Richardson, Tony

The Charge of the Light Brigade

This satirical account of wartime Victorian England elicits brilliant performances by John Gielgud and Vanessa Redgrave in a tale of the contrasts between aristocracy and the squalor of the lower classes.System Requirements:Running Time: 131 Min. This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 2002 MGM Studios.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: PG-13 UPC: 027616875761 Manufacturer No: 1003427

Tony Richardson's film about the colossal Crimean War blunder combines his sociopolitical anger with the splendors of a David Lean epic for a fascinating artifact of that boiling-point protest year, 1968. Like America's contemporaneous Vietnam War, Britain's mid-19th-century conflict with Russia in defense of Turkey made less sense the deeper they sank into it; John Gielgud's Lord Raglan keeps referring absentmindedly to the enemy as "the French"! Aside from a peripheral romantic triangle involving apparently the single sane officer in Her Majesty's army (David Hemmings), his friend (Mark Burns), and the friend's wife (Vanessa Redgrave--Mrs. Richardson), the film is really about the profoundly jingoistic Victorian imagination; transitional animation sequences by Richard Williams seem to plunge us directly into the British national psyche. Somewhat muddled as drama, but irresistibly persuasive in its historical detail and stunning camerawork (David Watkin, Chariots of Fire), The Charge of the Light Brigade is a prime candidate for rediscovery. --Richard T. Jameson

The Loved One

The funeral business gets a giant raspberry in this wickedly wacky resplendently ridiculous farce based on Evelyn Waugh's macabre comic masterpiece and directed with inspired verve by Tony Richardson (Tom Jones). But the American way of death isn't the film's only target: sex greed religion and mother love are also in the crosshairs of its satirical shots. Robert Morse plays a bemused would-be poet who gets entangled with an unctuous cemetery entrepreneur (Jonathan Winters) a mom-obsessed mortician (Rod Steiger) and other bizarre characters played by such adept farceurs as John Gielgud Robert Morley Tab Hunter Milton Berle James Coburn and Liberace. If The Loved One doesn't make you laugh call the undertaker!Running Time: 121 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 012569678224 Manufacturer No: 67822

In olden days, as Cole Porter famously observed, a mere glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking. So it's heartening to report that this 1965 black comedy still delivers on its billing as "the motion picture with something to offend everyone." Tony Richardson, fresh off the liberating Tom Jones, brings Evelyn Waugh's self-described "little nightmare" to the screen with all its sacrilegious shocks (and then some!) intact, courtesy of screenwriters Terry Southern (Dr. Strangelove) and Christopher Isherwood. Robert Morse stars as Dennis Barlow, an Englishman abroad and a fish out of water in Southern California. Stumbling across the Hollywood landscape like a cross between Candide and Jerry Lewis. Barlow gets a unique perspective of the American experience when he finds employment at the Happier Hunting Ground, a ramshackle pet cemetery, and the flipside of the fabulously vulgar Whispering Glades. In a virtuoso dual role, Jonathan Winters costars as glad-handing Happier Hunting Grounds proprietor Harry, whose brother, Whispering Glades' Blessed Reverend, has some out-of-this-world plans for the "Loved Ones." The mad, mad, mad mad cast also includes John Gielgud as Dennis's ill-fated expatriate uncle, an artist unceremoniously booted from the movie studio where he has worked for 31 years; Anjanette Comer as Aimee, a Whispering Glades cosmetician torn between Dennis and embalmer Mr. Joyboy (an unforgettable Rod Steiger), who registers his broken heart on the faces of his corpses; a teenage Paul Williams as a science prodigy; Liberace as a funeral salesman peddling eternal flames both "perpetual or standard"; Milton Berle and Margaret Leighton as "a typical well-adjusted American couple" whose deceased dog puts a crimp in their dinner plans; and even Jamie Farr, seen fleetingly as a waiter. The Loved One anticipates the "New Hollywood" with its naturalistic cinematography by Haskell Wexler (Medium Cool) and "anything goes" sensibility (the dinner scene with Joyboy and his obese mother would not be out of place in a John Waters movie). By turns creepy and grotesquely funny, The Loved One will bury you. --Donald Liebenson

