Laurence Olivier

The film is based on the real life story of Lieutenant William Bligh (Anthony Hopkins), against whom a mutiny is led by Master's mate Fletcher Christian (Mel Gibson). This version follows both the efforts of Fletcher Christian (Mel Gibson) to get his men beyond the reach of British punishment, and the epic voyage of Captain Bligh (Anthony Hopkins) to get his loyalists safely to the Dutch East Indies in a tiny longboat. Mission Setting out from Britain in December 1787 for the Pacific island of Tahiti to gather breadfruit pods for transplantation in the Caribbean as slave fodder, the Bounty sailed west to round the tip of South America, but failed, due to harsh weather, and had to take the longer eastern route. Finally arriving in Tahiti in October 1788, Bligh found that due to the delays the wind was against him for a quick return journey, so he decided to stay on the island for four months longer than originally planned. In that time, it would be fair to say that ship discipline became problematic, and many of the crew developed a taste for the easy pleasures that island life afforded, making the relation with their Captain tense. Bligh, at the same time, constantly subjected the crew to pressure, eventually reaching a breaking point. Bligh Bligh is not shown as a cruel tyrant, but instead is seen as a traditional British naval captain and a man of his times. The worst acts of Bligh are compared with those of the crew, and is ultimately portrayed as a man who takes his sense of discipline and command too far, exceeding the limits of the ship's company; while at the same time he protected his loyal non-mutineers, when he guides their overcrowded boat to safety without any firearms or navigational equipment. Crew The crew is portrayed in a different light than the previous films. They are shown as a group of typical 18th-century sailors-a much more "rough and tumble" group, some of whom use the "might-is-right" principle to impose a hierarchy of sorts below decks. Their motivations in this film were not as noble as in the other two films. Previous films portrayed the crew's desire for freedom from Bligh's oppressive behavior; in this version of the story the desire to return to Tahiti is shown to be one of the primary motivations behind the mutiny. Also, they are shown as having more responsibility than they did in the other versions of the event. Fletcher Christian Fletcher Christian is a much more complex character than in prior films. He and Bligh are at first friends, and Bligh even asks him to sail for a second time with him. But both men turn against each other over the course of the events. Matters become worse when the ship leaves Tahiti, as Fletcher is forced to leave his wife Mauatua behind. The film is based on the real life story of Lieutenant William Bligh (Anthony Hopkins), against whom a mutiny is led by Master's mate Fletcher Christian (Mel Gibson). This version follows both the efforts of Fletcher Christian (Mel Gibson) to get his men beyond the reach of British punishment, and the epic voyage of Captain Bligh (Anthony Hopkins) to get his loyalists safely to the Dutch East Indies in a tiny longboat. Mission Setting out from Britain in December 1787 for the Pacific island of Tahiti to gather breadfruit pods for transplantation in the Caribbean as slave fodder, the Bounty sailed west to round the tip of South America, but failed, due to harsh weather, and had to take the longer eastern route. Finally arriving in Tahiti in October 1788, Bligh found that due to the delays the wind was against him for a quick return journey, so he decided to stay on the island for four months longer than originally planned. In that time, it would be fair to say that ship discipline became problematic, and many of the crew developed a taste for the easy pleasures that island life afforded, making the relation with their Captain tense. Bligh, at the same time, constantly subjected the crew to pressure, eventually reaching a breaking point. Bligh Bligh is not shown as a cruel tyrant, but instead is seen as a traditional British naval captain and a man of his times. The worst acts of Bligh are compared with those of the crew, and is ultimately portrayed as a man who takes his sense of discipline and command too far, exceeding the limits of the ship's company; while at the same time he protected his loyal non-mutineers, when he guides their overcrowded boat to safety without any firearms or navigational equipment. Crew The crew is portrayed in a different light than the previous films. They are shown as a group of typical 18th-century sailors-a much more "rough and tumble" group, some of whom use the "might-is-right" principle to