21 Movies Starring Joseph Cotten

Too Much Johnson

Too Much Johnson

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2014-08-30

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

67 min

IMDB Ratings:

6.3 (263 Reviews)

Director:

Orson Welles

Genres:

Comedy

Cast:

Writer:

William Gillette (play)

Orson Welles

Fullplot:

Posing as wealthy Cuban plantation owner Joseph Johnson, Augustus Billings is having an affair with married Clairette Dathis. Augustus is able to get away just before Clairette's husband, Leon Dathis, comes home. But Leon finds out about the affair. With Augustus' photograph in hand, Leon goes on a search for his wife's lover. The ensuing chase leads to one sight gag close call after another. Eventually, the real Joseph Johnson in Cuba gets unwittingly into the act.

Citizen Kane

Citizen Kane

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1941-09-05

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

119 min

Rated:

APPROVED

IMDB Ratings:

8.4 (271165 Reviews)

Director:

Orson Welles

Genres:

DramaMystery

Cast:

Writer:

Herman J. Mankiewicz (original screen play)

Orson Welles (original screen play)

Fullplot:

A group of reporters are trying to decipher the last word ever spoken by Charles Foster Kane, the millionaire newspaper tycoon: "Rosebud." The film begins with a news reel detailing Kane's life for the masses, and then from there, we are shown flashbacks from Kane's life. As the reporters investigate further, the viewers see a display of a fascinating man's rise to fame, and how he eventually fell off the top of the world.

The Magnificent Ambersons

The Magnificent Ambersons

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1942-07-10

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

88 min

Rated:

APPROVED

IMDB Ratings:

7.9 (15821 Reviews)

Genres:

DramaRomance

Cast:

Writer:

Booth Tarkington (from the novel by)

Orson Welles (script writer)

Fullplot:

The young, handsome, but somewhat wild Eugene Morgan wants to marry Isabel Amberson, daughter of a rich upper-class family, but she instead marries dull and steady Wilbur Minafer. Their only child, George, grows up a spoiled brat. Years later, Eugene comes back, now a mature widower and a successful automobile maker. After Wilbur dies, Eugene again asks Isabel to marry him, and she is receptive. But George resents the attentions paid to his mother, and he and his whacko aunt Fanny manage to sabotage the romance. A series of disasters befall the Ambersons and George, and he gets his come-uppance in the end.

Shadow of a Doubt

Shadow of a Doubt

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1943-01-15

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

108 min

Rated:

APPROVED

IMDB Ratings:

(42418 Reviews)

Genres:

Thriller

Cast:

Writer:

Thornton Wilder (screenplay)

Sally Benson (screenplay)

Alma Reville (screenplay)

Gordon McDonell (from an original story by)

Fullplot:

Charlotte 'Charlie' Newton is bored with her quiet life at home with her parents and her younger sister. She wishes something exciting would happen and knows exactly what they need: a visit from her sophisticated and much traveled uncle Charlie Oakley, her mother's younger brother. Imagine her delight when, out of the blue, they receive a telegram from uncle Charlie announcing that he is coming to visit them for awhile. Charlie Oakley creates quite a stir and charms the ladies club as well as the bank president where his brother-in-law works. Young Charlie begins to notice some odd behavior on his part, such as cutting out a story in the local paper about a man who marries and then murders rich widows. When two strangers appear asking questions about him, she begins to imagine the worse about her dearly beloved uncle Charlie.

Gaslight

Gaslight

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1944-05-01

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

114 min

Rated:

PASSED

IMDB Ratings:

7.9 (15625 Reviews)

Director:

George Cukor

Cast:

Writer:

John Van Druten (screenplay)

Walter Reisch (screenplay)

John L. Balderston (screenplay)

Patrick Hamilton (play)

Fullplot:

Paula's aunt, Alice Alquist, a famous entertainer, is murdered in her home. Paula, who lives with her aunt, finds the body. Police fail to find the killer, and Paula is sent away to school. Ten years later, Paula returns to London with her new husband. They take up residence in her aunt's house, which she has inherited. Paula is increasingly isolated by her husband but does come to the attention of an admirer of her aunt, Mr. Brian Cameron.

Since You Went Away

Since You Went Away

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1944-07-20

Languages:

English, Yiddish

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

177 min

Rated:

APPROVED

IMDB Ratings:

7.7 (3228 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Margaret Buell Wilder (book)

Margaret Buell Wilder (adaptation)

David O. Selznick (screenplay)

Fullplot:

While husband Tim is away during World War II, Anne Hilton copes with problems on the homefront. Taking in a lodger, Colonel Smollett, to help make ends meet and dealing with shortages and rationing are minor inconveniences compared to the love affair daughter Jane and the Colonel's grandson conduct.

