BBC FilmsOverview
Most widely held works about
BBC Films
Most widely held works by
BBC Films
The boy in the striped pajamas
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6 editions published between 2009 and 2011 in English and held by 1,836 libraries worldwide Set in Poland during World War II. Innocent and naive 8-year-old Bruno is bored and restless in his new home. Ignoring his mother, he sets off on an adventure in the woods. He comes across a high fence which separates him from the people he can see through it. Soon he meets a young boy in striped pajamas, and a surprising friendship develops.
Becoming Jane
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10 editions published between 2007 and 2011 in English and held by 1,749 libraries worldwide The year is 1795 and Jane Austen is a feisty 20-year-old. The emerging writer already sees a world beyond class and commerce, pride and prejudice, and dreams of doing what was then nearly unthinkable--marrying for love. Her parents prefer a wealthy husband, to assure their daughter's future social standing, and are eyeing Mr. Wisley, nephew to the very rich and very formidable Lady Gresham, as a prospective match. But when Jane meets the roguish and decidedly non-aristocratic Tom Lefroy, sharp repartee leads to flying sparks. His intellect and arrogance raise her ire - then knock her head over heels. The couple, whose flirtation flies in the face of the sense and sensibility of the age, is faced with a terrible dilemma. If they attempt to marry, they will risk everything that matters - family, friends and fortune.
The duchess
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8 editions published between 2008 and 2009 in English and held by 1,651 libraries worldwide Based on a true story it is, in its way, a horror story, this portrait of a dazzling young woman at the mercy of the misfortunes of love and the inequalities of the age in which she lived. Married off as an innocent 17-year-old to a much older man, his only interest in the match is her ability to produce a male heir. Installed within the gilded cage of marriage, she discovers he expresses more affection for his dogs than for her. When the first child is female, he takes a mistress and ignores her, until she finds true love--insisting on his lordly right to thwart her. Although she fights hard for her own piece of happiness, eventually, she has to make a choice many, many women will recognize.
Revolutionary road
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4 editions published in 2009 in English and held by 1,644 libraries worldwide Frank and April Wheeler live a life that appears to be perfect. They live in the Connecticut suburbs with two young children. Frank commutes to New York City where he works in an office job that he hates and has yet to figure out what his passion in life is. April is a housewife who forgoes her dream of being an actress. They are not happy. One day, April suggests that they move to Paris as a means to rejuvenate their life. Initially skeptical, Frank ultimately agrees to April's plan. When circumstances change around the Wheelers, April decides she will do whatever she has to to get herself out of her unhappy existence.
The other Boleyn girl
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3 editions published in 2008 in English and held by 1,590 libraries worldwide Anne Boleyn is a doe-eyed vixen who is ordered by her power-hungry uncle to bewitch King Henry VIII. Her shy sister Mary has always been in Anne's shadow. Anne is prettier, more accomplished, and desired by many men. So when the King picks Mary as his mistress, Anne turns on her sister and schemes to become not only the King's consort, but his new queen. Though the Boleyn girls' mother points out that her 'daughters are being traded like cattle for the advancement of men, ' it is Anne who ultimately throws her slight weight around to bully Henry into doing her bidding.
Persuasion
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9 editions published between 1995 and 2004 in English and held by 1,585 libraries worldwide When Anne Elliot turned down Captain Wentworth's proposal of marriage, she allowed herself to be persuaded by her snobbish family's conviction of his unworthiness. But now, after a separation of eight years, Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth are to meet again and the tables have turned. Her former lover's fortunes have prospered and he is now returned from a career at sea both eligible and affluent. Anne's father, Sir Walter Elliot of Kellynch Hall, has been forced to lease their home and move the family into a rather small abode in Bath. Just as Anne now recognizes the false values that persuaded her to reject Captain Wentworth, so she must accept that his heart now seems set upon the youth and beauty of the impetuous Louisa Musgrove.
An education
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5 editions published in 2010 in English and held by 1,563 libraries worldwide In the early 1960's, 16-year-old Jenny Mellor lives with her parents in a London suburb. She is smart, pretty, and working toward her goal of being accepted into Oxford. Her life will take a big turn when she meets David, a man twice her age. Now she must decide if she will pursue an education at Oxford, or if she will choose to learn all that a charismatic older man can teach her.
Notes on a scandal
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5 editions published in 2007 in English and held by 1,558 libraries worldwide Barbara is a cynical schoolteacher who is close to retirement. Her only means of taking the edge off her desperate loneliness is writing in her journal. Sheba is a younger, attractive woman, who joins the faculty as an art teacher. Barbara watches her from afar and has nothing but caustic things to say in her diary. Barbara finds herself reaching out to Sheba. Sheba responds by inviting her to dinner at her house to meet Sheba's lecturer husband and their two children. Later, when Barbara discovers that Sheba is having a sexual relationship with a 15-year old student, Barbara realizes that knowledge of this secret gives her power over Sheba which she can use for her own purposes. Sheba becomes uneasy with Barbara's friendship. The tenuous relationship between the two women reaches a crisis point when Barbara's cat is dying and she asks Sheba to go with her to the vet. Sheba chooses to go with her family to see their son in a play instead. In revenge, Barbara sets in motion the scandal that will rock both their lives in ways they never imagined.
Bright star
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4 editions published in 2010 in English and held by 1,425 libraries worldwide Nineteenth century poet John Keats and the girl next door, Fanny Brawne, started out as unlikely lovers who were totally at odds with each other. However, when Brawne offers to help Keats nurse his seriously ill brother, the two soon became involved in an unstoppable romance that only his untimely death at age 25 could bring to a shattering end.
