Sturridge, Charles

Fairy Tale - A True Story

In the midst of World War I, two little English girls breathe some mystery, magic and belief into people's lives when they take pictures of fairies.
No Track Information Available
Media Type: DVD
Artist: O'TOOLE/KEITEL
Title: FAIRYTALE-TRUE STORY
Street Release Date: 11/11/2003
Domestic
Genre: FAMILY

When her father is declared missing in action during World War I, Elsie Wrigth (Florence Hoath) goes to live in England with her cousin Frances Griffiths (Elizabeth Earl) for whom the topic of fairies is forbidden. Immediately, the girls discover the winged creatures in the garden and photograph them for Frances's startled parents. This leads to another kind of adventure for the girls. They become the toasts of London as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Peter O'Toole) and Harry Houdini (Harvey Keitel), who have seen the photographs, escort them around town. Mildly villainous reporters chase the girls and curious spectators invade their garden after the pictures are printed publicly.

Although fairies are the visible subjects, the enchanting video is really about faith. Frances's parents (Phoebe Nicholls and Paul McGann) recently lost their son, Joseph, who had originally discovered the fairies and would like to think he may be an angel. Sir Arthur also lost his son and is courted by clairvoyants who claim they can talk to the boy. Elsie waits patiently for her father to come home, although it appears hopeless that he will. Harry Houdini is an illusionist but acts against the fraudulent claims of greedy mediums and the like. They are all touched by a need to truly believe in what remains hidden. The story is very loosely based on an early 20th-century controversy involving the real Frances and Elsie who faked pictures of fairies similar to the ones in the video. The real girls never confessed, but the video suggests the manner in which the real life photos may have been produced. --Margaret Griffis

Shackleton - The Greatest Survival Story of All Time (3-Disc Collector's Edition)

Shackleton is not a biopic of the great Anglo-Irish explorer but a dramatization of the failed trans-Antarctic expedition of 1914-1916. As written and directed by Charles Sturridge (Longitude), the production, filmed on real ice floes in Greenland, stays remarkably close to the facts, capturing the look of the surviving expedition photos by Frank Hurley (collected in the book South with Endurance) with great fidelity. Kenneth Branagh makes no attempt at an authentic accent but otherwise gives a powerful impression of a most commanding personality. When the expedition ship Endurance became locked in the Antarctic ice, Shackleton vowed to bring every man home alive, and against virtually impossible odds, including a 700-mile journey in an open boat through some of the worst seas in the world, he did just that. This superlative miniseries realizes the story with production values and cinematography that would not disgrace a big-budget feature (South, Hurley's 1919 silent movie featuring some motion-picture footage from the expedition, is also available on video). Intense physical drama, strong performances, and Adrian Johnston's fine score combine here to deeply moving effect, marred only a little by a rushed conclusion. With Roland Huntford, author of the definitive Shackleton biography, as production advisor, this easily stands as the benchmark for all future comparable films. --Gary S. Dalkin

A Handful of Dust

The year is 1932 and Tony and Brenda Last (James Wilby and Kristin Scott Thomas) a devoted and attractive couple with one son John Andrew appear to live an idyllic life in the huge Victorian Gothic house which is the symbol of Tony's family pride. One weekend they inadvertently play host to John Beaver (Rupert Graves) an idle young socialite. It is the chance arrival of this penniless scrounger which irrevocably shatters the gentle balance of their lives.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 026359212628

Adapted from Evelyn Waugh's Jazz Age satire, A Handful of Dust is a brutal story of a failed marriage with shattering consquences. James Wilby stars as a country gentleman, Tony Last, who loves rattling around his expansive estate, Hetton Abbey. Tony's wife, Brenda (Kristin Scott Thomas), however, pines for London's excitement and commences an affair in the city with penniless aristocrat John Beaver (Rupert Graves). The fallout of Brenda's betrayal includes a family tragedy and creative divorce settlement ultimately undone when fed-up Tony goes on a naturalist trek through Brazil and becomes the hostage of a mad, illiterate explorer (Alec Guinness). One might wonder whether it's more appropriate to laugh or tremble at these events, and director Charles Sturridge's handsome, graceful production ingeniously accomodates the story's streaks of dark comedy and horror. With brief, memorable supporting roles for Anjelica Huston and Stephen Fry. --Tom Keogh

