Desperate Remedies

Nov 26, 1993

1h 33m

★ 5.7

Colonial romancing and complicating...

Overview

In a town called Hope on the edge of Britain's empire, desperations clash: the beautiful Dorothea Brook is desperate to free her pregnant sister Rose from the clutches of Fraser, a fortune hunter. A local politician, William Poyner, is desperate for cash and thinks marriage to Dorothea will save him. Dorothea hires Lawrence Hayes, a rough but handsome Argonaut, to bribe Fraser with jewels and to marry Rose; Hayes desperately loves Dorothea and may marry Rose to stay close to her. But Dorothea has a lover, the ravishing Anne Cooper, who encourages the match with Poyser to give the lovers cover. Are these remedies, each desperate in its turn, going to make anyone happy?

Genres

Drama

Production Companies

James Wallace Productions

New Zealand Film Commission

NZ on Air

Avalon/NFU Studios

Desperate Remedies Trailers

Cast

Dorothea Brook

Jennifer Ward-Lealand

Lawrence Hayes

Kevin Smith

Anne Cooper

Lisa Chappell

Fraser

Cliff Curtis

Willam Poyser

Michael Hurst

Gnits

Helen Steemson

Rose

Kiri Mills

Mary Anne

Bridget Armstrong

Mr. Weedle

Timothy Raby

Su Lim

Geeling Ng

Set in puritanical Boston in the mid 1600s, the story of seamstress Hester Prynne, who is outcast after she becomes pregnant by a respected reverend. She refuses to divulge the name of the father, is "convicted" of adultery and forced to wear a scarlet "A" until an Indian attack unites the Puritans and leads to a reevaluation of their laws and morals.

6.6

The Man in the Iron Mask

Mar 12, 1998

Years have passed since the Three Musketeers, Aramis, Athos and Porthos, have fought together with their friend, D'Artagnan. But with the tyrannical King Louis using his power to wreak havoc in the kingdom while his twin brother, Philippe, remains imprisoned, the Musketeers reunite to abduct Louis and replace him with Philippe.

7.3

Dazed and Confused

Sep 24, 1993

The adventures of a group of Texas teens on their last day of school in 1976, centering on student Randall Floyd, who moves easily among stoners, jocks and geeks. Floyd is a star athlete, but he also likes smoking weed, which presents a conundrum when his football coach demands he sign a "no drugs" pledge.

6.1

Plunkett & MacLeane

Jan 22, 1999

Will Plunkett and Captain James Macleane, two men from different ends of the social spectrum in 18th-century England, enter a gentlemen's agreement: They decide to rid the aristocrats of their belongings. With Plunkett's criminal know-how and Macleane's social connections, they team up to be soon known as "The Gentlemen Highwaymen". But when one day these gentlemen hold up Lord Chief Justice Gibson's coach, Macleane instantly falls in love with his beautiful and cunning niece, Lady Rebecca Gibson. Unfortunately, Thief Taker General Chance, who also is quite fond of Rebecca, is getting closer and closer to getting both.

6.5

Out of the Blue

Oct 12, 2006

Ordinary people find extraordinary courage in the face of madness. On 13–14 November 1990 that madness came to Aramoana, a small New Zealand seaside town, in the form of a lone gunman with a high-powered semi-automatic rifle. As he stalked his victims the terrified and confused residents were trapped for 24 hours while a handful of under-resourced and under-armed local policemen risked their lives trying to find him and save the survivors. Based on true events.

6.9

Coco Before Chanel

Apr 22, 2009

Several years after leaving the orphanage, to which her father never returned for her, Gabrielle Chanel finds herself working in a provincial bar. She's both a seamstress for the performers and a singer, earning the nickname Coco from the song she sings nightly with her sister. A liaison with Baron Balsan gives her an entree into French society and a chance to develop her gift for designing.

7.3

Seong Chun-hyang

Jan 28, 1961

Chun-hyang, the only daughter of an old gisaeng named Wolmae, falls in love with Lee Mong-nyong and promises to marry him. But Lee leaves for Seoul with his father who's an aristocrat, and the new governor, Byeon Hakdo, covets Chun-hyang because she is the most beautiful girl in town. When Chun-hyang rejects his order to serve him at night, Governor Byeon sends her to jail. In the mean time, Lee passes the state exam and becomes a special undercover agent of the king. He comes back to where Chun-hyang lives to save her and punishes Governor Byeon.

5.3

The Woman of Wrath

Sep 8, 1984

A woman, married off to an abusive butcher, is overpowered by the twin forces of patriarchy and tradition in Taiwan during circa 1920 to 1945.

6.5

Bajre Da Sitta

Jul 15, 2022

A young woman is blessed with a beautiful voice but is restrained to sing due to the society where she lives in. Even her new husband warns her that if she tries to sing again, he will drop her back at her parent's house.

7.7

The Count of Monte Cristo

Jan 23, 2002

Edmond Dantés's life and plans to marry the beautiful Mercedes are shattered when his best friend, Fernand, deceives him. After spending 13 miserable years in prison, Dantés escapes with the help of a fellow inmate and plots his revenge, cleverly insinuating himself into the French nobility.

6.5

The New World

Dec 25, 2005

A drama about explorer John Smith and the clash between Native Americans and English settlers in the 17th century.

5.9

Hail, Caesar!

Feb 5, 2016

When a Hollywood star mysteriously disappears in the middle of filming, the studio sends their fixer to get him back.

7.4

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

Apr 19, 2018

Free-spirited writer Juliet Ashton forms a life-changing bond with the delightful and eccentric Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, when she decides to write about the book club they formed during the occupation of Guernsey in WWII.

6.6

What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?

May 27, 1999

Five years have passed and Jake has turned his back on his family. He's still up to his usual tricks in McClutchy's Bar, unaware, as he downs his latest opponent, that his eldest son, Nig, has died in a gang fight. The uncomfortable family reunion at Nig's funeral sparks a confrontation with second son, Sonny, and sets Jake and Sonny on a downward spiral.

9.5

Luz, Câmera, 50 Anos: Dalva e Herivelto, Uma Canção de Amor - O Filme

Jan 15, 2015

The singer Dalva de Oliveira and the composer Herivelto Martins lived intensely on the stage and in life. The 13 years of marriage and the disagreements, which gained emphasis with the separation, contributed to an important artistic and cultural production.

0.0

Ablaze

Sep 29, 2019

In November 1947 forty-one people died in a massive blaze that gutted the huge Ballantynes Department Store complex in the heart of Christchurch’s business district. This is the tragic story of New Zealand’s worst fire disaster.

6.7

The Other Boleyn Girl

Feb 28, 2008

A sumptuous and sensual tale of intrigue, romance and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in European history: two beautiful sisters, Anne and Mary Boleyn, driven by their family's blind ambition, compete for the love of the handsome and passionate King Henry VIII.

8.0

I'm Still Here

Sep 19, 2024

A woman married to a former politician during the 1971 military dictatorship in Brazil is forced to reinvent herself and chart a new course for her family after a violent and arbitrary act.

7.8

The Twilight Samurai

Nov 2, 2002

Seibei Iguchi leads a difficult life as a low ranking samurai at the turn of the nineteenth century. A widower with a meager income, Seibei struggles to take care of his two daughters and senile mother. New prospects seem to open up when the beautiful Tomoe, a childhood friend, comes back into he and his daughters' life, but as the Japanese feudal system unravels, Seibei is still bound by the code of honor of the samurai and by his own sense of social precedence. How can he find a way to do what is best for those he loves?