Duel in the Sun

Duel in the Sun

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1947-09-12

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

129 min

Rated:

UNRATED

IMDB Ratings:

6.9 (6024 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

David O. Selznick (screenplay)

Niven Busch (suggested by a novel by)

Oliver H.P. Garrett (adaptation)

Fullplot:

When her father is hanged for shooting his wife and her lover, half-breed Pearl Chavez goes to live with distant relatives in Texas. Welcomed by Laura Belle and her elder lawyer son Jesse, she meets with hostility from the ranch-owner himself, wheelchair-bound Senator Jackson McCanles, and with lustful interest from womanising, unruly younger son Lewt. Almost at once, already existing family tensions are exacerbated by her presence and the way she is physically drawn to Lewt.

The Farmer's Daughter

The Farmer's Daughter

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1947-03-26

Languages:

English, Swedish

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

97 min

Rated:

UNRATED

IMDB Ratings:

7.5 (1624 Reviews)

Director:

H.C. Potter

Genres:

Comedy

Cast:

Writer:

Allen Rivkin

Laura Kerr

Hella Wuolijoki (play)

Fullplot:

Swedish-American farmer's daughter Katrin 'Katie' Holstrom leaves the farm to study nursing in the big, wicked city. Thanks to a chiseling acquaintance, her tuition and expense money disappears the first day, and she's forced to get a job...as a domestic for congressman Glenn Morley. Impressed by her political awareness as well as her many charms and capabilities, Glenn is soon infatuated with Katie, and she with him, but their feelings remain unspoken...until Katie speaks up at a party rally and is abruptly thrust into politics herself.

Portrait of Jennie

Portrait of Jennie

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1949-04-22

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

86 min

Rated:

APPROVED

IMDB Ratings:

7.8 (4500 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Robert Nathan (novel)

Leonardo Bercovici (adaptation)

Paul Osborn (screenplay)

Peter Berneis (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Eben Adams is a talented but struggling artist in Depression era New York who has never been able to find inspiration for a painting. One day, after he finally finds someone to buy a painting from him, a pretty but odd young girl named Jennie Appleton appears and strikes up an unusual friendship with Eben.

The Third Man

The Third Man

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1949-08-31

Languages:

English, German, Russian

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

93 min

Rated:

NOT RATED

IMDB Ratings:

8.3 (102915 Reviews)

Director:

Carol Reed

Cast:

Writer:

Graham Greene (by)

Graham Greene (screen play)

Fullplot:

An out of work pulp fiction novelist, Holly Martins, arrives in a post war Vienna divided into sectors by the victorious allies, and where a shortage of supplies has lead to a flourishing black market. He arrives at the invitation of an ex-school friend, Harry Lime, who has offered him a job, only to discover that Lime has recently died in a peculiar traffic accident. From talking to Lime's friends and associates Martins soon notices that some of the stories are inconsistent, and determines to discover what really happened to Harry Lime.

Under Capricorn

Under Capricorn

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1949-10-08

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

117 min

Rated:

APPROVED

IMDB Ratings:

6.2 (4244 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

John Colton (play)

Margaret Linden (play)

Helen Simpson (novel)

Hume Cronyn (adaptation)

James Bridie (screenplay)

Fullplot:

In 1831, Irishman Charles Adare travels to Australia to start a new life with the help of his cousin who has just been appointed governor. When he arrives he meets powerful landowner and ex-convict Sam Flusky, who wants to do a business deal with him. Whilst attending a dinner party at Flusky's house, Charles meets Flusky's wife Henrietta who he had known as a child back in Ireland. Henrietta is an alcoholic and seems to be on the verge of madness.

The Man with a Cloak

The Man with a Cloak

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1952-09-08

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

84 min

Rated:

APPROVED

IMDB Ratings:

6.7 (632 Reviews)

Director:

Fletcher Markle

Cast:

Writer:

Frank Fenton (written for the screen by)

John Dickson Carr (based on a story by)

Fullplot:

In 1848, a young Frenchwoman, Madeline Minot, goes to New York City to see Thevenet, the grandfather of her fiance. Thevenet had been with Napoleon and may be sympathetic to the political aims of his grandson. She finds the old man in very bad spirits, living in a large house with a housekeeper and a butler who are just waiting for him to die (and perhaps helping him along a bit) so they can inherit his fortune. They see Madeline as a threat to their plans. She is aided in her dealings with these strange people by a mysterious man in a cloak.

