Pictures (1981)

Peter McEnery stars as a scriptwriter who finds his muse in the studio cafeteria. Inspired by the dreams and ambitions of a star-struck waitress (Wendy Morgan), he begins writing the best script of his life - based entirely on the girl. Day after day, the writer and the waitress meet. He wants to work on the script, blind to the fact that she has fallen hopelessly in love with him...and he with her. Temperamental producers, tempestuous stars and a host of other characters provide a kaleidoscope of life in the silent-day movie world...when the waitress of today could be the star of tomorrow.

Such a charming series

I love this series. I saw it when I was 10 years old and I loved it then. I ordered it now curious to see what it was I loved, and if it stood the test of time. And it did, it does. Wendy Morgan is breathtaking: her performance is full-stop brilliant. I love how she says "Keep away" in episode 5; watch it, you'll see what I mean. Peter McEnery struck me as initially too old for his character; but as the series goes on, he inhabits it even more fully, and brings a cheerfully rogueish youthfulness to the role. (In the same "Keep away" scene, there's suddenly such a romantic pathos to the series: it opens and expands and deepens so suddenly, it's wonderful to see.) Harry Towb is often one-note, but he hits that one-note well; when he finally does expand late in the series, the whole story seems epic. It's a delightful show, and the only sad thing is that it apparently did not make Wendy Morgan the gigantic star she deserved to become. July 25, 2007

An old Masterpiece Theater favorite

"Pictures," starring Peter McEnery, Wendy Morgan, and Anton Rodgers, was written by Roy Clarke, who also wrote "Flickers" (starring Bob Hoskins and Frances de la Tour), as well as a number of TV BritComs. Clarke's snappy wit and quirky characters are great fun. "Flickers" is about the fledgling film industry in the UK in the early 1900's, while "Pictures" takes place in the late 1920's, heyday of the silent film era. Peter McEnery plays Bill, a writer who runs into a pretty little screwball with a burning ambition to be in pictures. She exasperates and capitvates him, and he realizes that her crazy story can become the studio's biggest hit. Obstacles on the bumpy road to his dream-movie include the producer in professional exile from the US, whose main ambition is to get back to the States; the fading star who tipples too much; and the American banker-backer, who decides that his lovely but talentless mistress should play the lead in Bill's picture.

If you liked "Flickers," odds are you'll like "Pictures."

When "Flickers" was released on DVD, I snapped it up and kept searching the Internet to see if "Pictures" was hiding out anywhere. It was, and is, at Amazon. And I do mean hiding because all of my initial searches yielded nothing. When I finally did find it, I wasn't sure I'd really found it after all. Amazon has the right photo of the DVD cover on the web page, but none of the actors listed in the description appear in the movie. Further research via Amazon's link to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) indicates that it has the same title as a film made in New Zealand the same year (1981). I wasn't sure what I'd get, but I took a chance, ordered "Pictures" from Amazon, and was delighted to find I'd received the DVD I wanted.

November 10, 2006

Great little known movie!!!

This is a great romantic little known romantic movie about stardom.It's a must see!!!!!!!!!!!! July 19, 2005

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