming back from the dead. Callie is right by Robert's side, comforting them both.

An American named Phoebe (Sean Young) arrives in Rome, Italy, after her Italian boyfriend, Marcello, invited her to move there with him. However, when she arrives, he refuses to take her telephone calls. Heartbroken, Phoebe wanders the streets of Rome, where a dachshund, wearing an expensive plaid coat, snatches her lunch. She shoos the dog away, but soon after, sees a newspaper advertisement offering a $5,000 reward for the lost dachshund's return to its wealthy owner, Madame Van Dougen, who lives in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Nearby, another American, Julian Peters (Richard Lewis), is fired by his Italian acting agent. When the lost dog begs him for food, he notes its expensive collar and sees "Monte Carlo" written on its name tag. Phoebe sees him with the dog and pretends it belongs to her; however, Julian does not believe her, and guesses that she is after a reward. She reluctantly agrees to split the money with him, and they travel to Monte Carlo by train. Elsewhere on the train, American couple Neil and Marilyn Schwary (James Belushi and Cybill Shepherd) discus Neil's system for winning at roulette. American passenger Augie Morosco (John Candy) interjects that there is no way to win at a casino, and admits that he is a recovering gambling addict, traveling to join his wealthy wife, Elena, in Monte Carlo. Soon after, Phoebe sees Augie Morosco holding the dachshund, and accuses him of stealing it. However, Augie tells her he bought the dog from a man in the dining car. Phoebe is furious, and searches for Julian, who tells her that Augie paid him $6,000 for the animal. Phoebe insists they return the money, and deliver the dog as promised. Augie refuses to return the pet until a train porter demands to see its traveling papers. Augie returns the dog to Julian, asking him to find him in Monte Carlo if he changes his mind about selling, and handing him a matchbook with his name on it. Julian and Phoebe are forced to exit the train and have the dog inspected by a veterinarian. When Julian telephones Madam Van Dougen to tell her they will be delayed, he hears an unexplained disruption on the other end of the line. Meanwhile, Marilyn and Neil arrive in Monaco, and she begs him not to gamble away all of their vacation money at the hotel casino. However, Neil ignores her and cashes in every cent on gambling chips. Marilyn dons an expensive gown from Neil's wholesale clothing business, before joining him in the casino. When she enters, she catches the eye of a dashing Italian man named Alfonso de la Pena (George Hamilton), but when Neil sees her, he calls her a "jinx" and sends her away from him. Marilyn meets Greek gambler Hercules Popodopoulos (Joss Ackland) who asks her to pick a number for him at the craps table. After winning, Hercules shares the profits with her and teaches her how to place bets. Before long, Marilyn wins a half-million dollars. Elsewhere, Neil loses all of his money. When he sees Augie Morosco winning at several tables at once, Neil begs for his help. They place a bet together, as Augie's beautiful wife, Elena (Ornella Muti), arrives, and chastises him for giving in to his addiction. Augie ignores her, and he and Neil win a large sum of money. Arriving in Monte Carlo, Phoebe is still angry with Julian for attempting to sell the dog behind her back. Despite the late hour, they go directly to Madame Van Dougen's villa, as instructed, but find the place empty. While wandering the grounds, they discover her body inside a garage, and flee. Julian returns for Phoebe's suitcase, and sees a man hiding in the bushes. Phoebe insists they go to police, but Julian fears they will be arrested as suspects, and treated poorly because they are foreigners. When officers walk past them on the street, Julian kisses Phoebe to hide their faces, leaving her flustered. Soon after, they make an anonymous telephone call to police from a cafe. Police trace the call and soon arrive. After Julian and Phoebe overhear the cafe owner giving their description to police, Phoebe puts the dog on a bus to get rid of it, but realizes that she left her suitcase at Madame Van Dougen's villa. Julian refuses to return with her and they part ways. Meanwhile, Augie and Neil lose all their money at the casino. Distraught, Neil wanders the streets and prays to find a suitcase filled with money. Outside of Madame Van Dougen's villa, Neil's wish is granted when he sees a suitcase sitting next to a running vehicle. With no one in sight, he steals it, and returns to his hotel room, where he pleads with Marilyn to forgive him for losing their money. Marilyn says she put money aside, knowing he would lose it all, and chastises him for stealing the suitcase. When they look inside, they are shocked to find the body of an old woman (off-camera). Fearing they