The Border

This is one of Jack Nicholson's most underrated performances and director Tony Richardson's most overlooked films. Nicholson is a member of the U.S. Border Patrol who moves with his materialistic wife (Valerie Perrine) to a small Texas town. There, his new colleagues try to pull him into the web of corruption that runs through the local department and he's tempted, because the illicit cash will help pay the bills that his charge-happy wife is running up. But his conscience gets the better of him when he gets involved in a case of a young Mexican woman whose baby is stolen to be sold for adoption. Nicholson simmers, stews, and eventually explodes. The superior cast includes Perrine, Harvey Keitel, and Warren Oates. --Marshall Fine

Tom Jones

Winner of four Academy Awards including best picture, director, screenplay, and music, this 1963 adaptation of Henry Fielding's classic novel is a rousing, bawdy comedy about a young man's ribald adventures in 18th-century England. Albert Finney is splendidly hilarious in the title role of a charming womanizer who was discovered as an abandoned infant in the bed of Squire Allworthy, a wealthy landowner who named the child Tom Jones and raised him as his own. As a young man, Tom yearns for the comely daughter (Susannah York) of a neighboring squire, but his amorous adventures (including an extended food orgy that becomes the film's funniest scene) lead him to London and to a duel with a jealous husband. He's sentenced to hang, but fate intervenes. A hit around the world, the film was expertly written by noted playwright John Osborne, and director Tony Richardson uses a variety of old-style movie techniques to heighten the lusty, good-natured fun. Don't miss this one! --Jeff Shannon

The American Film Theater Complete 14 Film Collection (The Iceman Cometh / A Delicate Balance / The Man in the Glass Booth / Butley / Luther / Rhinoceros ... / The Maids / Jacques Brel) (15 D)

All these DVDs are presented in their original aspect ration and are loaded with Extras - This star-studded 14 FIlm Collection Includes the Following Films:

Eugene O'Neill's THE ICEMAN COMETH (1973) (2 DISCS) - Directed by John Frankenheimer - Starring Lee Marvin, Fredric March, Robert Ryan and Jeff Bridges. 239 minutes - A Majestic and Thrilling Achievement -- Charles Champlin, The Los Angeles Times

Edward Albee's A DELICATE BALANCE (1973) - Directed by Tony Richardson - Starring Katharine Hepburn, Paul Scofield, Lee Remick and Joseph Cotten. 132 minutes - A Superlative Record of Albee's Play, Enthrallingly Brought to the Screen -- San Francisco Examiner

Robert Shaw's THE MAN IN THE GLASS BOOTH (1975) - Directed by Arthur Hiller - Starring Maximilian Schell in His Academy Award nominated Performance. 117 minutes - Daring, Outragious, Utterly Provocative, Strikingly Effective -- Los Angeles Times

Eugene Ionesco's RHINOCEROS (1974) - Directed by Tom O'Horgan - Starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, the stars of Mel Brooks' The Producers. With Karen Black. 104 minutes - Rhinoceros is a Fast Paced, Inventively Realized Film -- The Boston Phoenix

Simon Gray's BUTLEY (1974) - Directed by Harold Pinter - Starring Alan Bates, Jessica Tandy and Georgina Hale. 104 minutes - An Extraordinary Success... A devilishly entertaining piece and showpiece for Alan Bates -- San Francisco Examiner

Jean Genet's THE MAIDS (1975) - Directed by Christopher Miles - Starring Glenda Jackson, Susannah York and Vivien Merchant. 94 minutes

John Osborne's LUTHER (1974) - Directed Guy Green - Starring Stacy Keach, Judi Dench, Hugh Griffith and Patrick Magee. 111 minutes - One of the Best Pictures of the Year -- The Denver Post

David Storey's IN CELEBRATION (1975) - Directed by Lindsay Anderson - Starring Alan Bates, Brian Cox, Bill Owen and Constance Chapman. 130 minutes - Anderson and a superb cast have made a harrowing and satisfying suspense drama -- New York Magazine

Anton Chekhov's THREE SISTERS (1970) - Directed by Laurence Olivier - Starring Laurence Olivier, Alan Bates, Joan Plowright and Derek Jacobi. 162 minutes - Four Stars... Highest Rating - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Harold Pinter's THE HOMECOMING (1973) - Directed by Peter Hall - Starring Ian Holm, Vivien Merchant, Paul Rogers and Cyril Cusack. 114 minutes - A Fine, Ferocious Film -- Time Magazine

