19 Movies Starring Judi Dench

A Performance of Macbeth

A Performance of Macbeth

Basic Info:

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

145 min

IMDB Ratings:

7.7 (607 Reviews)

Director:

Philip Casson

Genres:

Drama

Cast:

Writer:

Trevor Nunn (conceived for television by)

William Shakespeare (play)

Fullplot:

Macbeth is a daring member of the Scottish military who receives a revelation from three menacing sorceresses that he will someday become the King of Scotland. This information gives him a thirst for power, and with prompting from his wife, Lady Macbeth, he kills the current leader in order to take the throne. But he must continue to commit murders to keep his actions a secret, and soon, no one is safe.

Wetherby

Wetherby

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1985-07-19

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

102 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

7.1 (1039 Reviews)

Director:

David Hare

Genres:

DramaMystery

Fullplot:

The mysterious death of an enigmatic young man newly arrived in the suburb of Wetherby releases the long-repressed, dark passions of some of its residents.

84 Charing Cross Road

84 Charing Cross Road

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1987-02-13

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK, USA

Runtime:

100 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

7.5 (5520 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Helene Hanff (book)

James Roose-Evans (play)

Hugh Whitemore (screenplay)

Fullplot:

When a humorous script-reader in her New York apartment sees an ad in the Saturday Review of Literature for a bookstore in London that does mail order, she begins a very special correspondence and friendship with Frank Doel, the bookseller who works at Marks & Co., 84 Charing Cross Road.

Mrs Brown

Mrs Brown

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1997-07-18

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK, Ireland, USA

Runtime:

105 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

7.3 (10496 Reviews)

Director:

John Madden

Fullplot:

Queen Victoria is deeply depressed after the death of her husband, disappearing from public. Her servant Brown, who adores her, through caress and admiration brings her back to life, but that relationship creates scandalous situation and is likely to lead to monarchy crisis.

The Shipping News

The Shipping News

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2002-01-18

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

111 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

6.8 (27231 Reviews)

Genres:

Drama

Cast:

Writer:

Annie Proulx (based on the novel by)

Robert Nelson Jacobs (screenplay)

Fullplot:

An inksetter in New York, Quoyle returns to his family's longtime home, a small fishing town in Newfoundland, with his young daughter, after a traumatizing experience with her mother, Petal, who sold her to an illegal adoption agency. Though Quoyle has had little success thus far in life, his shipping news column in the newspaper "The Gammy Bird" finds an audience, and his experiences in the town change his life. Then he meets the widow Wavey...

Tea with Mussolini

Tea with Mussolini

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1999-05-14

Languages:

English, Italian

Countries:

Italy, UK

Runtime:

117 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

6.9 (8869 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

John Mortimer

Franco Zeffirelli (autobiography)

Fullplot:

1935. A group of elderly British women, who the Italians have named the Scorpioni, have chosen Italy, specifically Florence, as a place to live to blend their proper British sensibilities with their love of Italian art and culture. One of those Scorpioni, Mary Walsh, works as the English secretary for Paolo Innocente, who, in part because of his own wife's adamant refusal, largely neglects his illegitimate adolescent son, Luca, despite Paolo's want for Luca to grow up to be a proper young man, much like the English. Luca has lived in an orphanage since his dressmaker mother's death, death a concept that Luca does not yet understand. As such, he often runs away looking for his mother. On a mutual agreement between Paolo and Mary, Mary becomes Luca's guardian, she who will receive help in raising Luca by her fellow Scorpioni and financial help from Paolo as needed. Associated with the Scorpioni is a brash younger nouveau riche Jewish-American woman named Elsa Morgenthal, who, because of her affection for Luca's mother to who she owed money, sets up a trust for Luca's future. Among the Scorpioni, Lady Hester Random, the widow of the former ambassador to Italy, in particular and Elsa do not get along because of their fundamental outward differences. The life for the Scorpioni changes with the onset of WWII, more specifically when Italy declares war on Britain and France. Despite all of the Scorpioni taken into custody of sorts by the Italians, they are eventually housed in the comforts of a hotel. Lady Hester wrongly believes it is her association with Mussolini that has gotten them into their comfortable surroundings, but which in reality was arranged and paid for by Elsa. Luca, who has just returned to Italy after attending school in Austria, helps Elsa with her efforts to assist those persecuted in Italy. Luca, now a teenager, has fallen in love with Elsa. As such, Luca is jealous of Elsa's professional and personal relationship with Italian lawyer Vittorio Fanfanni. Elsa's own situation becomes more precarious with the United States' entrance into the war, the Nazis' increasing persecution of Jews, and Luca discovering that Fanfanni has ulterior motives in his relationship with Elsa. Through it all, Mary still tries to be the voice of what is right to Luca, who may be tainted by his own immature teenaged thoughts during these difficult times.

Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport

Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2000-11-24

Languages:

English, German

Countries:

UK, USA

Runtime:

122 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

7.9 (1323 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Mark Jonathan Harris

Fullplot:

In 1938 and 1939, about 10,000 children, most of them Jews, were sent by their parents from Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia to the safety of England where foster families took most of them in for the duration of the war. Years later, eleven kinder, one child's mother, an English foster mother, a survivor of Auschwitz who didn't go to England, and two of the kindertransport organizers remember: the days before the Nazis, the mid-to-late 1930s as Jews were ostracized, saying farewell to family, traveling to England, meeting their foster families, writing home, fearing the worst, coping, and trying to find families after the war ended. 1,500,000 children dead; 10,000 saved.

Iris

Iris

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2002-03-29

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK, USA

Runtime:

91 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

7.1 (14117 Reviews)

Director:

Richard Eyre

Cast:

Writer:

John Bayley (books)

Richard Eyre (screenplay)

Charles Wood (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Iris, based on the life of revered British writer and philosopher Iris Murdoch, is a story of unlikely yet enduring love. As a young academic, teaching philosophy at Oxford, Murdoch meets and eventually falls in love with fellow professor John Bayley, a man whose awkwardness seems in stark opposition to the spirited self-confidence of his future wife. The story unfolds as snippets of time, seen through Bayley's eyes. He recalls their first encounter over 40 years ago, activities they enjoyed doing together, and Iris' charismatic and individualistic personality. These images portray Murdoch as a vibrant young woman with great intellect and are contrasted with the novelist's later life, after the effects of Alzheimer's disease have ravaged her. Murdoch's great mind deteriorates until she is reduced to a mere vestige of her former self, unable to perform simple tasks and completely reliant on her at times frustrated yet devoted husband.

Iris

Iris

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2002-03-29

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK, USA

Runtime:

91 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

7.1 (14115 Reviews)

Director:

Richard Eyre

Cast:

Writer:

John Bayley (books)

Richard Eyre (screenplay)

Charles Wood (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Iris, based on the life of revered British writer and philosopher Iris Murdoch, is a story of unlikely yet enduring love. As a young academic, teaching philosophy at Oxford, Murdoch meets and eventually falls in love with fellow professor John Bayley, a man whose awkwardness seems in stark opposition to the spirited self-confidence of his future wife. The story unfolds as snippets of time, seen through Bayley's eyes. He recalls their first encounter over 40 years ago, activities they enjoyed doing together, and Iris' charismatic and individualistic personality. These images portray Murdoch as a vibrant young woman with great intellect and are contrasted with the novelist's later life, after the effects of Alzheimer's disease have ravaged her. Murdoch's great mind deteriorates until she is reduced to a mere vestige of her former self, unable to perform simple tasks and completely reliant on her at times frustrated yet devoted husband.

The Chronicles of Riddick

The Chronicles of Riddick

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2004-06-11

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

119 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

6.7 (172942 Reviews)

Director:

David Twohy

Cast:

Writer:

Jim Wheat (characters)

Ken Wheat (characters)

David Twohy

Fullplot:

Riddick, now a hunted man, finds himself in the middle of two opposing forces in a major crusade. Colm Feore plays Lord Marshal, a warrior priest who is the leader of a sect that is waging the tenth and perhaps final crusade 500 years in the future. Judi Dench is Aereon, an ambassador from the Elemental race. She is an ethereal being who helps Riddick unearth his origins.