impose a hierarchy of sorts below decks. Their motivations in this film were not as noble as in the other two films. Previous films portrayed the crew's desire for freedom from Bligh's oppressive behavior; in this version of the story the desire to return to Tahiti is shown to be one of the primary motivations behind the mutiny. Also, they are shown as having more responsibility than they did in the other versions of the event. Fletcher Christian Fletcher Christian is a much more complex character than in prior films. He and Bligh are at first friends, and Bligh even asks him to sail for a second time with him. But both men turn against each other over the course of the events. Matters become worse when the ship leaves Tahiti, as Fletcher is forced to leave his wife Mauatua behind. Christian's Tahitian wife is given as more of a reason that Fletcher led the mutiny than before. Fletcher shows regret over one of his decisions; he tells another mutineer that he wished he had supplied Bligh with muskets before setting him adrift. The Bounty leaves Tahiti The resumption of naval discipline, and a Bligh who has slowly turned into a tyrant not willing to tolerate any disobedience whatsoever, creates an atmosphere of tension and violence. Corporal punishment is meted out for the slightest offense. Bligh insists that the boat is dirty and orders the crew to clean up several times a day. Many of the men, including Christian, are singled out for severe, even hysterical tongue-lashings by Bligh. His intention to round Cape Horn once again in attempts to circumnavigate the globe pushes the crew to the breaking point. The mutiny Playing on Christian's obvious resentment against Bligh's treatment of both him and the men, the more militant members of the crew finally persuade Christian to take control of the ship. Bligh is roused from his bed and arrested, along with those considered loyal to him, and all of them are forced into the ship's launch, minimally supplied, and cast adrift. Blissfully happy at their new-found freedom (though Christian feels remorse, and understands the implications of what's been done) they naively sail back to Tahiti to collect their wives, girlfriends, and native friends. King Tynah, however, is shocked by this turn of events. He makes them aware that, as mutineers, their presence on the island could incite King George to declare war against Tahiti and his people. Realising the folly of staying, though some do, they gather supplies and sail away to try to find a safe refuge. Christian pleads with Tynah to allow Mauatua to decide her own destiny. Tynah concedes, and Mauatua chooses the uncertainty of a life with Christian over remaining with her father but without her husband. Bligh's journey Bligh, through courage and excellent seamanship-and also a return of his good character and leadership qualities-successfully manages to reach civilization after a very harrowing journey. One man was killed by natives as the crew stopped for supplies in a hostile island. Final voyage of the Bounty The search for a safe haven is long and seemingly impossible, as they all realize that any pursuing Royal Navy vessels will search all known islands and coastlines to find them. By this point, those that remained on board the Bounty are so frustrated that they are ready to rebel against Christian in order to turn the ship back towards Tahiti. After Christian forces the crew to continue on, they eventually find Pitcairn Island, a place which Christian realizes may not be marked on British maps of the region. Christian notes that his charts indicate that the island was sighted by a sailor named Pitcairn but no landing was made due to the lack of suitable terrain, and that the island's location only was recorded by its latitude; the lack of a precise longitude made its location an unknown and therefore their best hope of avoiding the Royal Navy. As the crew of the Bounty burn the ship to keep it from being found, the judgment of Bligh's court martial is read-Bligh is found to have not been responsible for the loss of the Bounty, and is commended for the voyage of the open launch. Fletcher Christian and his men realize that they will never go back to England.

