Oliver Reed

Under a new emperor, Maximus, the Roman army`s most capable general, is forced to become a gladiator and fight for the amusement of paying audiences. Will he get his vengeance?

An account of Baron Munchausen's supposed travels and fantastical experiences across late 18th-century Europe with his band of misfits. The fantastic tale of an 18th-century aristocrat, his talented henchmen, and a little girl in their efforts to save a town from defeat by the Turks. Being swallowed by a giant sea-monster, journeying to the moon, dancing with Venus, and escaping from the Grim Reaper are only some of the improbable adventures. —Keith Loh <loh@sfu.ca> In the late 18th century, a European town is under siege of the Turkish army. Meanwhile, the theater company owned by Henry Saltis entertains the dwellers with the production of "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen". Out of the blue, an old man interrupts the presentation claiming that he is Hieronymus Karl Frederick Baron von Munchausen and the tells that he is the one to be blamed by the Turkish attack. The Baron Munchausen tells how he had won a bet against the Sultan with the abilities of his servants Berthold, Adolphus, Albrecht, and Gustavus, and earned his treasure. Further, he offers to help the locals against the Turks and builds a balloon to seek out his missing servants. During his journey, he finds a girl named Sally hidden in the balloon and they travel to the moon, where they meet Roger, the deranged King of the Moon with a detachable head, and his wife, Ariadne, the Queen of the Moon. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Bent on saving a besieged European city from the clutches of a Turkish Sultan and his soldiers, Baron von Munchausen, the incredible aristocrat of fabrication, embarks on an enchanting odyssey to the four corners of the world--and beyond. Accompanied by young stowaway Sally Salt, the dauntless Baron sets off on a dangerous mission to assemble his old team of remarkable gentlemen, only to face regal Selenites; lovelorn deities; the immaculate personification of beauty; and gigantic, deep-sea leviathans. Now the fate of the war-ravaged town rests in the hands of a handful of defenders; however, a persistent, and above all, eternal dark adversary threatens to thwart the Baron's altruistic plans. Can the extraordinary Baron von Munchausen carry out his impossible task? —Nick Riganas During the late 18th century, when Austria is at war with the Turks, an Austrian town is besieged and in the town a local theatrical producer is presenting the story of Baron Munchausen. One night a man appears, claiming to be the actual Baron Munchausen. —grantss