will be arrested as suspects, they pack their belongings and flee the hotel, planning to abandon the suitcase along the way. Phoebe arrives at Madame Van Dougen's villa to search for her suitcase, followed by Julian, who apologizes for leaving her. He goes inside to get her suitcase, where police lie in wait. Inspector Bonnard (Giancarlo Giannini) questions Julian, who is nervous and appears guilty. Phoebe hides among the crowd that has formed outside the gates, and overhears a witness tell police that he saw a man and woman with a dog enter the property, and identifies Julian as the man he saw. As Phoebe looks on, the dachshund returns home, and runs to her side. She hides the pet under her coat, while Julian is taken to jail. The next morning, Neil and Marilyn Schwary board a train, and check the suitcase onto a train headed for a different destination. However, as they celebrate their escape, the porter chases after them with the suitcase. Despite their protests, he pushes it through the window of their departing train car. They try once more to get rid of it, to no avail, and porters soon find the body after a routine check of passengers' luggage. Inspector Bonnard questions Madame Van Dougen's short housekeeper and butler, who claim they were out of the house all evening after learning the housekeeper's sister had been in an automobile accident. When Phoebe is found with the dog, she is arrested and brought to the station. The housekeeper and butler confirm that it is, in fact, Madame Van Dougen's dog, Napoleon. Bonnard questions Julian and Phoebe about Augie Morosco, whose name was written in a matchbook found next to Van Dougen's body. Julian realizes he must have dropped the matchbook, and struggles to explain how it got there. Bonnard declares that their accomplices have arrived, as Neil and Marilyn Schwary are brought into the station in handcuffs. However, Julian and Phoebe do not know Neil and Marilyn, and Bonnard tries to sort out the truth as everyone claims their innocence. Meanwhile, Augie buys flowers for Elena and vows to have given up gambling for good. She forgives him, and tells him the newspaper story about Van Dougen's murder. Back at the police station, Neil names Augie as his alibi on the night of the murder, and Bonnard calls Augie in for questioning. When Augie reveals that he met Van Dougen several weeks before at a casino, Bonnard believes he is guilty. Surprised to see all four of his American acquaintances from the train behind bars, Augie reluctantly admits to having met Julian and Phoebe on the train, but refuses to admit that he knows Neil and Marilyn, whom he suspects of being guilty. Augie claims he was with his wife at the time of the murder, and later asks Elena to be his alibi. She confesses that she was with another man at the time, in retaliation for Augie's gambling. When Italian playboy Alfonso de la Pena overhears their conversation at a restaurant, he flees, and Elena admits that Alfonso was her lover. Augie follows Alfonso, and convinces him to keep quiet about the events of that night. That evening, Bonnard arrives at the hotel to question Augie again, and reveals that a man was seen going out the fire escape of his wife's room. Augie claims to have been the man, and Bonnard asks him to reenact the events of the night, following Augie to the fire escape, and forcing him to walk across a beam to the other side of the street where he gained entrance into Van Dougen's villa. Augie and Bonnard enter Van Dougen's home where Bonnard has gathered the American suspects to try to get to the truth. They turn on each other as they each proclaim their innocence. However, Elena refuses to name Alfonso de la Pena as the man she was with, until Bonnard brings him into the room. Julian instantly recognizes Alfonso's shiny shoes and insists he was the man in the bushes at the crime scene. Alfonso confesses that he and Van Dougen, whom he calls "Claire," were secret lovers, and insists she was not in her bedroom when he arrived for their regular rendezvous. He only hid in the bushes to protect Claire's privacy when he heard Julian and Phoebe arrive. Finally, Bonnard brings in the housekeeper and butler, and reveals several holes in their story, forcing the butler to confess that he and the housekeeper murdered Van Dougen due to her abusive and harsh treatment of them. The Americans celebrate their release over dinner, with Bonnard in attendance. Julian toasts to Napoleon for the dog's part in leading him to his new love, Phoebe, while Marilyn reveals her $500,000 winnings to Neil, and demands he start treating her with more respect. Later, Bonnard tells one of his detectives that Madame Van Dougen left her $20 million fortune to Napoleon, and realizes that whoever inherited the dog will actually receive the money. Elsewhere in the final scene, Alfonso de la Pena sips champagne on a yacht with Napoleon.