In the Ancient Greek world, King Acrisius of Argos (Donald Houston) locks his daughter Danaë (Vida Taylor) away from mortal men to avoid a prophecy that he would die if his daughter had a son. While she is imprisoned, the god Zeus (Laurence Olivier) impregnates her. After discovering the pregnancy, Acrisius casts his daughter and her newborn son Perseus out to sea in a wooden coffin, hoping to kill both and avoid his fate. In retribution, Zeus orders the god of the sea, Poseidon (Jack Gwillim), to release an ancient monster known as the Kraken to destroy Argos, fulfilling the prophecy. Atop Mount Olympus, while the city is destroyed, Zeus crushes the clay figurine of Acrisius in his hand, killing the tyrant. Meanwhile, at Zeus' request, Poseidon ensures that Danaë and Perseus drift across the Aegean Sea safely, arriving on the shores of the island of Seriphos. Over the next several years, Perseus (Harry Hamlin as an adult) grows from an infant to a handsome young man. Calibos (Neil McCarthy), son of the sea goddess Thetis (Maggie Smith), is a handsome young man destined to marry Princess Andromeda (Judi Bowker), the daughter of Queen Cassiopeia (Sian Phillips) and heir to the rich Greek city of Joppa. But the cruel and destructive Calibos has destroyed every living thing surrounding the Wells of the Moon, including Zeus's entire sacred herd of flying horses, save for the stallion Pegasus. As punishment for his many transgressions, Zeus transforms Calibos into a satyr-like creature who is subsequently shunned and forced to live as an outcast in the swamps east of Joppa. Thetis, furious at her son's fate, vows that if Calibos cannot marry Andromeda, no other man will, either. Equally infuriated by Zeus' unquestioning devotion for his own son, Thetis magically transports Perseus from Seriphos to Joppa. Perseus, finding himself in the amphitheater of Joppa outside the city, is befriended by the elderly scholar and playwright Ammon (Burgess Meredith). He learns of Andromeda and her plight: she cannot marry unless her suitor successfully answers a riddle, and any suitor who fails to answer the riddle correctly is burned at the stake. Perseus also tells Ammon that he is prince and heir to Argos and hopes to return there to claim the title. Zeus realizes that his son has been sent to a dangerous region of the world and orders his gods to provide his son with a helmet that will make him invisible, a sword which can cut through material as hard as marble and a golden shield. When Perseus sneaks into Andromeda's bedchamber, using his helmet for cover, he discovers that each night a monstrous vulture arrives with a small cage and carries the princess' spirit off to the east. Perseus captures and tames Pegasus and follows Andromeda's spirit on her nightly journey to learn a new riddle from Calibos. Armed with the answer, Perseus is nearly killed by Calibos in the swamp but escapes, losing the magical helmet. Perseus appears at the next ceremony for a new suitor and answers the riddle correctly, presenting Calibos's severed hand (with a pearled and gold ring on one of the fingers, which is the answer to the riddle) and winning Andromeda's hand in marriage. Perseus tells Joppa that he'd spared Calibos' life if he would lift the curse. Later, in the temple of Thetis, the wounded Calibos prays to his mother Thetis to take vengeance on Perseus. Thetis tells Calibos that she cannot do so because Perseus is protected by Zeus, but, at her son's suggestion, she can take vengeance on Joppa, Andromeda and her mother. At the wedding, Queen Cassiopeia compares Andromeda's beauty to that of Thetis herself, which angers the goddess and gives her an excuse to fulfill her son's wish. The statue of Thetis collapses and its head comes to life, demanding Andromeda as a virgin sacrifice to the Kraken in 30 days or Joppa will be destroyed. Perseus seeks a way to defeat the Kraken and leads a small group of soldiers with him with Andromeda and Ammon joining them in the quest. Ammon recommends that they consult the Stygian Witches, three old, blind women (Flora Robson, Anna Manahan, and Freda Jackson) who live to the East. At the same time, Pegasus is captured by Calibos and his men, forcing Perseus and his caravan to make the difficult and dangerous journey by land. Zeus commands Athena (Susan Fleetwood) to give Perseus her owl Bubo as a replacement for his lost helmet of invisibility. Not wishing to give up her companion, she has Hephaestus (Pat Roach) build a mechanical replica of Bubo as an aid for Perseus. Bubo finds Perseus and leads him to the Stygian Witches, who reside on a craggy mountaintop in a remote region. Perseus, with Bubo's help, manages to snatch from the three cannibalistic witches a magical glass orb which is their communal 'eye'. Perseus promises to return the eye to them if they tell him how he can defeat the Kraken. The witches tell him the only way to defeat the Kraken is by using the head of another of the titans, Medusa the Gorgon. Once a beautiful woman, Medusa had been punished by the goddess Aphrodite (Ursula Andress) by being transformed into a horrible monster. Meeting Medusa's gaze will turn any living creature to stone, including