Ladies in Lavender

Ladies in Lavender

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2005-05-27

Languages:

English, German, Polish, French

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

104 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

7.1 (7787 Reviews)

Director:

Charles Dance

Cast:

Writer:

William J. Locke (short story)

Charles Dance

Fullplot:

Taking place in pre-war England, aging sisters Ursula and Janet live peacefully in their cottage on the shore of Cornwall. One morning following a violent storm, the sisters spot from their garden a nearly-drowned man lying on the beach. They nurse him back to health, and discover that he is Polish. Communicating in broken German while they teach him English, they learn his name is Andrea and that he is a particularly gifted violinist. His boat was on its way to America, where he is headed to look for a better life. It doesn't take long for them to become attached to Andrea, and they dote on him. Other townspeople, however, have their suspicions, especially when he befriends a Russian woman, Olga.

Casino Royale

Casino Royale

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2006-11-17

Languages:

English, French

Countries:

UK, Czech Republic, USA, Germany, Bahamas

Runtime:

144 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

(412016 Reviews)

Director:

Martin Campbell

Cast:

Writer:

Neal Purvis (screenplay)

Robert Wade (screenplay)

Paul Haggis (screenplay)

Ian Fleming (novel)

Fullplot:

James Bond goes on his first ever mission as a 00. Le Chiffre is a banker to the world's terrorists. He is participating in a poker game at Montenegro, where he must win back his money, in order to stay safe among the terrorist market. The boss of MI6, known simply as M sends Bond, along with Vesper Lynd to attend this game and prevent Le Chiffre from winning. Bond, using help from Felix Leiter, Mathis and having Vesper pose as his partner, enters the most important poker game in his already dangerous career. But if Bond defeats Le Chiffre, will he and Vesper Lynd remain safe?

Mrs Henderson Presents

Mrs Henderson Presents

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2006-02-17

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK, USA

Runtime:

103 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

7.1 (13175 Reviews)

Director:

Stephen Frears

Cast:

Writer:

David Rose (idea)

Kathy Rose (idea)

Martin Sherman

Sheila van Damm (book)

Fullplot:

Recently widowed well-to-do Laura Henderson is at a bit of a loose end in inter-war London. On a whim she buys the derelict Windmill theatre in the West End and persuades impresario Vivian Van Damm to run it, despite the fact the two don't seem to get on at all. Although their idea of a non-stop revue is at first a success, other theatres copy it and disaster looms. Laura suggests they put nudes in the show, but Van Damm points out that the Lord Chamberlain, who licenses live shows in Britain, is likely to have something to say about this. Luckily Mrs Henderson is friends with him.

Notes on a Scandal

Notes on a Scandal

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2007-01-26

Languages:

English, French

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

92 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

7.4 (61842 Reviews)

Director:

Richard Eyre

Cast:

Writer:

Patrick Marber (screenplay)

Zoe Heller (novel)

Fullplot:

The bitter, cynical and lonely Barbara Covett is a tough and conservative teacher, near to retirement, who is loathed by her colleagues and students. In the loneliness of her apartment, she spends her spare time writing her journal, taking care of her old cat Portia and missing her special friend Jennifer Dodd. When Sheba Hart joins the high-school as the new art teacher, Barbara dedicates her attention to the newcomer, writing sharp and unpleasant comments about her behavior and clothes. When Barbara helps Sheba in a difficult situation with two students, the grateful Sheba invites her to have lunch with her family. Sheba introduces her husband and former professor Richard Hart, who is about twenty years older than she; her rebellious teenager daughter Polly; and her son Ben that has Down's Syndrome. Barbara becomes close to Sheba, but when she accidentally discovers that Sheba is having an affair with the fifteen year-old student Steven Connolly, Barbara sees the chance to manipulate and get closer to Sheba, hiding the secret from the school headmaster. When Portia dies and Sheba does not stay with Barbara in the veterinary office to see Ben in a theater play, Barbara plots a Machiavellian revenge against Sheba, creating a scandal and consequent turmoil in their lives.

