19 Movies Starring John Gielgud

Secret Agent

Secret Agent

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1936-06-15

Languages:

English, German, French

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

86 min

Rated:

UNRATED

IMDB Ratings:

6.6 (5683 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Campbell Dixon (play)

W. Somerset Maugham (novel)

Charles Bennett (screenplay)

Ian Hay (dialogue)

Alma Reville (continuity)

Jesse Lasky Jr. (additional dialogue)

Fullplot:

During the first world war, novelist Edgar Brodie is sent to Switzerland by the Intelligence Service. He has to kill a German agent. During the mission he meets a fake general first and then Elsa Carrington who helps him in his duty.

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1953-06-04

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

120 min

Rated:

NOT RATED

IMDB Ratings:

7.4 (7303 Reviews)

Genres:

DramaHistory

Cast:

Writer:

William Shakespeare (play)

Fullplot:

Brutus, Cassius, and other high-ranking Romans murder Caesar, because they believe his ambition will lead to tyranny. The people of Rome are on their side until Antony, Caesar's right-hand man, makes a moving speech. The conspirators are driven from Rome, and two armies are formed: one side following the conspirators; the other, Antony. Antony has the superior force, and surrounds Brutus and Cassius, but they kill themselves to avoid capture.

Becket

Becket

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1964-03-11

Languages:

English, Latin, Welsh

Countries:

UK, USA

Runtime:

148 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

(10492 Reviews)

Director:

Peter Glenville

Cast:

Writer:

Jean Anouilh (play)

Lucienne Hill (play)

Edward Anhalt (screenplay)

Fullplot:

As the story opens, King Henry II, who ruled England from 1154 to 1189 has entered Canterbury Cathedral to do penance at the tomb of his former friend, Thomas Becket. Bare to the waist, the king kneels to receive a flogging from Saxon monks. He begins to reminisce, recalling at first the carefree, promiscuous adventures with Becket, then his favorite drinking and wenching companion. A violently emotional drama that probes the changing relationship between two young men - between two close friends bound together by similar pride of flesh and spirit who become deadly enemies as they pursue their separate destinies . . . that of king . . . and saint.

Chimes at Midnight

Chimes at Midnight

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1967-03-17

Languages:

English

Countries:

France, Spain, Switzerland

Runtime:

115 min

IMDB Ratings:

(4293 Reviews)

Director:

Orson Welles

Cast:

Writer:

William Shakespeare (plays)

Raphael Holinshed (book)

Orson Welles

Fullplot:

Sir John Falstaff is the hero in this compilation of extracts from Shakespeare's 'Henry IV' and other plays, made into a connected story of Falstaff's career as young Prince Hal's drinking companion. The massive knight roisters with and without the prince, philosophizes comically, goes to war (in his own fashion), and meets his final disappointment, set in a real-looking late-medieval England.

The Charge of the Light Brigade

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1968-10-11

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

139 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

6.8 (2083 Reviews)

Director:

Tony Richardson

Fullplot:

A chronicle of events that led to the British involvement in the Crimean War against Russia and which led to the siege of Sevastopol and the fierce Battle of Balaclava on October 25, 1854 which climaxed with the heroic, but near-disastrous cavalry charge made by the British Light Brigade against a Russian artillery battery in a small valley which resulted in the near-destruction of the brigade due to error of judgment and rash planning on part by the inept British commanders.

Providence

Providence

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1977-02-09

Languages:

English

Countries:

France, Switzerland, UK

Runtime:

104 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

7.9 (2087 Reviews)

Director:

Alain Resnais

Genres:

Drama

Fullplot:

Clive Langham (Sir John Gielgud) spends one tormenting night in his bed suffering from health problems and thinking up a story based on his relatives. He is a bitter man and he shows, through flashbacks, how spiteful, conniving and treacherous his family is. But is this how they really are or is it his own vindictive slant on things?

The Elephant Man

The Elephant Man

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1980-10-10

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA, UK

Runtime:

124 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

8.2 (147036 Reviews)

Director:

David Lynch

Cast:

Writer:

Christopher De Vore (screenplay)

Eric Bergren (screenplay)

David Lynch (screenplay)

Frederick Treves (book)

Ashley Montagu (in part on the book "The Elephant Man: A Study in Human Dignity")

Fullplot:

John Merrick (whose real name was Joseph, as this is based on a true story) is an intelligent and friendly man, but he is hated by his Victorian-era English society because he is severely deformed. Once he is discovered by a doctor, however, he is saved from his life in a freak show and he is treated like the human being that he really is.