Longitude

Gracefully adapted from Dava Sobel's extraordinary bestseller, the four-part TV production of Longitude combines drama, history, and science into a stimulating, painstakingly authentic account of personal triumph and joyous discovery. Equally impressive is the way writer-director Charles Sturridge has crafted parallel stories that complement each other with enriching perspective. The first story involves the successful 40-year effort of 18th-century clockmaker John Harrison (Michael Gambon) to solve the elusive problem of measuring longitude at sea. In 1714 the British Parliament had offered a generous reward to anyone who solved the problem, and Harrison devoted his life to that solution. The second story, some 200 years later, involves the effort of shell-shocked British Navy veteran Rupert Gould (Jeremy Irons) to restore the glorious clocks that Harrison had built. Like Harrison, Gould is the most admirable type of obsessive, but, also like Harrison, he risks his marriage to accomplish his difficult task.

Thousands of sailors perished at sea before Harrison's triumph changed history, but Longitude demonstrates that Harrison's glory was slow to arrive--and his prize money even slower. A fascinating study of 18th-century British politics and clashing egos in the arena of science, the film is both epic and intimate in consequence, and Sturridge's magnificent script inspires Gambon and Irons to do some of the best work of their outstanding careers. The ever-reliable Ian Hart appears in Part 3 as Harrison's now-adult son and apprentice, and Longitude approaches its dramatic climax with the exhilarating tension of a first-rate thriller. Rallying after sickness to prove the integrity of their marvelous seafaring chronometers, the Harrisons still had to fight for official recognition, and Gould's restoration of the Harrison clockworks provides a fitting coda to this exceptional story about the thrill of discovery and the tenacity of remarkable men. --Jeff Shannon

Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons stars in this sweeping adaption of Dava Sobel's best-selling book of high seas adventure and political intrigue. Determined to stop shipping losses on the oceans of the 18th century, Britain's Parliament offers a fabulous cash award to anyone who can devise a way to determine longitute at sea. Convinced he can solve the problem that has defeated England's best minds, rural clock maker John Harrison (Michael Gambon) begins an obsessive, 40-year struggle to claim the Longitude prize with his ingenious marine clock. 200 years later, naval officer Rupert Gould (Jeremy Irons) stumbles across Harrison's forgotten chronometers and devotes himself to restoring these long-neglected mechanical masterpieces.

Where Angels Fear to Tread

While traveling through Italy on an extended vacation Lilia Heriton (Prime Suspect's Helen Mirren falls for handsome Gino Carella (Fiorile's Giovanni Guidelli) and against the wishes of her family decides to stay in Monteriano. Dispatched by self-centered relatives to retrieve her brother-in-law Philip (Maurice's Rupert Graves) and chaperone Caroline Abbott (Corpse Bride's Helena Bonham Carter) discover startling news that will alter the course of two families forever. Based on the novel by E. M. Forster (Howards End A Room with a View) this insightful funny and sometimes tragic look at the collision of two different cultures features astonishingly beautiful scenery a haunting score by Academy Award-winning composer Rachel Portman (Emma) and a memorable supporting turn by Emmy-winner Judy Davis (Barton Fink).SPECIAL FEATURES:TrailerSystem Requirements:Running Time: 112:02 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG UPC: 014381138726 Manufacturer No: ID1387LIDVD

Where Angels Fear to Tread is a Merchant/Ivory production in all but name. Lilia (Helen Mirren, in fine form) is a wealthy widow on holiday in rural Italy with her companion Caroline (a dressed-down Helena Bonham Carter) when she falls for penniless local Gino (Giovanni Guidelli). Her horrified relatives promptly dispatch brother-in-law Philip (Rupert Graves) to break things up, but he's too late--she's already married and, in short order, gives birth to a child. Unfortunately, a happy ending is not to be (not for Lilia, at any rate). As with Maurice (Graves) and Howard's End (Bonham Carter), the author is E.M. Forster, but the director is Charles Sturridge (Brideshead Revisited) and, unlike Room with a View (which featured both actors), the tone is tragic rather than romantic. Another Forster vet, Judy Davis (A Passage to India), plays Lilia's sister-in-law, Harriet, while Oscar winner Rachel Portman composed the enchanting score. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Lassie (Widescreen)