Quantum of Solace

Quantum of Solace

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2008-11-14

Languages:

English, Spanish, Italian, French, Swiss German, German

Countries:

UK, USA

Runtime:

106 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

6.7 (288983 Reviews)

Director:

Marc Forster

Cast:

Writer:

Paul Haggis

Neal Purvis

Robert Wade

Fullplot:

Is there solace in revenge? Bond and "M" sniff a shadowy international network of power and corruption reaping billions. As Bond pursues the agents of an assassination attempt on "M," all roads lead to Dominic Greene, a world-renowned developer of green technology. Greene, a nasty piece of work, is intent on securing a barren area of Bolivia in exchange for assisting a strongman stage a coup there. The CIA looks the other way, and only Bond, with help from a retired spy and from a mysterious beauty, stands in Greene's way. "M" wonders if she can trust Bond, or if vengeance possesses him. Beyond that, can anyone drawn to Bond live to tell the tale?

Cranford

Cranford

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2008-05-04

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK, USA

Runtime:

60 min

IMDB Ratings:

8.5 (5476 Reviews)

Genres:

Drama

Cast:

Writer:

Sue Birtwistle

Susie Conklin

Fullplot:

In the 1840s, Cranford is ruled by the ladies. They adore good gossip; and romance and change is in the air, as the unwelcome grasp of the Industrial Revolution rapidly approaches their beloved rural market-town.

Skyfall

Skyfall

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2012-11-09

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK, USA

Runtime:

143 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

7.8 (456725 Reviews)

Director:

Sam Mendes

Cast:

Writer:

Neal Purvis

Robert Wade

John Logan

Fullplot:

When Bond's latest assignment goes gravely wrong and agents around the world are exposed, MI6 is attacked forcing M to relocate the agency. These events cause her authority and position to be challenged by Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), the new Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee. With MI6 now compromised from both inside and out, M is left with one ally she can trust: Bond. 007 takes to the shadows - aided only by field agent, Eve (Naomie Harris) - following a trail to the mysterious Silva (Javier Bardem), whose lethal and hidden motives have yet to reveal themselves.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2012-05-25

Languages:

English, Hindi

Countries:

UK, USA, United Arab Emirates

Runtime:

124 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

7.3 (68648 Reviews)

Director:

John Madden

Genres:

ComedyDrama

Cast:

Writer:

Ol Parker (screenplay)

Deborah Moggach (novel)

Fullplot:

Seven elderly Britons, for a variety of reasons, respond to an online ad and travel to Jaipur, India, where they find run-down hotel with a young, exuberant, and optimistic host. Evelyn, newly widowed, wants low-cost experience, Graham seeks a long-ago love, Douglas and Jean have lost their pension in a family investment, Muriel needs cheap hip surgery, Madge seeks a rich husband, and Norman is chasing women. India affects each in different ways, enchanting Douglas and Evelyn while driving Jean deeper into bitterness. Their host, young Sonny, has dreams but little cash or skill; he also has a girlfriend whom his mother dismisses. Stories cross and discoveries await each one.

Philomena

Philomena

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2013-11-27

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK, USA, France

Runtime:

98 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

7.6 (67380 Reviews)

Director:

Stephen Frears

Cast:

Writer:

Steve Coogan (screenplay)

Jeff Pope (screenplay)

Martin Sixsmith (book)

Fullplot:

When former journalist Martin Sixsmith is dismissed from the Labour Party in disgrace, he is at a loss as to what do. That changes when a young Irish woman approaches him about a story of her mother, Philomena, who had her son taken away when she was a teenage inmate of a Catholic convent. Martin arranges a magazine assignment about her search for him that eventually leads to America. Along the way, Martin and Philomena discover as much about each other as about her son's fate. Furthermore, both find their basic beliefs challenged.

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