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A select Filmography continued (Possible SPOILERS!):
The following projects I have either not seen yet or I've seen them so long ago that I don't remember much.
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Chain Letter (1988) as The Messenger of Death (TV Movie)
IMDb has next to nothing about this project. Did it ever actually aire? I would LOVE to see Ian McShane as The Messanger of Death.
Yahoo TV has this description:
From his posh netherworld penthouse, The Messenger of Death -- a suave, handsome incarnation of the Devil himself -- enters the life of a publishing house editor and subjects her to a series of corrupting temptations calculated to spell her doom. Ambitious young editor Janet Coulter disobeys the commands set forth in a chain letter she receives from The Messenger of Death, and thus begins for her a series of evil experiences in which temptation is repeatedly thrust in her path. The Messenger, cloaked in insidious disguises, pervades Janet's world, dogging her every step, coaxing her into plagiarism, treachery and blackmail.
I definitely want to see this ...
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Dallas (1989) Four Episodes as Don Lockwood (TV Series)
Never watched the show, but look at that big hair!
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Deathrace 3000 (2008) as ??
This is a remake of a cult classic starring David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone. I don't remember much about the original other than the hand granade ... I still giggle about that. Anyway, the original had to do with racers getting points for hitting pedestrians - a sort of population control. In this version, the racers are prisoners forced to race, but other than that, I don't know much about it. Ian plays, I think, a mechanic and driving coach. It's not out yet.
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Disraeli (1978) as Benjamin Disraeli (TV Mini Series)
Sounds interesting and doesn't he look quite like the real guy? Right down to the little curl over his forhead.
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"Evergreen" (1985) as Paul Lerner (TV Mini Series)
I really don't know a thing about this, but I've read some glowing reviews.
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The Golden Compass (2007) as the voice of Ragnar Sturlusson
This came out in December and Ian McShane is the voice of the big (evil) polar bear. I have just finished the book and that bear is a bit of an idiot in the book. Still, if the film is faithful, it should be an impressive fight at the end.
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Grace Kelly (1983) as Prince Rainier of Monaco (TV Movie)
I'm pretty sure I've seen this, but no memory what-so-ever.
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ITV Playhouse: Funeral Games (1968) as Caufield (TV Play)
I will most likely never get a chance to see this - these kinds of shows don't usually come out on video or dvd and it won't aire on any US station now, so unless some friend in the UK manages to tape it as a rerun and I manage to convert their PAL video to NTSC, well, you can judge the odds for yourself. I have, however, read the script - it's another odd, odd little story by Joe Orton - his characters are always twisted. So long as the actors played it straight, I'm sure the production was hilarious.
Caufield - the character played by Ian - is a private investigator hired by the Reverend Pringle to snoop on his wife Tessa whom he suspects of having an affair. For her part, Tessa is merely playing nurse-maid for the ill Mr. McCorquodale - a defrocked priest - there is no hanky-panky going on. Caufield discovers this (and more) when he breaks into McCorquodale's house and interviews the man. What he also discovers is, the man has killed his wife and buried her in the coal cellar after catching her in flangrante with the leader of the religious cult they used to belong to. It later comes out that his wife was Tessa's friend for whom she has been searching and the cult leader in question was none other than Pringle himself. Pringle wants to kill his wife for cheating and hires Caulfield to do it, but it gets really complicated really fast.
Caufiled is a cold bastard, though. He walks right in and takes aim at an innocent woman and pulls the trigger. And misses. LOL! I would really love to see this some day.
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Kung Fu Panda (2008) as the voice of Tai Lung (Animated)
Okay, it's out now, but I have not seen it yet. It's about Po (Jack Black) - a portly Panda who dreams of being a kung fu master. When the evil Tai Lung (McShane) escapes from prison, Po will have to face his destiny and become the new Dragon Master. Sounds like a cool movie and this character looks WAY COOL, doesn't he? Thanks to KT for the image.
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Life of Shakespeare (1978) as Christopher Marlowe (TV Mini Series)
Christopher Marlowe is one of my fave playwrights, so what could be better? How about Tim Curry playing Shakespeare? (Really, though, in this pic, doesn't he remind you of Rowan Atkinson as Blackadder?)