Bertolt Brecht's GALILEO (1974) - Directed by Joseph Losey - Starring Topol, Edward Fox, John Gielgud and Tom Conti. 138 minutes - Taste, Class and a First-rate Cast -- Variety

Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson's LOST IN THE STARS (1974) - Directed by Daniel Mann - Starring Brock Peters, Melba Moore and Raymond St. Jacques. 97 minutes - Brock Peters is Outstanding... his ending scene is a triumph -- Atlanta Journal Constitution

Brian Friel's PHILADELPHIA, HERE I COME! (1975) - Directed by John Quested - Starring Siobhan McKenna, Donal McCann and Fidelma Murphy. 95 minutes

Jacques Brel's JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN PARIS (1975) - Directed by Denis Heroux - Starring Jacques Brel and Elly Stone. 97 minutes - Infected With Spirit... Bitingly Relevant -- Variety

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

A bleak, but powerful 1960 British film that ranks as one of the most important United Kingdom imports of the decade. Director Tony Richardson (Tom Jones) tells the story of a rebellious social misfit and petty thief played by Tom Courtenay (The Dresser) who is picked to run on the track team at a reform school for boys. He finds he must balance his spirit and desire to win with his anger and frustration at the life he has led. At times a wrenching character study with no easy answers, Courtenay's performance is a touching portrait of a young man and the journey he takes as he tries to run not only for an unclear future, but from a past he cannot forget. A film indicative of the working class expressionism that came out of England in the early 1960s, Richardson's films stands alone as a downbeat, but insightful story of one man's struggle to determine who he is. --Robert Lane

A young rebel is chosen to represent his reform school in a track race.Running Time: 104 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 085391116868 Manufacturer No: 111686

Blue Sky

Jessica Lange deserves three cheers for her performance as an army wife in the early 1960s. Sensuous and unpredictable, Lange bridles at the restrictions in her life and is constantly seeking attention. Tommy Lee Jones is the nuclear engineer who adores her, but is just as passionate toward his career. Lange and Jones sizzle in spite of a weak plot tangent concerning the military cover-up of nuclear testing in the Nevada desert. The love story is everything as it bursts with undercurrents of passion, regret, sorrow, and joy. Lange's sexy, high-strung performance earned her an Oscar. It was director Tony Richardson's last film. --Rochelle O'Gorman

It was a time when blond bombshells splashed Life covers and A-bomb tests mushroomed in the desert. The older generation believed in their government, while younger people protested against it. And Blue Sky captures it all! Politically charged and erotically explosive, this highly combustible film features powerful performances by Jessica Lange (Rob Roy) in an Academy AwardÂ(r)-winning* role, and dynamic OscarÂ(r) winner** Tommy Lee Jones (Men in Black). Hard-working, mild-tempered Army scientist Hank Marshall (Jones) has his hands full with explosive nuclear reactors and the equally volatile Carly (Lange), his beautifully spirited and emotionally vulnerable wife. While he's conducting tests in Nevada, she succumbs to the advances of his superior officer! But her infidelity is not the only dilemma the Marshalls have to face. When a deadly military cover-up puts Hank in jeopardy, it's up to Carly to muster the courage and strength tosave the man she loves! *1994: Actress **1993: Supporting Actor, The Fugitive

The Hotel New Hampshire

Tony Richardson's adaptation of The Hotel New Hampshire proves that the unique qualities of John Irving's fiction are accessible in print and elusive on screen. (Not surprisingly, Irving's books were not truly successful as films until Irving himself adapted The Cider House Rules, although some viewers will prefer The World According to Garp.) Here, Richardson distills the essence of Irving but misses the author's dominant themes; the result is a film that follows Irving closely and understands its characters without ever giving them complete and coherent personalities. Without that essential ingredient, this film--about the exploits of a highly eccentric and dysfunctional family--grows thin and repetitious. We're left to enjoy the quirks of a fine ensemble cast, and the resilience of a family that has learned to survive by "passing open windows" (in other words, avoiding suicide no matter how tempting).