The Last Sunset

The Last Sunset

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1961-06-07

Languages:

English, Spanish

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

112 min

Rated:

APPROVED

IMDB Ratings:

6.8 (1660 Reviews)

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Cast:

Writer:

Howard Rigsby (novel)

Dalton Trumbo (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Brendan O'Malley arrives at the Mexican home of old flame Belle Breckenridge to find her married to a drunkard getting ready for a cattle drive to Texas. Hot on O'Malley's heels is lawman Dana Stribling who has a personal reason for getting him back into his jurisdiction. Both men join Breckenridge and his wife on the drive. As they near Texas tensions mount, not least because Stribling is starting to court Belle and O'Malley is increasingly drawn by her daughter Missy.

Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte

Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1964-12-24

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

133 min

Rated:

UNRATED

IMDB Ratings:

7.7 (7899 Reviews)

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Cast:

Writer:

Henry Farrell (screenplay)

Lukas Heller (screenplay)

Henry Farrell (story)

Fullplot:

Aged and wealthy Charlotte Hollis has lived alone and as a recluse in the crumbling family plantation mansion in Hollisport, Louisiana since her father Sam Hollis' death thirty-six years ago. The only people who regularly see her are her hard-as-nails but seemingly loyal housekeeper Velma Crowther, and her longtime friend and physician, Dr. Drew Bayliss. She has lived there the better part of her life except for a short stint in London thirty-seven years ago following the vicious murder of her married lover, John Mayhew, at the plantation's summer house while Sam was hosting one of his legendary grand balls in the mansion. That evening, she and John were going to run off together, that is before he was bludgeoned to death, his right hand and head which were never found. No one was ever convicted for his murder, but most people believe Charlotte did it after John changed his mind about running off with her. Not having seen her in years, they also now believe Charlotte is a crazy old woman, her mental state which turned at or before the murder. Conversely, Charlotte has hidden away as she fears people would always be glaring at her. She also believes any bad thing that has happened to her following John's murder has been initiated by John's widow, Jewel Mayhew, who Charlotte blames for orchestrating the expropriation of her property to build a bridge across the lake. Charlotte is surprised that her younger cousin, Miriam Deering, who left the area years ago never to have returned and who was once Drew's romantic interest, has accepted her invitation to stay at the mansion. While Charlotte wanted Miriam to help her overturn the expropriation with the state government in Baton Rouge, Miriam has instead come to help Charlotte pack her belongings. Miriam's visit coincides with the arrival to Hollisport of insurance investigator Harry Willis, who has always had an interest in this case in why the insurance was never claimed. Not expecting to find anything earth shattering while not wanting to upset the apple cart, he doesn't let anyone know except Sheriff Luke Standish the true nature of his visit. These visits also coincide with Charlotte's mental state seemingly going into decline, perhaps concerning having to leave her family home, but the issues which are always around John's murder. Or is someone or some people trying to drive her crazy if she is not so already? If the latter, the truth behind who killed John and why may finally come to light to those who matter.

The Grasshopper

The Grasshopper

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1971-02-03

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

98 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

5.9 (272 Reviews)

Director:

Jerry Paris

Genres:

DramaRomance

Cast:

Writer:

Mark McShane (novel)

Jerry Belson (story)

Garry Marshall (story)

Jerry Belson (screenplay)

Garry Marshall (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Wide-eyed nineteen year old Christine Adams decides on a whim to leave her broken family life in small town British Columbia to move to Los Angeles to be with her boyfriend Eddie Molina, who doesn't know she's coming. Christine hopes to start a family with Eddie immediately. But Christine finds that she is restless in her life with Eddie and moves on. From move to move which are always done on a whim, Christine has a similar restless attitude, always dreaming of something better. But she has no real marketable job skills - although she is always thinking about continuing with her schooling in some trade to make a better life for herself - or sense of what working in a traditional type job means. She is able to get by on her looks, which lands her a job as a Las Vegas showgirl. She also goes in and out of relationships - including with Vegas comic Danny Raymond, ex-football player Tommy Marcott who too is trying to find his meaningful niche in life, older businessman Richard Morgan who acts as her sugar daddy, and rock musician Jay Rigney - always dreaming of the perfect relationship situation which never seems to materialize. As such, her life goes into a tailspin. She ultimately lets the world know how she feels life has treated her.