the Kraken. She makes her home on the Isle of the Dead, which lies across the River Styx, at the very edge of the Underworld. Because Perseus held their eye, his cloak will be able to withstand Medusa's toxic blood should he succeed in claiming her head. Perseus tosses back the glass eye to the witches and makes his escape. That evening, Perseus tells Andromeda to return to Joppa with Ammon as he must go on alone with Cassiopeia's soldiers to the underworld to kill Medusa and claim her head. She refuses, wishing to stay with him but when she wakes in the morning, she finds Perseus and his men have left. The next day, Perseus and his men arrive at the River Styx where the skeletal ferryman, Charon is to row them to the Isle of the Dead in exchange for a silver coin. Perseus takes three of his men with him to cross the river to the island. Once there, Perseus and his men find the Temple of Medusa and soon battle Dioskilos, a two-headed dog guarding the lair. One of the soldiers is killed, but Perseus and the other two succeed in slaying Dioskilos and set forth into the underground ruins where Medusa resides. Armed with a bow and several arrows, Medusa takes on the three intruders to her domain. One of Perseus's men loses his life to one of Medusa's blood-poisoned arrows, while the last becomes caught in the stare of Medusa and is transformed into stone. Perseus eventually manages to not only deceive Medusa with the help of his shield, but also decapitate her with his sword and collects her head, losing his shield in a pool of Medusa's acidic blood. That night, as Perseus and his party set out to return to Joppa with Medusa's head wrapped in his cloak, Calibos raids the camp, drives off the group's horses and punctures the cloak carrying Medusa's head, spilling her blood and spawning three giant scorpions. The scorpions and Calibos attack the party. After the last two of his men are killed (one by a scorpion and the chief guard, Thalo, by Calibos himself), Perseus is able to slay the remaining scorpion and manages to best Calibos, whom he finally kills with Aphrodite's sword. Perseus, weakened by his struggle and running out of time, orders Bubo to find Pegasus. The mechanical owl locates Pegasus in the swamp, guarded by Calibos' men and the giant vulture. Bubo creates a chaotic melee, the camp burns when a fire-pit is overturned and Bubo frees Pegasus. Back in Joppa, Perseus arrives in Ammon's amphitheater and collapses from exhaustion. On Olympus, Thetis reminds Zeus that it is time for Andromeda to be sacrificed. The weary Zeus orders Poseidon to release the Kraken. As he walks away from the clay figurines in his collection, he revives Perseus. As Andromeda is about to be sacrificed to the Kraken, Bubo appears, trying to stall the Kraken while Perseus catches up, flying on Pegasus. Perseus approaches the Kraken, but the monster knocks him off his mount, spilling them both into the ocean. Bubo retrieves the head and delivers it to Perseus, who frees the head, turning the Kraken into stone which collapses into the bay. The task completed, Perseus throws the severed head into the ocean and frees Andromeda. Pegasus emerges from the sea to the crowd's delight. The gods discuss the outcome of the adventure: Perseus and Andromeda will live happily, rule wisely and produce good children. Zeus forbids the other gods to pursue any vengeance against them. In addition, the likenesses of Perseus, Andromeda, Pegasus and Cassiopeia are set among the stars as constellations to forever remind mankind of the values of heroism and bravery.

In Whitby, England in 1913, Count Dracula (Frank Langella) arrives from Transylvania through the sailing ship Demeter one stormy night. Sickly Mina Van Helsing (Jan Francis), who is visiting her dear friend Lucy Seward (Kate Nelligan), discovers Dracula's body after his ship has run aground. The Count visits Mina and her friends at the household of Lucy's father, Dr. Jack Seward (Donald Pleasance), whose clifftop mansion also serves as the local asylum. At dinner, he proves to be a charming guest and leaves a strong impression on the hosts, especially Lucy. Less charmed by this handsome Romanian count is Jonathan Harker (Trevor Eve), Lucy's fiance. Later that night, while Lucy and Jonathan are having a secret rendezvous, Dracula reveals his true nature as he descends upon Mina to drink her blood. The following morning, Lucy suddenly finds Mina awake in bed, struggling for breath. Powerless, she watches her dear friend die, only to finds severe wounds on her throat. Lucy blames herself for Mina's untimely death, as she had leave her alone while she remained bedridden. At a loss for the cause of death, Dr. Seward calls