In 1940 New York City, a man known as Kid Colors (Burt Remsen) is tortured and killed as retribution for his role in swindling $500,000 from Doyle Lonnegan (Oliver Reed), a crooked banker from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His lead henchman, Carlos (Jose Perez), spreads the rumor that Brooklyn, New York, nightclub owner and pimp Gus Macalinski (Karl Malden), known as "the Wolf" for his reputation as a womanizer, is responsible for the Kid's killing, while Lonnegan plans the murder of confidence man Jake Hooker. Elsewhere in the city, con artist Jake Hooker (Mac Davis) and his friend, Eddie (Ron Rifkin), attempt to swindle Countess Veronique Le Fleur (Teri Garr) and her companion, Lady Dorsett (Frances Bergen), who turn the tables on them. Jake receives a telegram from his old con artist friend, Fargo Gondorff (Jackie Gleason), inviting him to Florida. After boarding the train, Jake and Eddie raise train fare by stealing off-duty police officer Francis O'Malley's wallet. Meanwhile, Carlos trails the two men and informs Lonnegan of their plans. After arriving in Miami, Florida, Jake and Eddie discover that Fargo is serving a two-year sentence in a federal prison and will be released within a few days. Fargo tells them about Kid Color's murder, placing blame on Gus Macalinski. A few days later, the three men return to New York City and meet with business associates "Handicap," (Larry Hankin) "Big Ohio," (Michael D. Alldredge) "Doc Brown," (John Hancock) and "Tuxedo" in the back room of a Chinese laundry, where they concoct a "sting" to cheat Macalinski out of a fortune. While Fargo establishes headquarters at Golding's gymnasium, Jake purchases boxing equipment at a department store, where he encounters Countess Veronique Le Fleur. Jake accuses her of being a pickpocket and alerts the store manager, who discovers O'Malley's wallet in the countess's handbag, and her coin purse in Jake's pocket. After both are ejected from the store, the countess introduces herself as Veronica Sherman... a con artist herself. Jake is sufficiently impressed with her skills and offers her a job as a member of the team to exploit Macalinski's weakness for the opposite sex. The next day at Golding's Gym, Jake receives his boxing license and his alias, Bobby Florian. He tells Fargo about Veronica, sheepishly revealing that she "reverse conned" him two weeks earlier. At Fargo's urging, Veronica admits to her real surname, Crinklaw. The next evening, she enters Macalinski's Ocean Club and draws the owner to her table. Fargo appears within seconds and introduces himself as Trevor Plantagenet. Veronica, who calls herself Elizabeth Windsor, pretends to be enamored with Fargo. He opens a bottle of champagne and the spray removes Macalinski's toupee. Attempting to overcome his humiliation, Macalinski challenges Fargo to a game of pool, then to a game of Three Card Monte. Fargo wins both, and Macalinski leaves the club in a fit of anger. Outside, Jake tells Macalinski he has information on "Trevor Plantagenet." Macalinski invites Jake, posing as "Bobby," to join him for a roller coaster ride. As the coaster speeds along the track, Jake explains that Fargo is his manager, and wants him to intentionally lose his upcoming fight against boxer Chico Torres. Jake intends to win the fight, and asks Macalinski for protection against a reprisal from Fargo in exchange for half of the $6,000 prize. After Macalinski promises to consider the offer, Jake encounters O'Malley. He eludes the officer and takes refuge in the Chinese laundry, where Fargo and his team are waiting for him. Fargo assures Jake that Macalinski will accept the offer, and advises him stay in hiding to avoid O'Malley. When Carlos updates Lonnegan on Jake's activities, the banker happily anticipates the murder of his adversaries by Macalinski. Meanwhile, Jake trains with Big Ohio, but shows little promise. However, when Macalinski visits the gym, they stage a sparring match and Jake knocks Big Ohio out of the ring. That evening, Jake informs Macalinski that Fargo is betting on Torres, and has arranged with bookmaker Tuxedo to increase the odds of Jake winning to attract more bets. Though Macalinski is intrigued, he refuses to commit until he sees Jake fight a professional boxer, which he arranges for the following day at the 8th Street Gymnasium. Jake leaves the meeting and evades O'Malley a second time. Carlos intercepts the policeman and takes him to see Lonnegan, who pays O'Malley to leave Jake alone until the sting is completed. After learning of Jake's dilemma, Fargo devises a plan to evacuate the gym, staff it with his own people, and drug Jake's competitor. When Jake wins, Macalinski agrees to protect him, and places a $400,000 bet with Tuxedo. Jake returns to Golding's and has a romantic interlude with Veronica. Confident of a victory by Torres, Lonnegan bets $1 million with a bookmaker named King Rafferty. Lonnegan directs O'Malley to the Chinese laundry, where he is expected to kill Jake and Fargo if Macalinski fails. The banker also introduces O'Malley to his informant, Samantha Scanlon, alias Veronica Crinklaw. On the night of the boxing match, Fargo instructs Jake to feign defeat in the sixth round, although Jake doubts he will last that long. While the fight is underway, Lonnegan informs Macalinski that Torres is the predetermined winner. On their boss's instructions, Macalinski's thugs reassign the bet to Torres and bring Tuxedo to the stadium at gunpoint. Believing their friend's life is in danger, Fargo instructs Jake to knock out Torres in the sixth round. Jake wins, despite his self-doubt, and is equally puzzled by Veronica's sudden absence. Fearing revenge from Macalinski, Lonnegan and Carlos run from the stadium, only to be ambushed in their car. O'Malley leads a police raid on the Chinese laundry and is greeted by a messenger, who delivers a bouquet of flowers and a derisive message from Fargo. On their way to the train station, Fargo explains that he hired Veronica to infiltrate Lonnegan's gang several months earlier. King Rafferty and Torres are also members of the organization. Fargo and his team board a westbound train, but Jake waits on the platform, hoping for Veronica's arrival. Moments after leaving the station, the train stops and Veronica disembarks. She tells Jake that she will be taking care of him from now on, as instructed by her father, Fargo.

