For decades, the British cinemagoing experience was dominated by the double bill. You could enjoy two films, sometimes in the most eclectic pairing, for the price of one with the interesting bit in the middle. Network's DOUBLE BILL range replicates this retro viewing experience with some classic films, contemporary adverts, trailers and more.
Seance on a Wet Afternoon/Ring of Spies:
Kim Stanley and Richard Attenborough give outstanding performances in this classy British thriller, with Attenborough winning a BAFTA for Best British Actor and Stanley scoring an Oscar nomination. It was written and directed by Bryan Forbes - who also won a Writers Guild award, an Edgar and a BAFTA nomination.
Myra Savage, a highly-strung spiritual medium, convinces her weak-willed husband to fake a child kidnapping so she can offer her services to the parents when all seems lost. Though horrified at the prospect, he reluctantly goes along with the plan - but becomes more convinced than ever that Myra is losing her grip on reality.
There have always been spies - men and women who have pried for patriotism, for religion, for love... or for money. This tense drama is based on the true story of the Portland spy ring - an unlikely Soviet operation that took place in southern England during the late 1950s/early '60s. Directed by Robert Tronson, Ring of Spies stars Bernard Lee, William Sylvester, Margaret Tyzack and David Kossoff.
An antiquarian bookseller and his wife; a disgruntled, hard-drinking naval clerk and the lonely secretary he recruits; a polished Soviet agent who assumes the identity of a dead Canadian citizen... the players in a familiar Cold War duel between Soviet intelligence and British counter-espionage - and a trade in deadly secrets directed from a bungalow in suburban Ruislip, hidden for years from unsuspecting neighbours and British spycatchers.
Hawk the Slayer/The Medusa Touch:
An undoubted pop culture classic, Hawk the Slayer continues to amaze viewers with its fearless combination of swords and sorcery, bloodthirsty revenge and brotherly violence - all topped off with a disco-style soundtrack! This classic fantasy stars Jack Palance, John Terry and a host of British character actors!
When his father is mortally wounded at the hands of his brother - the evil wizard Voltan - Hawk is bequeathed a magical sword which responds to his thoughts. Swearing vengeance on his brother, he gathers together a trusty band of giants, dwarves, elves and witches - together these warriors will end Voltan's reign of terror forever, or die trying.
Directed by Jack Gold from a script by Oscar winner John Briley, The Medusa Touch is a star-studded, fast-paced thriller with a spectacular, spine-chilling climax, and stars Richard Burton in what author and critic Kim Newman calls his "best screen work of the 1970s".
John Morlar, a well-known novelist, is savagely attacked in his London flat. Barely alive, he is taken to hospital, and Brunel, a French detective currently based in the capital, is assigned to the case. His investigations lead him to Morlar's psychiatrist, who discloses that her patient is obsessed: Morlar feels he bears an awesome telekinetic power - the capacity to "will" destruction and death by making airplanes crash and buildings crumble, start raging fires and unleash mighty floods. Preposterous though it seems, Morlar's power is sickeningly real - he is able to wreak havoc at will and seemingly can't be stopped!
