Trio
W. Somerset Maugham introduces three more of his stories about human foibles.
W. Somerset Maugham introduces three more of his stories about human foibles.
Jean Simmons
Evie Bishop (segment Sanatorium)
James Hayter
Albert Foreman (segment "The Verger")
Michael Rennie
Major George Templeton (segment Sanatorium)
Roland Culver
Mr. Ashenden
Wilfrid Hyde-White
Mr. Gray (segment Mr. Know-It-All)
Kathleen Harrison
Emma Foreman (in segment The Verger)
Anne Crawford
Mrs. Ramsey (in segment Mr. Know-All)
Nigel Patrick
Max Kelada (in segment Mr. Know-All)
Felix Aylmer
Bank Manager
W. Somerset Maugham introduces three more of his stories about human foibles.
Following on from his "Quartet" series from 1948, we have another three short stories with a gently underlying moral message from Somerset Maugham. The first is, in my view, the best: it sees a verger of many years standing (James Hayter) forced to resign by a rather snobbish vicar when it is discovered that he can neither read nor write. Only once he has left the safety of his parochial responsibilities, does he discover a fondness for his landlady (Kathleen Harrison) and a flair for business and is soon proving that his inability was little impediment to his happiness and success. The second features an on-form Nigel Patrick as a show-off who manages to alienate just about everyone on an ocean cruise with his rather vulgar, ostentatious manner but yet is not quite as odious an individual as his image presents. Finally, we head to a baronial style castle in the north of Scotland where people are sent to convalesce and recover from tuberculosis. The latter story has the better cast, and a decently interwoven series of stories as the patients try to deal with their illness, and their demons - with mixed results - but even with Michael Rennie, Jean Simmons, André Morrell and a rather enjoyable pairing of John Laurie and Finlay Currie drags on just a bit too long. It's all interestingly linked together by the author, and takes a series of swipes at the British and their attitudes and prejudices in a clever, at times quite witty way.
A filmmaker talks about his work and love life with an unseen friend behind the camera. We also watch four of his short films.
A psychotherapist helps a law student cope with schizophrenia in one of five interconnected tales dealing with mental illness.
Middle-aged widow Beatrice Hunsdorfer and her daughters Ruth and Matilda are struggling to survive in a society they barely understand. Beatrice dreams of opening an elegant tea room but does not have the wherewithal to achieve her lofty goal. Epileptic Ruth is a rebellious adolescent, while shy but highly intelligent and idealistic Matilda seeks solace in her pets and school projects, including one designed to show how small amounts of radium affect marigolds.
In a suburban landscape, the lives of several families interlace with loss, despair and personal crisis. Esther Gold has lost focus on all but caring for her comatose son, Paul, and neglects her daughter and husband. Lawyer Jim Train is devoted to his career, not his family. Helen Christianson wants to find a new spark in life, while Annette Jennings tries to rebuild hers.
A young man with a bright future suffers a near-fatal accident and recreates his new life with the help of an unlikely animal friend.
A nightmarish evening unfolds for neighbors David and Robert when they accidentally hit a woman on her bike and flee the scene. While David is increasingly plagued by feelings of guilt, Robert shows no remorse and becomes overbearing and possessive.
Jamie Fitzpatrick and Nona Alberts are two women from opposites sides of the social and economic track, but they have one thing in common: a mission to fix their community's broken school and ensure a bright future for their children. The two women refuse to let any obstacles stand in their way as they battle a bureaucracy that's hopelessly mired in traditional thinking, and they seek to re-energize a faculty that has lost its passion for teaching.
94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.
While serving life in prison, a young man looks back at the people, the circumstances and the system that set him on the path toward his crime.
After Faye and her psychotic boyfriend, Vince, successfully rob a mob courier, Faye decides to abscond with the loot. She heads to Reno, where she hires feckless private investigator Jack Andrews to help fake her death. He pulls the scheme off and sets up Faye with a new identity, only to have her skip out on him without paying. Jack follows her to Vegas and learns he's not the only one after her. Vince has discovered that she's still alive.