A cattle baron with a long-range rifle hunts the outlaw who kidnapped his wife. Rich, ruthless rancher Brandt Ruger keeps his beautiful young wife Melissa like a part of his property, subdued to his will. But one day she's kidnapped by the famous outlaw Frank Calder--just to teach him reading, so he tells her. Calder doesn't know or care whose wife she is. He takes care of her well, and eventually she falls in love with him. But Ruger feels humiliated. Full of hate, he sets out to kill him--and Melissa too, if necessary. Together with his friends and the newest technology in guns, which carry 800 yards, he initiates a battle on Calder and his gang. —Tom Zoerner <Tom.Zoerner@informatik.uni-erlangen.de> Eager to test his brand-new, very expensive long-range rifles, affluent and sadistic cattle mogul Brandt Ruger, leaves for an exciting hunting trip with a team of hand-picked rich friends. Meanwhile, illiterate hardened outlaw Frank Calder and his marauding gang of cut-throats mistake Ruger's wife Melissa for the town's schoolteacher and abduct her, unaware that nobody steals from the powerful rancher. Ruger sets off after them, knowing that he can take down Calder's men one by one. With such formidable weapons, swift and invisible death comes from afar. Who will live and who will die? —Nick Riganas

In London in the early 1900s reporter Sonya Winter (Diana Rigg) is researching the possibility of assassins using newspaper articles that serve as signals to high-profile murders that have been occurring. Winter shocked to find that businessman Ivan Dragomiloff (Oliver Reed) runs an assassination bureau, an organization that, for a price, will kill anyone in the world, but mostly certain high-profile transgressors. Sonya is a staunch supporter of womans rights and as a way of making a political statement that she can report in her newspaper, she offers to pay Ivan an enormous amount of money if he will have his bureau kill him. Ivan readily agrees thinking that the stunt will be good public relations and a boost to his business. But Lord Bostwick (Telly Savalas) wants control of the business Ivan has established and attempts to make sure that the contract is fulfilled and Ivan taken out of the way. As Winter follows Dragomiloff to report on his eventual demise, they fall in love and she finds herself reversing her feelings about his bureau, but it may be too late to avoid the onslaught of assassins.

The film opens sometime around the 'New Poor Law' of 1837. Thin, young, barefooted boys are in a workhouse. The governors of the workhouse, including Mr Bumble (Harry Secombe) enter. Mrs Bumble(Peggy Mount) rings a bell, summoning the boys to mealtime. They are served a small bowl of gruel, while singing about how they wished they had more food (Food, Glorious Food!). Afterwards, some of the boys draw straws, with a small boy drawing the longest. He walks to the front, with the glaring look of Mr and Mrs Bumble towering over him and utters 'Please Sir, I want some more.' Mr Bumble is outraged and sings of the boy (Oliver!), named Oliver Twist (Mark Lester) . He takes Oliver to the governors, and they order him to be thrown out. Mr Bumble and Oliver, dressed in dirty rags wander the streets searching for someone to buy the boy (Boy For Sale). They meet an undertaker, Mr Sowerberry (Leonard Rossiter) who buys Oliver and sets him to work as a coffin follower. After a few days, Oliver attacks Noah, a fellow apprentice of the undertaker after he insults Oliver's biological mother and is thrown in the cellar as punishment. After singing of his mother's love (Where Is Love?) he escapes from the cellar and after climbing onto a passing carriage, makes his way to London. Oliver makes it to London, and meets a boy who introduces himself as Jack Dawkins, better known as the 'Artful Dodger' (Jack Wild). He tells Oliver he knows of an old gentleman who can give him lodgings for nothing (Consider Yourself) and takes Oliver to him. Fagin (Ron Moody) tells him of what they do, which is pickpocket rich gentlemen of their kerchiefs and wallets (You've Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two). That night, while the boys are sleeping, Fagin makes his way to the local bar, where he meets Bill Sikes (Oliver Reed) to exchange valuables that Sikes 'acquired'. Nancy (Shani Wallis), Sikes' lover who works at the bar sings of her life and her love for Sikes (It's A Fine Life).