This story is about a ne'er-do-well and his girlfriend as they search for a thief. Two Americans living sumptuously abroad find their relationship challenged by an unexpected lack of finances. When Jake, a commodities broker, is unable to pay the bills (due to a dock strike that holds up a cocoa shipment), he suggests that Tina (sensuous, beautiful, and still married to another man) file an insurance claim on her 'little Henry Moore' in order to help pay their bills. Tina balks. The statue is her only source of security, all that she owns in the whole world. Does he realize what he's asking of her? Then the statue simply disappears. Circumstances become more dire and questions emerge. Can Tina trust Jake? Can Jake trust Tina? When things spin out of their control, each is forced to reckon with doubt--doubt of themselves, doubt of each other, and doubt of the strength of their bond. As it is with love, "to some people, cocoa is very scary." The story that unfolds is sensuous, understated, witty, and elegant--a true 'Object of Beauty.' —JCrickett American couple Jake and Tina are living in an expensive London hotel way beyond what they can afford. When they were asked to pay the bill, Jake wants to sell Tina's 20,000-pound Henry Moore sculpture, but she is not happy about that. The deaf-mute hotel maid admires the sculpture for its beauty rather than its value. When the sculpture goes missing, the couple start fighting over it. —Sami Al-Taher <staher2000@yahoo.com> Charming comedy about how a couple's relationship wavers in tandem with the disposition of their statuette. With no fixed abode, Jake and Tina live in hotels across the world. With a large bill due and money in short supply, their plan to "steal" their Henry Moore statue and claim against it is thwarted when someone else steals it first. They soon start distrusting each other's motives as they search for the statue, and keep trying to get its valuation boosted while avoiding the bill. With no sign of it, they drift apart, despite being in love, and don't reconcile until it reappears one day--having been stolen by a deaf-mute maid who feels the statue "spoke" to her. —Cynan Rees <cynanrees@hotmail.com>

A Soviet nuclear sub, the Red October, is heading for the U.S. While the government expects an attack, one CIA agent thinks they will defect but has only a few hours to prove it.

A volatile pair of detectives with completely opposite law-enforcement styles must protect Leo Getz, an accountant who laundered half a billion dollars in narcotics money.

Somerset has lost the power struggle with Northumberland and is executed. Northumberland, ruler of the realm due to Edward VI's minority, sees that the succession is key as Edward is unmarried. He will call on his friend Suffolk, Henry Grey, as Suffolk's wife, Frances Brandon, granddaughter of Henry VII, and their daughter Jane Grey, follow Henry VIII's daughters in the line of succession. Jane's great scholarship is made evident in a scene in which she interacts with and debates a priest who is a classical scholar. In the next scene, Edward notes "her learning is an example to us all." Northumberland advises Frances that Edward is dying and their plotting to deny Mary and Elizabeth the throne begins. The plan is to get Edward to modify the line of succession to exclude his sisters and to have Frances defer the throne to Jane. To consolidate power, Suffolk agrees to have Jane Grey marry Guilford Dudley, Northumberland's son. Jane is cold on the idea, suggesting Edward would disapprove. Jane is beaten by her mother for this remark. Northumberland convinces Edward that the marriage is necessary for the Reformation. Jane is convinced by Edward to marry Guilford "for me." Edward's health grows much worse. Northumberland asks the doctor to give Edward arsenic to keep him alive for a few extra days, which will buy Northumberland time to convince Edward to sign the document modifying the line of succession. Guilford is found in a pub and advised he is to be married. In his first meeting with Jane, she makes it clear that her priorities are study and prayer and he notes that he is the type that likes pubs and prostitutes. Their wedding night is absurd, as Guilford falls asleep just moments after Jane enters the bedroom. On a journey together, Guilford and Jane see commoners. Guilford offers one of them coins as alms. The commoner throws the money back, displaying that he wears the brand of a beggar, and yells "give us back our land," which could be a reference to the actions of Henry VIII, but more likely refers to enclosure. It makes little sense to Jane., but when they are next alone, Guilford explains what they had seen. He recounts a) confiscation of land during the dissolution of the monasteries, b) enclosure (fencing in) of common grazing land by landlords that ruined the livelihood of small landowners, c) and the inflation of the English currency. He notes that begging has been made illegal, and that those found begging were forced to wear a brand of disgrace. Jane, it seems, is learning that her quiet piety may not be enough to save the poor and transform England. Northumberland attends to Edward, who is on his deathbed. He proposes the change to the line of succession, noting that Mary's succession would hurt England. Edward notes "but