for Mina's father, Professor Abraham Van Helsing (Lord Laurence Olivier), who suspects what may have killed his daughter: a vampire. Moreover, he begins to worry about what fate his seemingly dead daughter may now have since her encounter with the creature. Seward and Van Helsing investigate their suspicions and discover a roughly clawed opening within Mina's coffin which lead to the local mines. It is there that they encounter the ghastly form of an undead Mina and it is up to the distraught Van Helsing to destroy what remains of her daughter. Meanwhile, Lucy has been summoned to Carfax Abbey, Count Dracula's new home, and she soon reveals herself to be in love with this foreign prince and openly offer herself as his bride. After a surreal wedding night sequence, like Mina before her, Lucy is now deadly infected by Dracula's blood. However, the two doctors manage to give Lucy a blood transfusion to help prevent her vampirism, but nothing can prevent the inevitable now. Now assisted by Jonathan, the elderly doctors realize that the only way to defeat Dracula (and save Lucy) is by destroying him. They manage to locate his coffin within the grounds of Carfax Abbey, but the vampire is waiting for them. Despite this being daylight, Count Dracula is still a very powerful adversary. Dracula escapes their attempts to kill him and bursts into the asylum to free the captive Lucy. While there, he scolds his slave, Milo Renfield (Tony Haygarth), for warning the others about him. Renfield apologizes and pleads for his life, but Dracula kills him by breaking his neck. Dracula now makes preparations for him and Lucy to return to Transylvania. Harker and Van Helsing manage to get onboard a ship carrying Dracula and Lucy cargo bound for Romania. Below decks, Harker and Van Helsing find Dracula and Lucy sleeping together in the coffin. Van Helsing attempts to stake Dracula, but Lucy protests, waking Dracula. In the struggle, Van Helsing is fatally wounded by Dracula as he is impaled with the stake intended for the vampire. Dracula now turns his attention to Harker. Van Helsing uses his remaining strength to throw a hook attached to a rope, tied to the ship's rigging, into Dracula's back. Harker seizes his chance and hoists up the count through the cargo hold to the top of the ship's rigging, where he dies a painful death when the solar rays burn his body. Van Helsing dies from his deadly wounds. Lucy is now apparently herself again, and Harker comforts her. Lucy smiles as she notices Dracula's cape blow away into the horizon, hinting Dracula may have survived.

Thomas "Babe" Levy (Dustin Hoffman) is a history Ph.D. candidate and avid marathon runner researching the same field as his father, who committed suicide after being investigated in the Communist witch hunts of the Joseph McCarthy era. Babe's brother, Henry James Levy (Roy Scheider), known only as "Doc", poses as an oil company executive but in fact is a U.S. government agent working for a secret agency headed up by Director Peter Janeway (William Devane). Babe is not aware of his brother's true occupation. Doc is often supposedly out of the country on business for extended periods of time, but comes to New York under the guise of a visit to Babe. The brother of a Nazi war criminal possesses a safety deposit box key, but is killed in a traffic accident (after a road rage altercation with a short tempered middle-aged Jewish American motorist). Doc suspects that the criminal, Dr. Christian Szell (Laurence Olivier) will be arriving to retrieve an extremely valuable diamond collection. Szell later sends a burly assassin named Chen (James Wing Woo) to kill Doc in his Paris hotel room, but Doc fights the hit man and breaks his back. Babe enters into a relationship with a young woman named Elsa Opel (Marthe Keller), who claims to be from Switzerland. One night while out on a date Elsa and Babe are mugged in a park by two men dressed in suits. Some time later, Doc takes the couple to lunch, where he tricks Elsa into revealing that she has been lying to Babe about her background. Though Doc suspects she may have some connection to Szell, he tells Babe only that she is seeking an American husband so that she can become a U.S. citizen. After Szell arrives in America, Doc meets him to tell the former Nazi he is not welcome in the country, and also to warn Szell to stay away from Babe. Szell casually accepts the pronouncement, but then swiftly knifes Doc, wounding him severely. Doc is able to make it back to his brother's apartment, but collapses and dies in Babe's arms without telling him anything. The police interrogate Babe for hours, until government agents led by Peter Janeway arrive. Janeway asks Babe what