Simon and Eleanor Ashby are at church, along with their Aunt Harriet, for a service commemorating the death of their parents in a plane crash. Also mentioned is their brother Tony, who disappeared soon after and was believed to have committed suicide. Eleanor is a frail young woman who never recovered from Tony's death. At Simon's insistence, she has a nurse companion to attend her. Unknown to the family, Francoise is Simon's mistress. Eleanor suddenly spots a young man outside and runs to find him. She insists the man is Tony but no one believes her. Later that day, she spots him in the garden. Again he escapes before she can confront him. Convinced that she is going insane, she goes to the cliffs and prepares to jump into the ocean. She is rescued by the young man, who carries her to the house. The butler recognizes the man as Tony Ashby. The young man turns up at the office of John Kossett, the family solicitor. He claims to be Tony Ashby, revealing that he did not commit suicide but ran away. He has traveled all over the world but now wishes to return to the family and claim his inheritance. Unfortunately, Simon is due to inherit everything in a few weeks. Tony's reappearance will ruin everything. Simon becomes even more drunk and obnoxious. While Eleanor is delighted to have her brother back, Aunt Harriet and Simon are hostile. They do not believe the man is Tony. He is summoned to the house and put through the ringer, but answers every question correctly. Later, Tony meets the solicitor's son Keith for a drink. Keith hired him to pose as Tony to prevent an audit of the estate, which would reveal Keith's embezzlement. The impostor's real name is not revealed but he bears a startling resemblance to Tony. Keith gave him a compete family history, adding events that only the real Tony would know. Tony awakes one night to the faint sounds of a choirboy singing, to an organ accompaniment. He follows the music to the ruined chapel attached to the house. Eleanor joins him, explaining that she has heard the singing too but though she was imagining things. They manage to look inside. Someone wearing a choir robe and a garish mask is standing next to a phonograph, which is playing a record of a child singing. Simon is playing the same song on the organ. Tony and Eleanor don't know what to make of this. Suddenly the door opens and Tony is attacked by the robed figure. Despite a slashed arm he manages to overpower the figure. It is Aunt Harriet. Upstairs, Aunt Harriet explains that Simon has been tormented ever since his brother's presumed suicide. Having her impersonate Tony, while playing a song that Tony sang as a child, is the only way he can get any peace. Eleanor and Tony are shocked. Aunt Harriet turns on Tony, asking why he bothered to come back. Simon continues to drink, running up huge liquor bills. One night Tony is forced to bring him home from the local pub, where he has passed. out. It is obvious that Simon hates him and even accuses him of being an impostor. Eleanor confesses that she is now afraid of Simon. While Eleanor and Tony are on a picnic, the brakes of her car fail and she is nearly killed. Once again Tony saves her life. They are forced to take a taxi home. When Simon sees them arrive from Francoise's window, he is furious. It was he who cut the brake line, hoping they would both die. Francoise is aware of this and threatens to tell the police unless Simon marries her. That night she decides to leave, but Simon catches her in the grounds. He forces her head into a nearby pond and she drowns. Eleanor begins to realize she is in love with Tony. After they kiss, she runs to her room and locks herself in, intending to cut her wrists. If she is in love with her own brother, she must be insane. Tony breaks down the door and stops her, revealing that he isn't her brother. He asks her if she will leave with him and she agrees. But Simon overpowers Tony and knocks him out. When he comes to, he is tied to a chair in the ruined chapel. Simon is the one who is insane. After getting Tony to write a fake suicide note sometime earlier, he put the note and Tony's clothing on the cliffs. In the impostor's attempts to free himself, he knocks over a lantern and fire breaks out. Simon screams and begins tearing off the paneling next to the organ console. A skeleton wearing a choir robe is revealed. It is the real Tony Ashby, who was killed by Simon. Eleanor arrives and frees the impostor. They are unable to rescue Simon, who goes to his death clutching his brother's skeleton.

In Spain a cruel and arrogant Marques is wedding a young and beautiful maiden. During the elaborate celebration a beggar appears. After making fun of him, the marques gives the beggar some food and then has him thrown in the dungeon. The beggar becomes friends with the jailer and his young daughter. After the jailer dies, the mute girl of his grows up to be a beautiful and voluptuous woman. The marques, now an old and bitter widower, makes sexual advances toward her and she bites him and runs off. He then finds out who she is and has her thrown into the dungeon until she changes her mind about his advances. The beggar, old and deranged, rapes her. She is let out and the marques pulls his old tricks again until she stabs him to death. The young mute flees and hides in the forest until found by the kindly Don Alfredo. He and his wife take care of her until she has the beggar's baby. Unfortunately, her baby is born on Christmas, which carries awful curse that takes her life and causes her baby son to wear the mark of the beast. Years later, the young boy, still being raised by the couple, escapes their home and disappears during the night. On these nights, livestock is found slaughtered by a powerful beast. The couple finds out that it is Leon, their adopted son. A local priest reveals then that he is a werewolf and that only love can calm the savage beast. The couple heeds the priest's advice and love keeps the beast at bay. When Leon becomes a man and moves away for work, he falls for a young lady. His bestial nature takes over and he returns to his murderous ways, killing his friends. As the death toll rises, the other prophecy of the priest comes true. "Whatever weakens the spirit will strengthen the wolf." Finally, the hunter becomes the hunted, and Leon, the werewolf is killed by his own father.