VisionTV’s March movie highlights include Carrington, The Verdict and pirate epic Cutthroat Island

VisionTV remains one of Canadian television’s best destinations for movie lovers, delivering an eclectic selection of feature film classics from the past and present every weeknight at Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT, and on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

VisionTV Movies in March:

The Affair of the Necklace (2001) – Monday, March 1, Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
Hilary Swank followed her Oscar-winning breakthrough performance in Boys Don’t Cry with this extravagant costume drama, set in pre-revolutionary France. Swank plays Jeanne St. Remy de Valois, a minor-league aristocrat who tries to restore her family’s lost honour by launching an elaborate scheme to steal a priceless diamond necklace from Marie Antoinette’s royal jeweler. With Jonathan Pryce, Simon Baker (The Mentalist), Adrien Brody, Christopher Walken and Joely Richardson (as Marie Antoinette). Charles Shyer (Father of the Bride) directed. The script by John Sweet is based on a real-life scandal said to have been a catalyst for the French Revolution.

Inherit the Wind (1960) – Tuesday, March 2, Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
This fictionalized account of the infamous 1925 Scopes “monkey trial” feels even more relevant today than it did nearly half a century ago. Spencer Tracy, as defense attorney Henry Drummond (based on the real-life Clarence Darrow), makes the case for scientific enlightenment, while Fredric March, as prosecutor Matthew Harrison Brady (a stand-in for William Jennings Bryan), speaks up for faith. With Gene Kelly, Dick York and Harry Morgan. Based on the play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. Stanley Kramer directed.

The Black Stallion Returns (1983) – Wednesday, March 3, Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
In this action-packed sequel to the family classic, young Alec (Kelly Reno) pursues thieves who have stolen his beloved black stallion and spirited him away to the Sahara for a race between rival desert tribes. With Woody Strode and Teri Garr. Robert Dalva directed.

Carrington (1995) – Thursday, March 4, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
Oscar-winning screenwriter Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons, Atonement) made his directorial debut with this period drama, which chronicles the strange romance of painter Dora Carrington (played by Emma Thompson) and Eminent Victorians author Lytton Strachey (Jonathan Pryce). The two met in 1915 and, though Strachey was homosexual, began a passionate if entirely platonic love affair that lasted until his death in 1932. Hampton captures the enigmatic nature of their relationship – which for both included an assortment of male lovers, some shared – and paints a vivid portrait of the famed Bloomsbury group of artists and intellectuals to which they belonged. The cast includes Rufus Sewell, Janet McTeer, Jeremy Northam and Alex Kingston. Adapted from Michael Holroyd’s biography Lytton Strachey. Michael Nyman composed the score.

The Good Shepherd (2004) – Thursday, March 4, Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
This Canadian-made thriller stars Christian Slater as a priest who tries to prove the innocence of a fellow cleric accused of murder. With the help of a journalist (and former flame) played by Molly Parker (Deadwood), he uncovers secrets that test his faith. Stephen Rea (V for Vendetta) and Gordon Pinsent (Away from Her) also star. Lewin Webb directed.

Murder, She Said (1961) – Friday, March 5, Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
Veteran character actress Margaret Rutherford played Agatha Christie’s spinster sleuth Miss Jane Marple in four feature film adaptations for MGM. In this first outing, based on Christie’s 4.50 from Paddington, the elderly Miss Marple witnesses a murder through the window of a passing train. Unable to make the police believe her story, Miss Marple decides to investigate on her own, taking a job as a maid at the estate where she suspects the body to be buried. George Pollock directed.

Carrington (1995) – Monday, March 8, Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
See Thursday, March 4 at 9 p.m. ET.

Toys (1992) – Tuesday, March 9, Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
This eccentric fantasy from director Barry Levinson (Diner) stars Robin Williams as Leslie Zevo, the childlike son of a toy factory owner played by Donald O’Connor (Singin’ in the Rain). When the old man dies, control of the operation passes to his brother The General (Harry Potter’s Michael Gambon), who decides it would be more profitable to start churning out war toys, and it’s up to Leslie to return the factory to peaceful pursuits. With Joan Cusack, Robin Wright Penn and LL Cool J.