she's my sister." Northumberland cleverly replies "it's the duty of a Christian king to set aside the prejudices of the blood in favor of the greater good of God and country." Edward is sold on the necessity of modifying the line of succession and signs Northumberland's document. Back at home, the newlyweds have another chat. "What do you wish for?", Guilford asks. When she replies with an idea that would improve England, he drops a glass full of wine, destroying it, and says "then it is done." She asks the same of him, gets a similar response, and similarly, but unexpectedly, destroys a wine glass. The game continues, to the delight of both. Jane has come out of her shell, daring to dream with Guilford of a better England. She is no longer a quiet, pious girl too busy with study and prayer to consider the plight of England, but a woman in touch with things a queen might dwell upon, though unaware of the plot to make her queen. Northumberland now seeks the Privy Seal for the document proposing change to the line of succession. Some council members argue that, given Edward's infirmity, ratification might be treasonous, but they acquiesce when reminded that many English lands would revert to Rome if Mary became queen. Northumberland's plot has nearly succeeded, but he is not able to apprehend Mary and Elizabeth. Edward dies and Northumberland fears to proclaim Jane queen with Mary and Elizabeth still at large. However, he decides that he must do so and calls a meeting, insisting that Jane and Guilford attend, but not telling them why their presence is required. Northumberland announces Edward's death and then proclaims that Jane is the new queen. Jane's rejects the crown, shouting "no, it is not mine!" She learns that Guilford will be crowned king, and accuses him of having been in on the plot, but he convinces her this is not so. She accepts the crown. Her ascension is announced publicly, but meets more with confusion than joy. In a letter the privy council receives, Mary proclaims herself queen. Northumberland asks Suffolk to assemble an army to repel Mary. Queen Jane, unannounced, walks in on the meeting and changes the subject, demanding social reforms. Northumberland interrupts to request her signature on the document proposing the raising of an army by her father. Queen Jane refuses to sign unless Northumberland himself agrees to lead the troops that will defend her realm. He agrees and she signs. He proceeds to capture several supporters of Mary, but Jane has them all released. She hears that the campaign against Mary is failing. When Suffolk barges in on her and Guilford to advise them that Northumberland has been declared a traitor and that Mary has been named queen, ending Jane's nine day reign, things are clarified. Most unexpectedly, Jane's remark is "What a relief. Father, can we go home?" Predictably, though, Jane and Guilford are arrested, separated, and imprisoned in the Tower, as is Northumberland. Mary rides triumphantly into England, and her first act is to free those incarcerated in the Tower for having opposed the Reformation, an ominous sign. Queen Mary speaks to Jane and makes it clear that, although a death sentence is near certain when Jane is tried, she intends to grant a reprieve. As Jane exits, the imperial ambassador enters, and Queen Mary advises him that she does not plan to execute Jane. The imperial ambassador notes that Phillip, with whom Queen Mary is in love, will not visit while Jane lives. Learning that her marriage appears to hinge on this execution grieves Queen Mary, who has suffered greatly from loneliness. Suffolk advises his wife that he will join a revolt (which came to be known as Wyatt's rebellion) against Queen Mary. Jane learns that this revolt, with which she was unfamiliar, failed, and that Suffolk, who was one of its leaders, has been arrested. Jane and Guilford are tried, convicted and sentenced to beheading. Jane learns that Queen Mary, due to Suffolk's treason, will no longer grant a reprieve unless Jane embraces the doctrines of Catholicism, Predictably, Jane refuses. Jane learns that Guilford has been executed on Tower Hill, and then she, herself, is led to the scaffold on Tower Green, where she is beheaded. Though still grievous of having had to execute Jane, Queen Mary is seen leaving the Tower, proclaiming "I am going to meet my husband." A priest, the same one that had debated with Jane in the movie's opening minutes, looks to the heavens, reflects on Jane's life and quotes Plato in the movie's final line: "The soul takes flight to the world that is invisible but there arriving she is sure of bliss and forever dwells in paradise."

A pilot, stranded in the desert, meets a little boy who is a prince on a planet. Based on the story by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, this magical musical fable begins as a pilot makes a forced landing on the barren Sahara Desert. He is befriended by a "little" prince from the planet Asteroid B-612. In the days that follow, the pilot learns of the small boy's history and planet-hopping journeys in which he met a King, a businessman, an historian, and a general. It isn't until he comes to Earth that the Little Prince learns the secrets of the importance of life from a Fox, a Snake, and the pilot. —Rone Barton Lokarr <sandbox2@ix.netcom.com>