Based on Eric Knight's 1938 novel about a trusty pooch "Lassie Come Home" the film is set on the eve of WWII in a Yorkshire mining town. The Carraclough family is forced to sell Lassie to the Duke of Rudling when the family falls on hard times. When Lassie finds herself transported five hundred miles away to live in the Duke's remote castle in northern Scotland she is determined to defy the odds and return to her home and the boy she loves. So begins an incredible adventure set against a stunning series of British landscapes that sees Lassie facing dangers natural and human and finding help in unexpected places as she makes her way across the country to reach home in time for Christmas.System Requirements:Run Time: 99 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: PG UPC: 796019797375 Manufacturer No: 79737

You probably don't think you need to see another remake of Lassie, but you do. Charles Sturridge's (Brideshead Revisited) film was criminally neglected in theaters but should gain a lofty status on home video as did remakes of The Secret Garden, A Little Princess and Sturridge's own FairyTale: A True Story. It's a simple story of a dog who loves a boy so much she'll cross a country to reunite with him. Yes, you might need your handkerchief. No, not that much. Mom Sarah (Samantha Morton), dad Sam (John Lynch) and their son Joe (an adorable Jonathan Mason) live in an English coal town shortly before the Second World War. To put food on the table, Lassie is sold to The Duke of Rudling (Peter O'Toole, in fine form) for his granddaughter, Cilla (Hester Odgers). Soon the Duke and Lassie retire to Scotland, some 500 miles away, but neither distance, status, an angry kennel man, nor bumbling dog catchers will keep Lassie from Joe. Along the roads and hills of England (with Ireland scenery subbing in), Lassie touches many folks including a lovelorn lady (Kelly MacDonald), a scientist (Edward Fox), and most notably, a traveling performer (Peter Dinklage). Sturridge's deft touch allows the film to breathe with a great sense of physical comedy for the kids that never descends into pure shenanigans. There is just enough heart-tugging to go along with the scenic adventure. The cast is uniformly strong, with fine work from O'Toole, Morton, and Dinklage. Throw in beautiful scenery, cute dogs, Adrian Johnson's dramatic score, a cameo from the Loch Ness monster(!), and you have a winner; our pick for the best family film on DVD in 2006. Ages 5 and up. --Doug Thomas

A Foreign Field

A superb quintet of older actors give the simple story of A Foreign Field a rich and resonant texture. Amos (Alec Guiness, Kind Hearts and Coronets, Star Wars) and Cyril (Leo McKern, Rumpole of the Bailey) are two British World War II veterans who return to the beaches of Normandy, where they'd come ashore almost 50 years earlier. They run into an American veteran named Waldo (John Randolph, Prizzi's Honor) and a woman named Lisa (Lauren Bacall, The Big Sleep, Dogville) whose brother died on D-Day. Waldo and Cyril have both come seeking the same woman who comforted them when they were wounded--but when they find her (Jeanne Moreau, Jules and Jim, La Femme Nikita), she's not what they remember. Nothing dramatic happens in A Foreign Film--the characters bicker, become friends, and go to graveyards--but in the hands of this group of great talents, small emotional moments seem full and rewarding. This is a sweet and gentle movie that carefully avoids any saccharine sentiment. Also featuring Geraldine Chaplin (Nashville, Talk to Her) and Edward Herrmann (The Cat's Meow, The Paper Chase). --Bret Fetzer

Two British war vets (Alec Guinness and Leo McKern) meet an American vet (John Randolph) when all three return to Normandy on the 50th anniversary of D-Day. Old rivalries resurface, particularly when two of the men discover they are searching for the same lost love (Jeanne Moreau). A lonely woman (Lauren Bacall) with her own painful but mysterious memories joins the group, while the American vet's petulant daughter (Geraldine Chaplin) and bumbling son-in-law (Edward Herrmann) struggle to keep up with the exploits of their elders. This disparate band of survivors eventually finds common ground in the memory of what they lost on that fateful day in 1944. As seen on Masterpiece Theatre.