Escape From Wildcat Canyon (1998) – Wednesday, March 10, Midnight ET / 9 p.m. ET
A grizzled Marine vet (Dennis Weaver) and his young grandson (Pete Flint) struggle to survive after a plane crash strands them in the wilderness. With Peter Keleghan. Marc F. Voizard directed.

Cutthroat Island (1995) – Thursday, March 11, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
Arrrrrr! Who doesn’t love a good pirate movie? Geena Davis swashes a fine buckle as a buccaneer’s feisty daughter bent on recovering a fabulous buried treasure. Matthew Modine co-stars as the handsome scoundrel she enlists to help with her quest, and Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon) plays her nemesis, the villainous Dawg. Director Renny Harlin (Davis’s husband at the time) orchestrates the obligatory swordfights, storms and sea battles. Maury Chaykin also stars.

Apollo: Race to the Moon – Thursday, March 11, Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
Neil Armstrong’s “one small step” on July 20, 1969 was the culmination of a 10-year effort involving nearly half a million people. This feature-length documentary tells the story of the missions that took humankind to the moon – a monumental and often perilous endeavour that stands to this day as one of history’s great achievements. Drawing on NASA’s vast store of archival footage, Apollo: Race to the Moon traces the American lunar quest from the earliest Mercury mission to the world-changing flight of Apollo 11, and beyond.

Jonestown: Paradise Lost (2006)– Friday, March 12, Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
In November 1978, more than 900 members of the Peoples Temple died at Jonestown, the cult’s compound in Guyana – an unfathomable act of mass murder and suicide ordered by their messianic leader, Jim Jones. This feature-length docudrama chronicles the tragic final days of the Peoples Temple, using rarely seen archival footage and exhaustively researched dramatic re-creations, as well as interviews with survivors and key witnesses, including Stephan Jones, son of Jim Jones.

Cutthroat Island (1995) – Monday, March 15, Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
See Thursday, March 11 at 9 p.m. ET.

Raging Bull (1980) – Tuesday, March 16, Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
Martin Scorsese’s biography of champion prizefighter Jake LaMotta – considered by many critics to be one of the greatest American films ever made – celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Robert De Niro claimed an Oscar for his virtuoso performance as LaMotta, a force of nature who rose from the slums of the Bronx to become middleweight champion of the world, but was brought to ruin by his own uncontrollable passions. With Cathy Moriarty and Joe Pesci.

A Family Thing (1996) – Wednesday, March 17, Midnight ET / 9 p.m. ET
Robert Duvall stars as an Arkansas man who discovers that his biological mother was black, and travels to Chicago to meet his long-lost half brother, played by James Earl Jones. Irma P. Hall and Michael Beach also star. Billy Bob Thornton co-wrote the screenplay. Richard Pearce directed.

The Verdict (1982) – Thursday, March 18, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
Paul Newman gives one of his greatest performances in this Oscar-nominated courtroom drama from director Sidney Lumet. Newman plays Frank Galvin, an alcoholic, self-destructive Boston lawyer who seizes upon one last chance for redemption when he takes on a malpractice suit against a Catholic hospital. With flawless supporting performances from Charlotte Rampling, James Mason, Jack Warden and Lindsay Crouse. David Mamet wrote the screenplay.

Murder Unveiled (2005) – Thursday, March 18, Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
Inspired by real-life events, this Gemini Award-winning TV movie tells the story of a Punjabi-Canadian woman (played by Anita Majumdar in her screen debut) who defies her wealthy, tradition-bound parents and marries a young man from a lower caste, setting in motion a tragic chain of events. Emmy Award winner Vic Sarin directed.

Francis of Assisi (1961) - Friday, March 19, Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
Michael Curtiz (Casablanca) directed this dramatization of the life of Saint Francis of Assisi (played by Bradford Dillman). The carefree son of a wealthy merchant in 12th century Italy, St. Francis chose to give up all his worldly possessions, devoting himself to God and to caring for the poor. Dolores Hart co-stars as Saint Clare of Assisi, one of his first followers: a nobleman’s daughter who left her family to become a nun. (Life would later imitate art, as actress Hart opted to quit Hollywood and enter a convent; today she is prioress of an abbey in Connecticut.)

Monday, March 22 to Friday, April 2: Regular VisionTV movie programming pre-empted by Holy Week and Easter specials.