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Madson (1996) as John Madson (6 episodes, 1996)
This is either a short-lived series or a mini-series which McShane produced as well as starred in. Another project I will probably never get a chance to see, but I have read the novelization, which is not very well written, but that doesn't mean the series wasn't good. The story is about John Madson who has just gotten out of prison after serving 8 years of a life sentence for murdering his wife - a crime he didn't commit. While inside, he got a law degree, and has successfully won his own appeal. Immediately, he rushes to the hospital to see his 22 year old son who is in a coma from a drug overdose. He quickly charms his way into a job as a clerk with a prestigious law firm and sets out to find out who really killed his wife and why he was framed for it. A lot of it makes little sense to me, but I'm hoping that's just the bad writing of the novelization and that the characters are more fleshed out in the actual series. Only 6 episodes, but it sounds interesting and I would love to see this some day.
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Shrek the Third (2007) as voice of Captain Hook (Animated)
Thanks to KT for the screen cap image of Capt Hook!
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Sitting Target (1972) as Birdy Williams
I know I've seen this years ago and I recall being ... shocked? Frightened? I dunno. It stars Oliver Reed and Ian McShane and the only bit I actually recall is a scene where (and am I even remembering this correctly?) McShane is visiting Reed in prison and there's a glass partition separating them as prisons usually have. Must be shatter proof, right?? Reed gets really mad - I think he realizes McShane has been sleeping with his wife while he has been inside - anyway, he lunges and bursts through that shatter proof glass to grab McShane around the throat. It was, like, WHOA! Reed was a couple inches taller and plenty of pounds heavier than McShane and the pure animal rage he displayed busting through that glass scared the bejeesus out of me. Heck, I may be remembering this all wrong - wouldn't be the first time I have vividly remembered a scene only to get my hands on a video and discover no trace of said scene. *IF* I ever find this one on video or dvd, I'll let y'all know ...
-- After reading several reviews, it seems I was remembering it wrong. Reed as Harry and McShane as Birdy are both in prison when Harry's wife (played by Jill St. John) comes to visit and she tells Harry she is pregnant by another man and wants a divorce. It is his WIFE he busts through the glass to try to strangle and NOT his pal Birdy. (Still, it did scare the bejeesus out of me). Harry and Birdy then escape and Birdy follows Harry on his quest to murder his cheating wife and the guy she's been sleeping with. Still ... I could have sworn Oliver Reed's character turned on Ian McShane's during the film ...
I ordered a copy of this film, but alas, it seems to have gotten lost in the mail. (heavy sigh) Interestingly, the music soundtrack has just recently been released. It's available at Amazon, but it's pricey. I'm wondering if maybe this means they'll re-release the film itself on dvd soon - maybe remastered with commentary? We can but hope!
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Soul Survivors (1995) as Otis Cooke (TV Movie)
I've seen this one too, and I recall it being a really fun film - with great music and a lot of enthusiasm. I'll need to see it again to rate it properly, but I bet it'll get at least a 3 or 4 ... McShane plays a DJ determined to reunite an old soul group and he ends up going all over the country searching.
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Villain (1971) as Wolfe Lissner
Richard Burton and Ian McShane as mobsters AND lovers - I've read mixed reviews, but I gotta see it at least once.
I have this film on video, but unfortunately it is in PAL format, so I can't actually watch it till I can get it converted.
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West Wing (2002) one episode "Enemies, Foreign and Domestic" as Nikolai Ivanovich (TV Series)
One source I read lists Ivanovich as a Russian negotiator, but another says he is the new Russian President. Either way, he's Russian! I never watched the show, but it's out on DVD, so maybe I'll catch this ep soon.
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Whose Life is it Anyway? (1972) as Ken Harrison
This is a TV play that I will probably never get a chance to see, but I have read the stage script. The story is about a patient - called Claire Harrison in the script - who is paralyzed and who is fighting for the right to die. Could be quite moving, I think ...
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Wuthering Heights (1967) as Heathcliff (TV Mini Series)
Doesn't he look all broody with angst? This was the first of many mini series' to come.
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Young and Willing (aka The Wild and The Willing) (1962) as Harry
His VERY FIRST film - college life with a young John Hurt as his roomie.
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