Doc told him before he died, and informs Babe of his brother's career as a U.S. government agent. Babe insists that his brother did not tell him anything, but Janeway feels that Doc struggled all the way to Babe's apartment to give him vital information of some kind. Babe is later abducted from his apartment by Szell's henchmen, Karl and Erhardt (the two men from the park). In an infamous sequence, Babe is tortured by Szell, a skilled dentist, who repeatedly asks "Is it safe?" Confused by the question code phrase he does not understand, Babe denies any knowledge, but is tortured. The dentist offers him oil of cloves, an anesthetic, as positive inducement to cooperate. Eventually, Babe loses consciousness and Szell pauses his torture. Babe is then rescued by Janeway, who apparently kills Szell's bodyguards and takes Babe from Szell's hideout. As he drives, Janeway explains that Szell is in America to sell off his large cache of diamonds, which he had taken from Jews he had exterminated at Auschwitz during World War II. Janeway continually presses Babe about Doc's dying words, but Babe again insists he knows nothing. Frustrated, Janeway reveals himself as a double agent working with the Nazi criminal all along, and he turns Babe over to Karl and Erhardt (Janeway had only faked killing them). As it turns out, Szell is one of Janeway's highest level informants, and had informed on other Nazi war criminals in return for immunity. Delivered back into Szell's hands, the Nazi criminal has a curiously kindly conversation with Babe before calmly explaining why he is holding Babe for questioning. Szell suspected that Doc would attempt to rob him of his diamonds, or rat on him to authorities; thus his desire to know if it's "safe" to withdraw the diamonds, i.e., whether Doc told Babe any incriminating information. Still unable to extract anything from Babe, he proceeds to drill into one of Babe's healthy teeth. Babe eventually escapes again, this time on his own, with Janeway and Szell's two henchmen giving chase in a car. Though exhausted and barefoot, he is able to outrun his pursuers in part by remembering famous "marathon man" Abebe Bikila, who ran barefoot. After inviting a neighborhood acquaintance and his toughs to break into his apartment and steal his pistol (the same pistol his father used to commit suicide), Babe phones Elsa, who agrees to meet him with a car. She drives him to a country home as a hideout. Babe guesses that she has set him up; she confesses that Szell's dead brother owned the home, and that she was one of Szell's couriers. Janeway and Szell's men arrive, but Babe avoids an ambush by taking Elsa hostage. In another twist, Janeway kills Szell's men and offers to let Babe kill Szell in revenge for Doc's death if Janeway can have the diamonds. Babe agrees, but as he leaves to find Szell, Janeway attempts to shoot Babe, but kills Elsa instead when she tries to alert Babe. Angered, Babe guns down Janeway. Back in New York, Szell attempts to determine the value of his diamonds. However, he chooses an appraiser in the Diamond District in midtown Manhattan, where many of the shop owners are Jewish. A shop assistant who is also an Auschwitz survivor believes he has recognized Szell as a wanted Nazi criminal. After Szell hurriedly leaves the shop, an elderly Jewish woman also recognizes him, but passersby think she is senile. Trying to cross the street to get closer to Szell in order to expose him she is hit by a taxicab, causing a crowd to assemble to assist her. Amidst the confusion, the shop assistant appears again, directly confronting Szell. Becoming increasingly paranoid, Szell slits the man's throat with a retractable blade concealed in his sleeve. Szell retrieves his diamonds from the bank, but is taken hostage by Babe as he attempts to leave, who inconspicuously forces him into Central Park and into one of the pump rooms at the south end of the Reservoir. Babe holds Szell at gunpoint on a scaffold and seizes the diamonds; rather than kill Szell, Babe informs him that he will allow Szell to live and keep as many diamonds as he can swallow. Szell initially refuses, prompting Babe to begin throwing the diamonds into the water below them. Szell relents and swallows one diamond, but then refuses to cooperate further. Szell goes on to insult Babe, and after he spits in Babe's face, a fight erupts in which Szell tries to stab Babe. Babe throws the remainder of the diamonds down the scaffold steps towards the water; Szell dives for them, but stumbles, and fatally falls on his own knife blade. Picking up his gun, Babe exits the pump room and heads out into Central Park. Stopping by the Reservoir, he throws the gun into the water.