Tora! Tora! Tora!

Tora! Tora! Tora!

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1970-09-23

Languages:

English, Japanese

Countries:

USA, Japan

Runtime:

144 min

Rated:

G

IMDB Ratings:

7.5 (23560 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Larry Forrester (screenplay)

Hideo Oguni (screenplay)

Ryèzè Kikushima (screenplay)

Gordon W. Prange (based on "Tora! Tora! Tora!")

Ladislas Farago (based on "The Broken Seal")

Fullplot:

In 1941 the Japanese are at odds with the United States on a number of issues which they are attempting to resolve via their Washington embassy. In case this diplomacy fails, the military are hatching plans for a surprise early Sunday morning air attack on the U.S. base at Pearl Harbour. American intelligence is breaking the Japanese diplomatic messages but few high-ups are prepared to believe that an attack is likely, let alone where or how it might come.

The Abominable Dr. Phibes

The Abominable Dr. Phibes

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1971-05-18

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK, USA

Runtime:

94 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

7.2 (9461 Reviews)

Director:

Robert Fuest

Genres:

ComedyHorror

Cast:

Writer:

James Whiton

William Goldstein

Fullplot:

Doctors are being murdered in a bizarre manner: bats, bees, killer frog masks, etc., which represent the nine Biblical plagues. The crimes are orchestrated by a demented organ player with the help of his mute assistant. The detective is stumped until he finds that all of the doctors being killed assisted a Dr. Vesalius on an unsuccessful operation involving the wife of Dr. Phibes, but he couldn't be the culprit, could he? He was killed in a car crash upon learning of his wife's death...

The Scopone Game

The Scopone Game

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1972-10-25

Languages:

Italian, English

Countries:

Italy

Runtime:

113 min

IMDB Ratings:

7.9 (1171 Reviews)

Director:

Luigi Comencini

Genres:

ComedyDrama

Fullplot:

Every year, a Countess invites a poor Italian family to play in a card game.

Soylent Green

Soylent Green

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1973-05-09

Languages:

English, Spanish

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

97 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

7.1 (41099 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Stanley R. Greenberg (screenplay)

Harry Harrison (novel)

Fullplot:

In 2022, Earth is overpopulated and totally polluted; the natural resources have been exhausted and the nourishment of the population is provided by Soylent Industries, a company that makes a food consisting of plankton from the oceans. In New York City, when Soylent's member of the board William R. Simonson is murdered apparently by a burglar at the Chelsea Towers West where he lives, efficient Detective Thorn is assigned to investigate the case with his partner Solomon "Sol" Roth. Thorn comes to the fancy apartment and meets Simonson's bodyguard Tab Fielding and the "furniture" (woman that is rented together with the flat) Shirl and the detective concludes that the executive was not victim of burglary but executed. Further, he finds that the Governor Santini and other powerful men want to disrupt and end Thorn's investigation. But Thorn continues his work and discovers a bizarre and disturbing secret of the ingredient used to manufacture Soylent Green.

Twilight's Last Gleaming

Twilight's Last Gleaming

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1977-02-09

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA, West Germany

Runtime:

146 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

6.9 (1653 Reviews)

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Cast:

Writer:

Ronald M. Cohen (screenplay)

Edward Huebsch (screenplay)

Walter Wager (novel)

Fullplot:

A renegade USAF general, Lawrence Dell, escapes from a military prison and takes over an ICBM silo near Montana and threatens to provoke World War 3 unless the President reveals details of a secret meeting held just after the start of the Vietnam War between Dell and the then President's most trusted advisors.

The Survivor

The Survivor

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1981-07-09

Languages:

English

Countries:

Australia

Runtime:

87 min

IMDB Ratings:

5.3 (574 Reviews)

Director:

David Hemmings

Cast:

Writer:

David Ambrose (screenplay)

James Herbert (novel)

Fullplot:

Keller is an experienced pilot whose plane crashes in a field near a town. He ends up being the sole survivor, but he's unable to remember what happened that caused the plane to crash. He also can't explain how come he's the only one who survived without even a scratch while everyone else on board died. A local female psychic, Hobbs, who's been having visions ever since the night of the crash, and Keller's own sense of survivor's guilt convince Keller that he needs to get to the bottom of things. Meanwhile, some of the children killed in the crash begin appearing to some of the locals and an eerie series of strange deaths occurs. Keller and Hobbs approach the local priest, who seem to be the only one in town who believes in Keller's innocence and Hobbs disturbing visions.

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