Actress Emily Watson (1967)

The historical romantic drama film, Anna Karenina (2012), directed by Joe Wright and adapted by Tom Stoppard from Leo Tolstoy’s novel of the same name, portrays the tragic story of Russian aristocrat and socialite Anna Karenina. Married to statesman Alexei Karenin, Anna engages in an affair with wealthy cavalry officer Count Vronsky. Meanwhile, in 1874 Russia, Princess Darya (known as ‘Dolly’) banishes her unfaithful husband Prince Stephan ‘Stiva’ Oblonsky. Upon hearing this news, Anna travels ...

War Horse (2011) is a drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg, written by Lee Hall and Richard Curtis. It is adapted from Michael Morpurgo’s book of the same title and its stage version from 2007. In 1912, a bay Irish Hunter is born in Devon, England. At an auction, farmer Ted Narracott outbids his landlord Lyons for the colt Joey. His wife Rose is not pleased as they need a working horse for ploughing, not an Irish Hunter. Their son Albert and his friend ...

In the American drama film Fireflies in the Garden (2008), written and directed by Dennis Lee, we see a strained relationship between English professor Charles and his son Michael. Since their boyhood road trip, when young Michael falsely claimed to have lost his glasses, their interactions have been filled with rule breaking and retaliation. When Lisa’s younger sister Jane stays with them while she is pregnant, she becomes close with Michael and takes his side against Charles. This tension only escalates when Michael embarrasses Charles in front of his colleagues by claiming to have written a Robert Frost poem. ...

Corpse Bride (2005) is a stop-motion animated musical fantasy film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay by John August, Caroline Thompson, and Pamela Pettler. It is based on characters created by Burton and Carlos Grangel. Set in an unnamed Victorian era town, the story follows the arranged marriage preparations of Victor Van Dort, son of nouveau riche fish merchants, and ...

The biographical film, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004), is based on Roger Lewis’s book and follows the journey of English comedian, Peter Sellers. It begins with him walking up to a director’s chair, before the unseen live audience breaks into applause. In 1950s London, he is already a well-known performer on The Goon Show but struggles to make a mark in film. After a disappointing audition, he seeks comfort at home with his family but receives pushy advice from his overbearing mother Peg to ‘bite the hand that feeds you’. Inspired by her words, Peter taps into his talent for ...

The American science fiction film Equilibrium (2002), written and directed by Kurt Wimmer, follows the story of survivors of World War III in a totalitarian city-state called Libria. In this city, all forms of human emotion are blamed for causing conflicts, leading to strict bans on anything that can stimulate emotions. Those who disobey these laws are known as Sense Offenders and face a death sentence. The citizens must also take a daily injection of Prozium II, an emotion-suppressing drug. Governed by the Tetragrammaton Council, led by ‘Father’, propaganda is spread through large video screens. The police ...

The psychological thriller, Red Dragon (2002), is an adaptation of Thomas Harris’s 1981 novel. Directed by Brett Ratner and written by Ted Tally, the story follows FBI agent Will Graham in 1980 as he seeks assistance from forensic psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter in a case. After working together on a psychological profile of a killer, Graham becomes convinced that the murderer is also a cannibal. However, when Lecter realizes Graham is getting close to discovering his true identity, he stabs him. Despite this attack, ...

Metroland (1997), directed by Philip Saville, tells the story of Chris and Marion living a peaceful life with their child in Eastwood. They reside in the London suburbs known as Metroland, the area at the end of the Metropolitan Line on the London Underground. However, their routine is disrupted when Chris’s childhood friend Toni calls early one morning. After years of traveling through Africa, Europe, and the United States as a bohemian poet, Toni has returned to England. Chris reflects on their past adventures in Paris during the late 1960s when they both dreamed of escaping suburban life for avant-garde ...