Jim Henson's The Storyteller ~ The Complete Collection

One of Jim Henson's finest hours was the Storyteller series that first aired on HBO in 1987. As with his other non-Muppet creations (Labyrinth), Henson fills the screen with wonderful creatures that have a wisp of a J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy. This collection of nine stories (it does not contain the Greek myths arc) were adapted by Anthony Minghella, who became an Oscar-winning filmmaker a decade later with The English Patient. Minghella weaves the narration of the storyteller (played with aplomb by John Hurt) with dialogue from the stories to beguiling effect; the storyteller doesn't simply introduce the tales.

A few of the stories have been available before on video, but this collection starts with the debut, the Emmy-winning "Hans My Hedgehog," the title role being a young disformed man who helps a lost king in the woods. Other highlights include "The Luck Child" about a king bent on destroying a commoner boy, known as the luck child ("the seventh son born of a seventh son on a week with two Fridays"). After a wizard declares the boy will grow up to be king. The fate of the king is one of those hooks that should have the kids smiling for days. Henson himself directs "Death and the Soldier," a brilliant example of how these episodes were so wonderfully complex. A penniless solider (Bob Peck) is given a magical sack and he uses it to full effect, capturing gremlins and greater evils on his way to be king. "Sapsorrow" is a curious variation on the Cinderella legend. "A Story Short" is the storyteller's own adventure. He makes a deal with a king to tell a story every day of the year. Yet on the last day, the storyteller's mind is a blank and his fate may lead him to a boiling vat of oil. Henson's work is true family entertainment and at only 22 minutes per episode, it's the perfect companion for some fine entertainment around the TV. --Doug Thomas

Henson fills the screen with wonderful creatures that have a wisp of J.R.R. Tolkein fantasy. Directed by Anthony Minghella (The English Patient), he takes us through the fantasy of recognizable European folk/fairy tales with narration by the Storyteller played wonderfully by John Hurt. The entire series on DVD for the first time! From the master Jim Henson who brought us The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. Stars John Hurt, as the narrator. Adapted by Oscar-winning filmmaker Anthony Minghella (The English Patient).

Gulliver's Travels

Ebulliently imaginative and far more cleverly presented than you would expect from a TV miniseries, this satirical adventure succeeds by never pandering to the lowest common denominator. Closely based on Jonathan Swift's 1726 classic, it is enhanced by dazzling special effects from Jim Henson Productions and a superb, multi-ethnic cast. The biggest surprise is Ted Danson in the title role--one of his best performances, even if he is the only person in England without an accent. He conveys amusement, amazement, and intelligence as he travels from one strange country into another. Not that anyone back in Merry Old England believes Mr. Gulliver's tales of little people or giants. The story is told in flashback from an insane asylum, where he is forcibly confined. This far outshines several previous adaptations of Swift's satirical novel. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Aria

This omnibus directors fest brings together 10 different filmmakers making 10 different films based on operatic arias. Jean-Luc Godard is stylistically the boldest, Robert Altman possibly the most imaginative, Franc Roddam celebrates American glitz, and Bruce Beresford is the most sentimental. Nearly all the other filmmakers involved--including Nicolas Roeg, Ken Russell, Julien Temple, Charles Sturridge, Derek Jarman, and Bill Bryden--are (or were, in the case of the late Jarman) world-class talents, but you wouldn't know that from their murky participation here. --Tom Keogh

Ten of the world's greatest directors produce one unforgettable film in this sumptuous visual and musical feast based on the most famous arias in the history of opera. Erotic, violent, thought-provoking, funny, and moving, this critically-hailed milestone features the electrifyingly erotic film debut of Briget Fonda, a revealing appearance by supermodel Elizabeth Hurley (Austin Powers), and unforgettable performances from John Hurt (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone), Tilda Swinton (The Deep End), Beverly D'Angelo (Vacation), Theresa Russell (Wild Things), and many more! Segments directed by Robert Altman (Gosford Park), Bruce Beresford (Double Jeopardy), Bill Bryden, Jean-Luc Godard (Contempt), Derek Jarman (Edward II), Franc Roddam (Quadrophenia), Nicolas Roeg (Performance), Ken Russell (Tommy), Charles Sturridge (Longitude), Julien Temple (The Filth and the Fury).