News

Despite its so-so critical reputation John Ford’s cavalry picture is still a superior Civil War drama, making excellent use of a real historical incident. The conflicts between John Wayne’s commander, William Holden’s doctor and Constance Ford’s unexpected prisoner play well — plus Ford manages scores of great images and a handful of classic scenes. Seeing it with the help of Joseph McBride’s commentary helps too — the story behind the movie is interesting in itself. And we’re told that Wayne never personally fires a shot in the film!

The Horse Soldiers

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1959 / Color / 1:85 / 120 min. / Street Date June 14, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: John Wayne, William Holden, Constance Towers, Ken Curtis, Willis Bouchey, O.Z. Whitehead, Althea Gibson, Anna Lee, Jack Pennick, Hoot Gibson, Hank Worden, Denver Pyle, Strother Martin, Carleton Young, Russell Simpson, William Wellman, Jr..

Cinematography: William H. Clothier

Art Director: Frank Hotaling...

White House Farm is a dramatisation of the Jeremy Bamber story, a horrible case that saw the killing of five members of the same family including two children. The show came to ITV in 2020 in week by week episodes and has now arrived on Netflix in a full boxset. It’s a compelling look at what happened in 1985 at a remote farmhouse and the man who was convicted of the murders, as well as the dogged cop who wouldn’t settle for the obvious answer despite the negative impact it had on his career.

While elements of the story are fictionalised it’s a series which tries to capture the essence of the main players as well as the backdrop in 80s Britain which might have hampered justice being done. While parochial compared to massive scale Netflix docs like The Night Stalker: Hunt for a Serial Killer, this is still...

White House Farm.

White House Farm, a British true crime drama created by Kris Mrksa and co-written with Giula Sandler, has been acquired by HBO Max for North America.

The WarnerMedia-owned streaming service will air the six-part series, which centres on the notorious murder of three generations of one family at an isolated English farmhouse in 1985, next year.

BBC Studios acquired the Australian rights to the drama directed by Paul Whittigton and produced by Lee Thomas for New Pictures (Catherine the Great).

Freddie Fox plays Jeremy Bamber, who was jailed for life for killing his parents June and Nevill Bamber, their adopted daughter Sheila and grandchildren Daniel and Nicholas.

Alfie Allen plays Bamber’s friend Brett Collins with Mark Addy as Stan Jones, the detective who is convinced Bamber, who first called police to the farm, is guilty. Mrksa wrote four episodes and Sandler penned two.

Bamber, one of...

HBO Max has picked the U.S. rights to British crime drama White House Farm starring The Irishman’s Stephen Graham and Black ’47’s Freddie Fox.

The WarnerMedia-owned streaming service will air the six-part series in the States next year after striking a deal with All3Media International.

It is the latest British title snapped up by the streamer, following deals with BBC Studios for Doctor Who as well as Ricky Gervais’ The Office, Top Gear, Luther, The Honorable Woman, Pure, Trigonometry, Stath Lets Flats, Home and Ghosts.

The show, which is produced by Catherine The Great producer New Pictures, sees Graham, who also starred in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, plays Dci ‘Taff’ Jones and Fox plays Jeremy Bamber. The factual drama that tells the story of when members of the same family were murdered at an Essex farmhouse. Mark Addy, Gemma Whelan, Mark Stanley, Alexa Davies, Cressida Bonas, Alfie Allen,...