The film opens during the Battle of France in May 1940, with RAF pilots evacuating a small airfield in advance of the German Blitzkrieg. The pilots, along with British and French military, leave just as German aircraft arrive and execute a heavy strafing attack. RAF Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding (Laurence Olivier), realizing that an imminent invasion of Great Britain will require every available aircraft and airman to counter it, stops additional aircraft being deployed to France so that they are available to defend Britain. The camera looks over of the deserted beaches of Dunkirk while the BBC relays British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's declaration that "what General Weygand called the battle of France is over, the Battle of Britain is about to begin". Albert Kesselring arrives to inspect a large German airfield in captured France. Hundreds of Heinkel bomber aircraft are stationed under his command. Luftwaffe commanders are stunned when the Fuhrer informs them that the British are not their "natural enemy" and delays their attack while attempting a diplomatic settlement. In neutral Switzerland, the German ambassador (Curt Jürgens) officially proposes new peace terms to his British counterpart (Ralph Richardson), stating that continuing to fight the "masters" of Europe is hopeless. The Briton replies that his country will fight on. In England, commanders celebrate their good fortune, using the delay to build up their strength and continually train their pilots and ground controllers. The wait finally ends when Luftwaffe pilots receive orders to move to the front, where troops are preparing for a sea-borne invasion. The campaign begins with the Luftwaffe launching an early morning assault on "Eagle Day". The plan is to destroy the RAF on the ground before they have time to launch their Spitfire and Hurricane fighters. The Luftwaffe is aware of the British radar installations, and plan to attack them with their Stuka dive bombers. The fighter pilots question this, wondering if it is better if the British are warned by radar and come up to fight, where they can be shot down. Eagle Day proves highly successful, knocking two radar stations out of action and heavily bombing a number of the British airfields. British losses are relatively light, but the RAF is in the process of building its strength, and many of the pilots who lack combat experience are shot down. The airfields are heavily damaged, with many aircraft destroyed on the ground, and their ability to repair and rearm seriously affected. Adding to the RAF's problems is a battle between the commanding officers of 11 Group, Keith Park (Trevor Howard), and 12 Group, Trafford Leigh-Mallory (Patrick Wymark). 12 Group is tasked with protecting 11 Group's airfields while 11 Group meets the enemy, but in raid after raid 12 Group aircraft are nowhere to be seen. Called to meet Dowding, Leigh-Mallory explains that the "Big Wing" tactic takes time for form up, while Park complains that the tactic simply isn't working. Dowding ends the debate by pointing out it makes little difference; the problem is not the tactics but a critical shortage of pilots. Dowding wearily remarks, "We're fighting for survival, and losing". The turning point occurs when a squadron of German bombers becomes lost in bad weather at night and drops bombs on London. In retaliation, the RAF launches an attack on Berlin. Though the damage is negligible, Adolf Hitler is enraged, and publicly orders London to be razed. Hermann Goring (Hein Riess) arrives in France to personally lead the attack, confident that the end of the battle nears. Their first attack skirts the RAF, who are still defending their airfields to the south, and they bomb unopposed. Nighttime attacks follow, and London burns. Meanwhile, to supplement Commonwealth forces, the RAF has been forming units of foreign pilots who have escaped German-occupied countries; the main difficulty is their lack of English-language skills. While on a training flight, a Free Polish squadron accidentally runs into a flight of German bombers without escort. Ignoring the commands of their British training officer, they peel off one by one and shoot down several of the bombers. Park rewards them by elevating them to operational status, leading Dowding to do the same for the Canadian and Czech squadrons as well. While discussing the day's events, Park and Dowding examine the German switch to London. Given a respite, Park notes that he will be able repair his airfields and bring his squadrons back to full strength. Dowding adds that 12 Group units north of London are now all within range, while enemy fighters are at the extreme edge of their own range. He concludes that "turning on London could be the German's biggest blunder." The next German daytime raid is met by a massive response; watching his formations build up in 11 Group's operations room, Wing Commander Willoughby (Robert Flemyng) wryly states "this should give them something to think about." RAF fighters are arranged into large groups and attack with all force, overwhelming the Germans and breaking up their raid. Goring is incensed, ordering his fighters remain with the bombers, an order the pilots hate. Losses continue to mount on both sides. The climactic air battle of 15 September 1940 arrives, with Winston Churchill in attendance at 11 Group's operations room. In the underground bunker, British ground control personnel order every squadron into the air to meet the massive attack. Intense combat over the London sky follows, with both sides taking heavy losses. The outcome is so confused that Dowding refuses to pass comment on the events. The next day the RAF anxiously await a raid that never comes. Two German anti-aircraft gunners, who had earlier protected a French port teeming with Kriegsmarine vessels and landing barges, now observe a deserted harbor basin. Goring leaves the front, accusing his commanders of betrayal. As the campaign draws to a close, the words of Winston Churchill appear onscreen: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.

In the Sudan, in 1884 to 1885, Egyptian forces led by British General Charles "Chinese" Gordon (Charlton Heston) defend Khartoum against an invading Muslim Army led by a religious fanatic, Mohammed Ahmed el Mahdi (Sir Laurence Olivier). After an Egyptian Army, commanded by British officers, is destroyed in a battle in the Sudan in the 1880s, the British government is in a quandary. It does not want to commit a British military force to a foreign war, but they have a commitment to protect the Egyptians in Khartoum. They decide to ask General Charles "Chinese" Gordon (Charlton Heston), something of a folk hero in the Sudan, as he had cleared the area of the slave trade, to arrange for the evacuation. Gordon agrees, but also decides to defend the city against the forces of Mohammed Ahmed el Mahdi (Sir Laurence Olivier), "The Expected One", and tries to force the British to commit troops.

