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Lee Remick's TV movies

posted 11 years ago by TVmovieViewer
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Another thread to discuss the TV movies of another "Queen of the TV movies". Here are the ones I've seen:

1. Hustling (1975) Lee stars as a NYC journalist doing a story about a streetwalker (Jill Clayburgh, in an annoying performance). The movie is so-so. The dvd is not very good quality.

2. Torn Between Two Lovers (1979) Lee stars as a married mother who meets an old man at an airport, and has an ongoing affair with him. This slow-moving movie has a moody, serious tone and the dvd is excellent quality.

3. Haywire (1980) Lee stars in this true story as a famous actress of the 1940's and 50's who committed suicide, which led to her daughter committing suicide as well. This one is also so-so and the dvd is terrific quality.

4. The Women's Room (1980) Lee stars as a housewife in this women's lib story that spans 30 years. Ted Danson and Gregory Harrison play her husband and boyfriend. Patty Duke and Tyne Daly have supporting roles as her friends. This one is very good, but it has never been released on dvd or vhs.

5. The Letter (1982) Lee stars in this remake of the classic Bette Davis movie. This one's only so-so and it has never been released on vhs or dvd.

6. The Gift of Love: A Christmas Story (1983) Lee stars as a woman who gets to go back in time to spend Christmas with her dead relatives (Angela Lansbury & Polly Holiday). This one isn't great and the dvd is poor quality.

7. Rearview Mirror (1984) This is my very favorite of all of her TV movies. Lee stars as a motorist who is abducted and held hostage by criminals who are traveling across several states. This one is very suspenseful and exciting, and it gets my highest recommendation! Unfortunately it has never been released on dvd or vhs.

8. A Good Sport (1984) Lee stars as a NYC fashion editor who quarrels with (and is eventually romanced by) a fat old sports writer. The best part of this one is that Lee looks terrific, and it was shot on location in New York City. Never on vhs or dvd.

9. Toughlove (1985) Lee takes a supporting role in this movie about a teenager (Jason Patric) who is a delinquent drug addict. Lee plays his mom, Bruce Dern plays his dad, and Piper Laurie plays his girlfriend's mom. Only on vhs.

10. Of Pure Blood (1986) Lee's son dies while studying in Germany. She learns that he fathered a baby in Germany and she travels to Germany to unravel the mystery of his death, and to meet her baby granddaughter. She learns that her father was one of the worst nazis during World War II, and that her uncle was trying to get her son and granddaughter to join their movement. On vhs only.

11. Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murder (1987) This is my other favorite of her TV movies. Lee stars as a money-hungry NYC society woman. She tries to convince her grown sons to kill her wealthy father. Very highly recommended! The dvd is great quality.

12. Jesse (1988) Lee stars as a doctor's receptionist in a small town. The town is so small that the doctor only travels there once a week, while Lee sees and treats his patients every other day of the week. She is investigated and arrested and put on trial for practicing medicine without a license. This is an interesting true story. On vhs only.

13. Bridge to Silence (1989) Lee has a supporting role. Marlee Matlin stars as a deaf woman whose husband and children die in a car accident. Lee plays Marlee's unsupportive mother, who never bothered to learn sign language, and who always told Marlee that she should learn to read lips and speak out loud to communicate. This one's pretty good. On vhs only.

14. Dark Holiday (1989) Lee plays an American tourist who is arrested and imprisoned in a Turkish prison. Not great, but it's ok. Never released on vhs or dvd. Sadly this was Lee's final performance before her death.

[–] rnigma-1 11 years ago

"Torn Between Two Lovers" was inspired by Mary MacGregor's hit song (she recorded it anew for the movie). It was directed by Delbert Mann, who directed "Marty" and other theatrical movies.

[–] Sandoz 11 years ago

One of Lee Remick's best TV films is also the first mini-series made for television from 1974, QB VII, based on a novel by Leon Uris. It's really more of a showcase for her two male stars, Ben Gazzara and Anthony Hopkins, and her role as Gazzara's girlfriend wasn't very flashy, but her presence in the project (since she was primarily a "movie-star" and hadn't done much TV) lent the the film another level of prestige. Hopkins is outstanding in this.

"We're fighting for your honor...which is more than you've ever done!"

[–] TVmovieViewer 11 years ago

Gideon, I agree- it's so tragic that she died so young. I recently found photos of her final public appearance (almost exactly 2 months before she died) and she looked terrible. She looked nothing like the beauty she still was in her final TV movie, only 2 years earlier.
I agree that her performance in Nutcracker was Emmy-worthy- at least she was nominated.

[–] TVmovieViewer 10 years ago

I recently watched another one of Lee Remicks's TV movies, so i thought I'd add it to the list:

15. Breaking Up (1978) Lee plays a married well-off housewife whose husband announces he's leaving her for no apparent reason. Then the focus turns to Lee looking for a job, and then dating again. Much is made about the fact that Lee is older than all of the women she's competing against for a job, and I assumed that Lee was playing a woman in her 40s (her real age at the time) but later into the movie we learn that Lee is playing a woman in her late 30s.... I honestly don't think that a woman in her 30s who was as beautiful as Lee would have much difficulty finding work..... Anyway, I definitely enjoyed this movie and I highly recommend it to Lee's fans!