Match point
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3 editions published in 2006 in English and held by 1,419 libraries worldwide Former tennis pro Chris Wilton stumbles into good fortune when Chloe Hewett, the daughter of a wealthy businessman and the sister of one of his tennis students, falls in love with him. But when Chris meets Nola, a much deeper passion is stirred. His desire isn't deterred even after he discovers that Nola is already dating Chloe's brother. But when their affair threatens Chris's increasingly cozy lifestyle, Chris begins to consider a drastic solution.
Billy Elliot
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4 editions published between 2001 and 2009 in English and Italian and held by 1,379 libraries worldwide Eleven-year-old miner's son Billy Elliot is on his way to boxing lessons when he stumbles upon a ballet class. Billy secretly joins the class, knowing that his blue-collar family would never understand.
Fast food nation
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4 editions published between 2006 and 2007 in English and held by 1,317 libraries worldwide An ensemble drama examining the health issues and social consequences of America's love affair with fast food.
The men who stare at goats
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7 editions published in 2010 in English and held by 1,314 libraries worldwide Reporter Bob Wilton is trying to lose himself in the romance of war after his marriage fails. He gets more than he bargains for when he meets a special forces agent who reveals the existence of a secret, military unit whose goal is to end war as we know it. With unparalleled psychic powers, they can read the enemy's thoughts, pass through solid walls, and even kill a goat by simply staring at it. Now, the founder of the unit has gone missing and the trail leads to another psychic soldier who has distorted the mission to serve his own ends.
Brideshead revisited
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2 editions published between 2008 and 2009 in English and held by 1,149 libraries worldwide When the charming aristocrat Sebastian invites Charles Ryder to his family's estate, Charles becomes seduced by the opulent lifestyle of the Marchmain family, and by Julia, Sebastian's sister. As their romance deepens, repercussions follow, and Charles discovers that at Brideshead, love, money and power come at a price.
Iris
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11 editions published between 2001 and 2003 in English and held by 1,129 libraries worldwide Adapted from the memoirs of literary critic John Bayley, the film recounts his courtship of and long marriage to British novelist Iris Murdoch. The scenario tacks back and forth from the young Iris--ready to seduce one and all with her coy command of words and sex appeal--to the elder Iris--slowly giving way to the cruel erasure of Alzheimer's.
As you like it
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5 editions published between 2006 and 2008 in English and Spanish and held by 1,120 libraries worldwide Rosalind is the daughter of banished Duke Senior and is being raised at the court of Duke Frederick, with her cousin Celia. She falls in love with a young man named Orlando, but she is banished by Duke Frederick, who threatens death if she comes near the court again. Celia goes with Rosalind. Disguised as the boy Ganymede, Rosalind enters the forest of Arden. Upon their arrival in the forest, they happen upon Orlando and his manservant, who are fleeing the wrath of Orlando's eldest brother. What follows is an elaborate scheme devised by the cross-dressing Rosalind to find out the verity of Orlando's supposed passion for her, and to further capture his heart, through the witty and mischievous façade of Ganymede.
Eastern promises
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9 editions published between 2007 and 2008 in English and held by 1,110 libraries worldwide Anna, a midwife at a North London hospital, finds the diary of a Russian teenager who dies giving birth to a baby, and resolves to find the young girls' relatives in the hopes of providing the orphaned child with a loving family. As Anna follows the clues the diary provides, she finds evidence of a local Russian mob's criminal activities, and meets Nikolai, a formidable mob enforcer. Anna and Nikolai find themselves growing close as the Russian mobsters behind the girl's death become aware of Anna's discoveries regarding their crimes.
Mrs. Henderson presents
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4 editions published in 2006 in English and held by 1,106 libraries worldwide Recently widowed and well-to-do Laura Henderson needs a diversion to see her through war torn London. On a whim she buys the derelict Windmill theatre in the West End and persuades impresario Vivian Van Damm to run it. The two don't seem to get along at all. Although their idea of a non-stop revue is at first a success, other theatres begin to copy the idea and disaster looms. Laura suggests they put nudes in the show, but Van Damm points out that the Lord Chamberlain, who licenses live shows in Britain, is likely to have something to say about this. Luckily for Laura, she is friends with him.
Edge of darkness
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4 editions published in 2010 in English and held by 1,050 libraries worldwide The bullet that killed his daughter was meant for Boston cop Thomas Craven. That's what police brass and Craven himself think, but that's not what the investigation finds. Clue after clue and witness after witness, the search leads him into a shadowy realm where money and political intrigue intersect. If Craven wasn't a target before, he, and anyone linked to his inquiry, now is.
Jane Eyre
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3 editions published in 2011 in English and held by 811 libraries worldwide When orphaned governess Jane Eyre arrives at imposing Thornfield Hall, she's intrigued by her brooding, wealthy employer, Rochester. His dark moods and the strange occurrences in the house lead her to discover a terrible secret that he had hoped to hide from her forever. more
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Adultery Austen, Jane,--1775-1817 Biographical films Boys Brothers and sisters Comedy films Comedy films Drama England England--London Families Feature films Feature films Fiction films Film adaptations Film adaptations Film and video adaptations Films for the hearing impaired France--Paris Friendship Great Britain Historical films History Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Love Manners and customs Man-woman relationships Married people Married women Melodrama Motion pictures New York (State)--New York Nobility Poets, English Romance films Romantic comedy films Sisters Swindlers and swindling Teenage boys Teenage girls Thrillers (Motion pictures) Triangles (Interpersonal relations) United States Video recordings Video recordings for the hearing impaired Video recordings--for the hearing impaired War films Women novelists, English World War (1939-1945) Young women
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Alternative Names
British Broadcasting Corporation. Television Service. BBC Films
Languages
English
(817)
French (7) Persian (6) Spanish (6) Undetermined (5) Russian (4) German (2) No Linguistic content (2) Italian (2) Pushto (2) Polish (1) Covers
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