Young ANN LAKE has just moved to England from America with her successful but controlling brother STEPHEN. The two are extremely close, with Stephen doting upon Ann. In a hurry the day she enrolls her child, BUNNY, in a private school, Ann leaves her in the First Day room and asks the school's female German COOK to watch her and then runs off to meet the movers and do errands. At noon, Ann returns to the school to pick up Bunny. To her increasing dismay, however, no one at the school seems to know where Bunny is or even who she is. Ann interrogates one of the school's staff, Elvira, who hasn't a clue about the child. When the arrogant Stephen arrives, he badgers Elvira further. Soon, SUPT. NEWHOUSE, an unflappable British police officer, arrives, looking into the matter. He talks with all parties involved, including ADA FORD, one of the school's elderly founders. The eccentric Ada resides in an upstairs room, where she's currently compiling a tome about childhood nightmares. Newhouse continues his investigation, tolerating the threats and barbs from Ann's increasingly accusatory brother, Stephen. But as Newhouse puts together Ann's profile, he begins to doubt her story in subtle ways. After all, since no one saw the child (the Cook has quit and disappeared) he has to wonder if Ann even has a child. Is she delusional, perhaps? The insinuation infuriates Stephen, but he seems to back it up with references to Ann having had an imaginary playmate named Bunny as a child. Ann must now try to find clues that her child really existed. She must also fend off her creepy new landlord, WILSON, an aging Lothario actor who's always drunk and carting about his little dog. The POLICE interrogate him, as well. When Stephen comes across Newhouse talking and drinking with Ann in a pub, he blows up at the officer, threatening and accusing him. As police attempt to locate the Cook, Ann's nightmare intensifies. Desperate for evidence that will prove the existence of her child, she suddenly remembers the claim check for a doll hospital that's repairing Bunny's doll. In spite of the late hour, Ann goes off in a cab after telling Stephen where she's going. In the meantime, Newhouse and his MEN look into the ship travel records that brought Ann and Bunny to England. Ann finds the doll shop, which, although closed, has an unlocked door. She locates the doll. Stephen has followed her, however, and once Ann presents him with the doll and goes off to deal with the Proprietor, Stephen gets a crazed look in his eye and sets the doll afire. Ann is horrified and Stephen strikes her and takes her to a hospital unconscious and leaves her. Ann escapes the hospital and locates Stephen in the remote house they originally temporarily lived in after arriving in England where he has Bunny hidden. Stephen is the kidnapper! Indeed, Stephen is so close to his sister Ann he found Bunny an intrusion in their relationship. Stephen has now lapsed into another identity - a more murderous one and likely an extension of their imaginary selves as children. He's now intent upon killing the child, so as to have sole access to his sister again. Ann gets Bunny away from the demented Stephen by engaging him in a series of children's games. Stephen chases Ann and Bunny, but Newhouse and the Police soon arrive, arresting the demented brother. They finally found the evidence they needed of the child's existence by way of the ship's passenger records.

The slave Spartacus leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic.

A young girl from a provincial town learns the bitter reality of a big city and great love. It's the turn of the century. From small town Missouri, Carrie Meeber has just moved to Chicago expecting to take the city by storm, or at least to do better than her sister Minnie has done before her in Carrie being better educated. She finds that she isn't as wise to the ways of the city largely in having a provincial mentality. She ends up needing the help of others to survive, if not Minnie and her husband Sven, then others showing her any kindness. In having a falling out with her sister and brother-in-law, Carrie somewhat reluctantly accepts the assistance and friendship of traveling salesman Charlie Drouet, who expects to capitalize on Carrie's naivete to get what he wants from her. It isn't until she has committed to Drouet in her need to be respectable that she falls mutually in love with George Hurstwood, the manager of Fitzgerald's, one of the most upscale restaurant/bars in the city. What George does not tell her is that he is already married with grown children, albeit the marriage a cold one to Julia Hurstwood in her only concern being her/their standing in society. This situation is a potential disaster zone for all concerned.