Beaten by a bloody fog! The V.I.P.s is directed by Anthony Asquith and written by Terence Rattigan. It stars Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Louis Jordan, Rod Taylor, Maggie Smith, Orson Welles, Elsda Martinelli and Margaret Rutherford. Filmed in Panavision and Metrocolor, music is by Miklos Rozsa and cinematography by Jack Hildyard. Terminal 2, London Heathrow Airport, and fog has grounded the flights of some very important people. Time, then, for truths to out and futures resolved... Cheque book generosity. Disliked by critics upon release but a hit at the box office, The V.I.P.s is a throwback to the days when ensemble star power could carry a melodrama through to its conclusion. The performances of the actors, playing well to do characters facing up to some tribulations in life, are most enjoyable (nice to see Rod Taylor actually being Australian, Smith owning the film and Rutherford being Rutherford) and even though there's some silly moments within Rattigan's screenplay, there's enough quality drama and warmth to make the near two hour running time bearable. Besisdes, I never thought the sight of Richard Burton signing a cheque could make me feel so happy! 7/10
In 1830s France, pianist/composer Frédéric Chopin is pursued romantically by the determined, individualistic woman who uses the name George Sand.
Photographer Robert Kincaid wanders into the life of housewife Francesca Johnson for four days in the 1960s.
Many loosely connected characters cross paths in this film, based on the stories of Raymond Carver. Waitress Doreen Piggot accidentally runs into a boy with her car. Soon after walking away, the child lapses into a coma. While at the hospital, the boy's grandfather tells his son, Howard, about his past affairs. Meanwhile, a baker starts harassing the family when they fail to pick up the boy's birthday cake.
From the moment she glimpses her idol at the stage door, Eve Harrington is determined to take the reins of power away from the great actress Margo Channing. Eve maneuvers her way into Margo's Broadway role, becomes a sensation and even causes turmoil in the lives of Margo's director boyfriend, her playwright and his wife. Only the cynical drama critic sees through Eve, admiring her audacity and perfect pattern of deceit.
Following an unexpected tragedy, child psychologist Malcolm Crowe meets a nine year old boy named Cole Sear, who is hiding a dark secret.
Middle-aged suburban husband Richard abruptly tells his wife, Maria, that he wants a divorce. As Richard takes up with a younger woman, Maria enjoys a night on the town with her friends and meets a younger man. As the couple and those around them confront a seemingly futile search for what they've lost - love, excitement, passion - this classic American independent film explores themes of aging and alienation.
Viktor Navorski is a man without a country; his plane took off just as a coup d'etat exploded in his homeland, leaving it in shambles, and now he's stranded at Kennedy Airport, where he's holding a passport that nobody recognizes. While quarantined in the transit lounge until authorities can figure out what to do with him, Viktor simply goes on living – and courts romance with a beautiful flight attendant.
A married farmer falls under the spell of a slatternly woman from the city, who tries to convince him to drown his wife.
Paul Rivers, an ailing mathematician lovelessly married to an English émigré; Christina Peck, an upper-middle-class suburban housewife and mother of two girls; and Jack Jordan, a born-again ex-con, are brought together by a terrible accident that changes their lives.
Eight London couples try to deal with their relationships in different ways. Their tryst with love makes them discover how complicated relationships can be.
Spanning over one thousand years, and three parallel stories, The Fountain is a story of love, death, spirituality, and the fragility of our existence in this world.