The Formula

The Formula

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1980-12-19

Languages:

English, Spanish, German

Countries:

USA, West Germany

Runtime:

117 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

5.6 (1749 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Steve Shagan (novel)

Steve Shagan (screenplay)

Fullplot:

A detective uncovers a formula that was devised by the Nazis in WW II to make gasoline from synthetic products, thereby eliminating the necessity for oil--and oil companies. A major oil company finds out about it and tries to destroy the formula and anyone who knows about it.

Arthur

Arthur

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1981-07-17

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

97 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

6.9 (20377 Reviews)

Director:

Steve Gordon

Fullplot:

Arthur is a happy drunk with no pretensions at any ambition. He is also the heir to a vast fortune which he is told will only be his if he marries Susan. He does not love Susan, but she will make something of him the family expects. Arthur proposes but then meets a girl with no money who he could easily fall in love with.

Gandhi

Gandhi

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1983-02-25

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK, India

Runtime:

191 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

8.1 (153687 Reviews)

Fullplot:

In 1893, Gandhi is thrown off a South African train for being an Indian and traveling in a first class compartment. Gandhi realizes that the laws are biased against Indians and decides to start a non-violent protest campaign for the rights of all Indians in South Africa. After numerous arrests and the unwanted attention of the world, the government finally relents by recognizing rights for Indians, though not for the native blacks of South Africa. After this victory, Gandhi is invited back to India, where he is now considered something of a national hero. He is urged to take up the fight for India's independence from the British Empire. Gandhi agrees, and mounts a non-violent non-cooperation campaign of unprecedented scale, coordinating millions of Indians nationwide. There are some setbacks, such as violence against the protesters and Gandhi's occasional imprisonment. Nevertheless, the campaign generates great attention, and Britain faces intense public pressure. Too weak from World War II to continue enforcing its will in India, Britain finally grants India's independence. Indians celebrate this victory, but their troubles are far from over. Religious tensions between Hindus and Muslims erupt into nation-wide violence. Gandhi declares a hunger strike, saying he will not eat until the fighting stops. The fighting does stop eventually, but the country is divided. It is decided that the northwest area of India, and eastern part of India (current day Bangladesh), both places where Muslims are in the majority, will become a new country called Pakistan (West and East Pakistan respectively). It is hoped that by encouraging the Muslims to live in a separate country, violence will abate. Gandhi is opposed to the idea, and is even willing to allow Muhammad Ali Jinnah to become the first prime minister of India, but the Partition of India is carried out nevertheless. Gandhi spends his last days trying to bring about peace between both nations. He thereby angers many dissidents on both sides, one of whom finally gets close enough to assassinate him.

The Scarlet and the Black

The Scarlet and the Black

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1983-02-02

Languages:

English, German, Italian

Countries:

USA, UK, Italy

Runtime:

143 min

IMDB Ratings:

7.8 (1725 Reviews)

Director:

Jerry London

Cast:

Writer:

J.P. Gallagher (book)

David Butler

Fullplot:

Fr. Hugh O'Flaherty is a Vatican official in 1943-45 who has been hiding downed pilots, escaped prisoners of war, and Italian Resistance families. His diplomatic status in a Catholic country prevents Colonel Kappler from openly arresting him, but O'Flaherty's activities become so large that the Nazis decide to assassinate him the next time he leaves the Vatican. O'Flaherty continues his work in a variety of disguises. Based on a true story.

Plenty

Plenty

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1985-09-20

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK, USA

Runtime:

121 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

6.1 (1965 Reviews)

Director:

Fred Schepisi

Genres:

Drama

Cast:

Writer:

David Hare (play)

David Hare (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Susan Traherne has been irreparably changed by her wartime experiences as a Resistance fighter. She sets out in the post-war world to make her way to what she wants, no matter who is hurt, or how.

