TV Guide: Derek Jacobi

Listing: Pinochet's Last Stand

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Fri Oct 10 12:00 PM HBOSGe

Video: Gosford Park

Video Detective — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 07:30:50 +0000

Maverick American filmmaker Robert Altman takes a witty and absorbing look at the foibles of the British class system in this intelligent murder mystery set in the early '30s. Sir William McCordle (Michael Gambon) and his wife Lady Sylvia (Kristin Scott Thomas) are a pair of wealthy British socialites who have invited a variety of friends, relatives, and acquaintances to their mansion in the country for a weekend of hunting and relaxation. Among the honored guests are Constance (Maggie Smith), Lady Sylvia's matronly aunt; Ivor Novello (Jeremy Northam), William's cousin who is also a well-known actor and songwriter; and Morris Weissman (Bob Balaban), an American film producer who is friendly with Ivor and researching an upcoming project. Observing the proceedings are the domestic staff of the mansion, including imperious butler Jennings (Alan Bates); footmen George (Richard E. Grant) and Arthur (Jeremy Swift); Probert (Derek Jacobi), a valet to Sir William; housekeeper Mrs. Wilson (Helen Mirren); Mrs. Croft (E

Video: Hamlet

Video Detective — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 06:16:05 +0000

At least the 22nd time William Shakespeare's most famous tragedy has been brought to the screen, Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation of Hamlet was the first to preserve Shakespeare's entire text, uncut and unabridged. Moving the action into the 19th century, Branagh cast himself in the title role and, as in his adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing, assembled an eclectic group of actors that mixed veteran Shakespearean performers (including John Mills, Judi Dench, John Gielgud, and Derek Jacobi) with Hollywood stars not known for interpreting the Bard's work (among them Robin Williams, Charlton Heston, Billy Crystal, and Jack Lemmon). However, unlike most interpretations, it's the women who really carry the show, with the two best performances delivered by Kate Winslet as Ophelia and Julie Christie as Gertrude. As usual, Hamlet finds himself torn over what to do after the death of his father and his mother's hasty remarriage. Branagh's version of Hamlet was also notable on a technical level, as it was filmed in

Video: Gathering Storm, The

Video Detective — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 05:09:29 +0000

Today, Winston Churchill is regarded as one of the great leaders of his time, and a hero for helping to guide Great Britain through the crises of World War II. But in the 1930s, Churchill's place in history hardly seemed assured; his early warnings against the growing threat of the Third Reich were taken seriously by few of his contemporaries, and he suffered through a variety of personal, professional, and economic setbacks before German attacks on England gave credence to his theories about Hitler's desire to overtake Europe, and gave Churchill the opportunity to rise to the greatness that was his destiny. The Gathering Storm is a made-for-television biographical drama based on Churchill's memoirs about his life leading up to World War II. Albert Finney stars as Winston Churchill, Vanessa Redgrave plays his wife, Clementine, and Derek Jacobi appears as Stanley Baldwin. Jim Broadbent and Ronnie Barker co-star. Produced for the BBC, The Gathering Storm received its American premier on the HBO premium cable ne

Video: I, Claudius

Video Detective — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 05:04:33 +0000

This 13-episode miniseries was adapted from the book by Robert Graves, which chronicles the tumultuous life and times of Claudius (Derek Jacobi), who despite a deformed leg and a speech impediment through prophecy becomes the Roman Empire. An aging Claudius looks back at the bizarre and treacherous times through which he's lived and sets them down in a secret history that is not to be read until after his death. The distinguished cast of I, Claudius includes John Hurt as Caligula, Brian Blessed as Augustus, Sian Phillips as Livia, Margaret Tyzack as Antonia, and Patrick Stewart as Sejanus. The home-video release also includes the documentary The Epic That Never Was, which looks at producer Alexander Korda ill-starred attempt to film Graves' novel in the mid-1930s. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide.

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