Beau Bridges is the Berry family patriarch and resident free spirit of the Hotel New Hampshire, where his children thrive on liberal parenting, a parade of unusual patrons, and their own lust for life, love, and--in the case of incestuous siblings John (Rob Lowe) and Frannie (Jodie Foster)--each other. Their coming-of-age tales are often a joy to behold, and Richardson draws some excellent performances from his young, stellar cast. What's missing here is a sense of deeper meaning and resonance; the film seems oddly random, while Irving's book clearly conveys an affectionate fascination with the tenacity of the human spirit. --Jeff Shannon

From Academy AwardÂ(r)-winning* director Tony Richardson (Tom Jones) comes this "bright, amusing and provocative" (The Hollywood Reporter) film based on John Irving's best-selling novel. Featuring "a gifted cast" (LA Herald-Examiner), including OscarÂ(r)** winner Jodie Foster (The Silence of the Lambs), Rob Lowe ("The West Wing") and Beau Bridges (The Fabulous Baker Boys), The Hotel New Hampshire is "intriguing" (Boxoffice), "impressive" (LA Herald-Examiner) and "fascinating" (Variety)! A motley clan of eight lovable misfits, the Berry family sets out on an adventure to fulfill their father's lifelong aspiration of owning a hotel. Their quest takes them around the world, and they greet every new location with their own brand of outrageous humor, practical jokes and just plain weird eccentricism. But when this tribe of oddballs encounters a healthy dose of heartbreak, they soon must learn that not all in life is fun and games and that sometimes the only thing you have left is the one thing that matters most family. *1963: Best Picture, Director **1991: Actress, The Silenceof the Lambs; 1988: Actress, The Accused

Tom Jones

Winner of four Academy Awards including best picture, director, screenplay, and music, this 1963 adaptation of Henry Fielding's classic novel is a rousing, bawdy comedy about a young man's ribald adventures in 18th-century England. Albert Finney is splendidly hilarious in the title role of a charming womanizer who was discovered as an abandoned infant in the bed of Squire Allworthy, a wealthy landowner who named the child Tom Jones and raised him as his own. As a young man, Tom yearns for the comely daughter (Susannah York) of a neighboring squire, but his amorous adventures (including an extended food orgy that becomes the film's funniest scene) lead him to London and to a duel with a jealous husband. He's sentenced to hang, but fate intervenes. A hit around the world, the film was expertly written by noted playwright John Osborne, and Richardson uses a variety of old-style movie techniques to heighten the lusty, good-natured fun. Don't miss this one! --Jeff Shannon

Look Back in Anger

Richard Burton was riding high in grandiose roles in Hollywood and on Broadway when he returned to Britain to portray trumpet-playing social dropout Jimmy Porter in Tony Richardson's adaptation of John Osborne's groundbreaking 1956 play. Burton's Jimmy works in a public market "sweet stall" where he rubs shoulders with the working class with a condescending air, while he takes out his contempt of bourgeois complacency at home on his spiritually whipped wife (a numb-looking Mary Ure) and her best friend (Claire Bloom). Burton is too old for the part of the self-loathing college grad, but his performance simmers with frustration and misdirected rage that masks the sad, vulnerable underside to his misanthropic swipes. The film became the opening volley in Britain's "New Cinema," a new wave of young directors, working-class themes, and social-realist style. --Sean Axmaker

OscarÂ(r) nominee* Richard Burton delivers a passionate performance, and Mary Ure, ClaireBloom, Gary Raymond and Edith Evans give exciting stand-out portrayals (Los Angeles Times)in this powerful and engrossing motion picture (Cue) that bristles with brilliant dialogue (The Hollywood Reporter) and raw human emotion. Rage! His eyes blaze with it and his bodyseethes with it. Jimmy Porter is a man consumed by anger, and every moment he spends in the rank, suffocating squalor of the English factory town that entraps him, propels him closer and closer towards self-annihilation. But Jimmy's savage cruelty is not limited to himself. He also hurts the ones he lovesagain and again. And this time, he's about to commit an act so brutal, so destructive, that his wife Alison, her best friend Helena, and even Jimmy himself may not be able to survive! *Actor: The Robe (1953), Becket (1964), The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (1965), Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf (1966), Anne Of The Thousand Days (1969), Equus (1977); Supporting Actor: My Cousin Rachel (1952)