The Whistle Blower

The Whistle Blower

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1987-07-10

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

100 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

6.2 (1485 Reviews)

Director:

Simon Langton

Genres:

Thriller

Cast:

Writer:

Julian Bond (screenplay)

John Hale (novel)

Fullplot:

Twenty-eight year old idealist Bob Jones is contemplating leaving his position as a Russian translator at Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) as those at the top have issued a new whistle blowing policy - encouraging employees to report any suspicious behavior - in light of the highly publicized case of Ramsay Dodgson, a Soviet spy who was working undetected in the organization for ten years before being caught. Bob does not like the idea of being at the mercy of work colleagues, most, like Dodgson, who he did and does not know. In private, he confides to his father, widowed businessman and retired Navy officer Frank Jones, that part of his want to leave the job, which also entails eavesdropping on private conversations between Soviet officials on a multitude of everyday topics, is that he believes the British and by association Americans are just as corrupt as the Russians in how they infiltrate institutions most of the public see as commonplace, this belief to which conservative, patriotic Frank takes offense. After a specific incident, Bob wants to use that whistle blowing policy to report against the operations of the GCHQ, but not knowing to who. Shortly thereafter, Frank learns that Bob has died from an apparent fall off his building roof. Frank begins to think that Bob's death was not an accident but has something to do with whatever Bob was planning on exposing. Knowing no one in high places, Frank, with Bob's girlfriend Cynthia Goodburn helping, goes on a mission of discovery, at his own peril, to find out why his son was killed, which may forever change his view of what he has believed in all his life.

Arthur 2: On the Rocks

Arthur 2: On the Rocks

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1988-07-08

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

113 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

4.2 (4802 Reviews)

Director:

Bud Yorkin

Cast:

Writer:

Steve Gordon (characters)

Andy Breckman

Fullplot:

In this sequel to the 1981 hit movie, Arthur manages to lose his entire $750 million fortune. Will the former millionaire playboy be able to survive as a broke, unemployable alcoholic? To add to Arthur's problems, wife Linda's biological clock is ticking louder than ever, and she's pressuring him to start taking responsibility for himself.

Prospero's Books

Prospero's Books

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1991-08-30

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK, Netherlands, France, Italy, Japan

Runtime:

124 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

6.9 (4904 Reviews)

Director:

Peter Greenaway

Genres:

FantasyDrama

Cast:

Writer:

William Shakespeare (play)

Peter Greenaway

Fullplot:

An exiled magician finds an opportunity for revenge against his enemies muted when his daughter and the son of his chief enemy fall in love in this uniquely structured retelling of the 'The Tempest'.

Haunted

Haunted

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1996-06-18

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK, USA

Runtime:

108 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

6.3 (4878 Reviews)

Director:

Lewis Gilbert

Genres:

DramaHorror

Cast:

Writer:

James Herbert (novel)

Timothy Prager

Bob Kellett

Lewis Gilbert

Fullplot:

Professor David Ash is invited to Edbrook to calm the fears of the elderly nanny of the Mariell family. Nanny Tess is seeing things, and Ash's book debunking such phenomenon makes him a good choice to set her mind at ease and convince her she is just tired and stressed. But soon after arriving David too begins to doubt his senses, and watching the odd behavior of the three grown Mariell children doesn't make his task any easier. In fact, he begins to think Nanny Tess isn't really just tired and stressed out after all.

The Leopard Son

The Leopard Son

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1996-09-27

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA, Netherlands

Runtime:

87 min

Rated:

G

IMDB Ratings:

7.3 (148 Reviews)

Director:

Hugo Van Lawick

Genres:

Documentary

Cast:

Writer:

Michael Olmert

Fullplot:

The Tichborne Claimant

The Tichborne Claimant

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1999-11-12

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

98 min

Rated:

NOT RATED

IMDB Ratings:

6.2 (172 Reviews)

Director:

David Yates

Genres:

Drama

Fullplot:

Based on a true story, set in the late 19th century: Lord Tichborne, the ninth richest nobleman in England, disappears after a South American shipwreck. Some years later his erudite Afro-English valet, Bogle, is sent to investigate rumors that Tichborne survived and settled in Australia. An alcoholic ruffian answer's Bogle's inquiries claiming to be the lost heir. Bogle suspects fraud, but conspires with the claimant to split the inheritance should the latter succesfully pass himself off to friends, family and the courts. As the claimant returns to England to continue his charade, enough people confirm his identity to make both the claimant and Bogle believe that he just might be the rightful heir after all...

Merlin

Merlin

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1998-04-26

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA, UK

Runtime:

182 min

Rated:

NOT RATED

IMDB Ratings:

7.1 (16962 Reviews)

Fullplot:

The legend of King Arthur, this time, from the perspective of the King's Wizard, Merlin. Merlin is a creature born of pagan magic, living in a world converting to Christianity. Merlin is beside Arthur as he gains Excalibur, builds Camelot and is betrayed by his wife, Guinevere. Merlin and Arthur are both menaced by the plots of Morgan Le Fey, her son by Arthur, Mordred, and their cohorts. Through it all, Merlin tries to keep Arthur from the destructive path set by fate.

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