Directing
From England to Egypt, accompanied by his elegant and trustworthy sidekicks, the intelligent yet eccentrically-refined Belgian detective Hercule Poirot pits his wits against a collection of first class deceptions.
Omnibus was an arts-based BBC television documentary series, broadcast mainly on BBC1 in the United Kingdom. The programme was the successor to the long-running arts-based series 'Monitor'. It ran from 1967 until 2003, usually being transmitted on Sunday evenings. During its 35-year history, the programme won 12 Bafta awards. Among the series' best remembered documentaries are Cracked Actor, a profile of David Bowie, and Rene Magritte, a graduate film by David Wheatley, 'Madonna: Behind the American dream', a film produced by Nadia Hagger, and a profile of the British film director Ridley Scott. For a season in 1982, the series was in a magazine format presented by Barry Norman. The series was replaced by 'Imagine' hosted by Alan Yentob.
Short plays by male writers new to television drama.
Actor/martial arts champ Mark Dacascos explores the story of Miyamoto Musashi, the most famous Samurai of all time, and trains in the weaponry and wisdom of Japan’s great warriors. Set to the action-packed, battle-scarred backdrop of Japan’s warrior tradition, this new feature-length special takes viewers on an immersive journey through historic Japan in the footsteps of Musashi, Japan’s legendary swordsman and warrior. As Mark learns about ancient Samurai culture, the action is brought vividly to life in a dynamic and innovative way through cutting-edge animation.
Drama about the rivalry between two police superintendents, one traditional and methodical, the other unorthodox and intuitive.
At the memorial for his father, WWII hero Major James Prentis (Alan Bates), John (Lambert Wilson) confesses a dark family secret to his own son Martin (David Oakes), something that he has harbored for over twenty years. A suspense drama, it explores the complex nature of heroism, betrayal, and father-son relationships. This is a reworking of the director's original 1993 film entitled simply, Shuttlecock.
One man who kept asking questions was Gideon Mantell, the amateur paleontologist who, in the early 19th century, fought to get the British scientific establishment to accept Britain had been inhabited by dinosaurs. As this dramatised documentary shows, Mantell had an uphill battle in a time when the biblical account of creation was considered literal truth and authorities such as the Reverend William Buckland were determined that science remain "the handmaid of religion".
The film follows the travels and accounts of Mark Chapman (Jonas Ball) and gives the watcher an insight into his mind. It starts with him in Hawaii and how he does not fit in with anyone including his job; family; friends etc. He says he is searching for a purpose in his life and that it has no direction. He seeks refuge in the public library where he finds the book, 'The Catcher in the Rye'. He becomes obsessed with the book and believes that he himself is the protaganist in the book, Holden Caulfield. He believes the ideas in the book reflect his own personal life and how he does not fit in anywhere and he reads it constantly. He then finds another book in the library about The Beatles singer John Lennon and begins a personal hatred for him.
Major James Prentis VC is a British spy of World War II and war hero who goes under the code name of "Shuttlecock". Alienated from his family and children, he ends up in a mental institution in Lisbon, Portugal.
In Budapest, two Americans live together. Adam, a former Manhattan prosecutor at work on his first novel, and Lisa, a cool hard-working financier who idolizes her boss (former Communist turned deal maker, Kovacs) as she tires of Adam's lifestyle. Cut to the subway, where two tough guys are pursuing Marta, a blond waif. She manages to surprise one of them in a hallway, dispatching him with a straight razor, and she barges into Adam's apartment to elude the other. She tells Adam why she is running, a story that implicates Kovacs, and she seeks Adam's help and affection. He takes her side, and slowly Lisa, Adam, Kovacs, Marta, and her pursuer draw toward a showdown.
Documentary about New York photographer Weegee
Police must track down the sadistic duo responsible for the rape, torture and murder of 10 women in the Hollywood Hills above LA. The case that drove homicide detective Bob Grogan to drink and divorce resulted in the longest trial in American history.
"Midnight Angel," filmed in 1990 for ITV's "The Celebration" series, uniquely portrays artist and former fifth Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe's life and legacy.
Dramatized documentary about the life of the painter George Grosz.
The Concerts in China was a concert tour by Jean Michel Jarre, notable for marking the opening of post-Mao Zedong China to live Western music, in 1981. Five concerts were held in the two biggest cities, for an estimated audience of 120,000 spectators, on October 21 and 22 in Beijing, and on October 26 through 28 in Shanghai.
David Driskell, the pathbreaking art history professor and artist, is the focus of Hidden Heritage: The Roots of Black American Painting. He made it his life mission to trace the work of Black artists from the American Revolution to World War II, by placing the artists' individual achievements in the context of social change, abolition of slavery, Jim Crow laws, racial violence and segregation.
