7 Movies Starring Peggy Ashcroft

The Nun's Story

The Nun's Story

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1959-07-18

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

149 min

Rated:

NOT RATED

IMDB Ratings:

7.6 (6462 Reviews)

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Genres:

Drama

Cast:

Writer:

Robert Anderson (screenplay)

Kathryn Hulme (book)

Fullplot:

In 1930, in Belgium, Gabrielle van der Mal is the stubborn daughter of the prominent surgeon Dr. Pascin Van Der Mal that decides to leave her the upper-class family to enter to a convent, expecting to work as nun in Congo with tropical diseases. She says good-bye to her sisters Louise and Marie; to her brother Pierre; and to her beloved father, and subjects herself to the stringent rules of the retrograde institution, including interior silent and excessive humbleness and humiliation. After a long period working in a mental institution, Gaby is finally assigned to go to Congo, where she works with the Atheist and cynical, but brilliant, Dr. Fortunati. Sister Luke proves to be very efficient nurse and assistant, and Dr. Fortunati miraculous heals her tuberculosis. Years later, she is ordered to return to Belgium and when her motherland is invaded by the Germans, she learns that her beloved father was murdered by the enemy while he was helping wounded members of the resistance. Sister Luke finally decides to leave the religious life since she is not able to feel neutral against the invaders of her country.

Secret Ceremony

Secret Ceremony

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1968-10-23

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

109 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

6.5 (1194 Reviews)

Director:

Joseph Losey

Cast:

Writer:

Marco Denevi (short story "Ceremonia secreta")

George Tabori

Fullplot:

Leonora, a prostitute, mourns the death by drowning years earlier of her daughter. She encounters a strange waif-like girl, Cenci, who bears a strong resemblance to her lost child. Cenci is herself struck by the great resemblance of Leonora to her own mother, whose death the mentally unstable Cenci has been unable to accept or even acknowledge. The two women quickly develop a symbiotic relationship, moving in and out of the illusion that each is the lost loved one of the other. The complicating factor is the arrival of Albert, Cenci's stepfather, whose incestuous attachment to her may well be the cause of her mind's unbalance. With Albert's arrival, no one in the strange trio is safe.

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1971-09-08

Languages:

English, Italian, Hebrew, French

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

110 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

7.2 (3619 Reviews)

Genres:

Drama

Cast:

Writer:

Penelope Gilliatt (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Divorced working woman Alex and well-to-do Jewish family doctor Daniel Hirsh share not only the same answering service but also the favours of young Bob Elkin who bed-hops between them as the mood takes him. Both Alex and Dr Hirsh are aware of the other's existence but prefer to live with the situation rather than risk losing Elkin completely. But a wet winter weekend in London can be difficult.

The Pedestrian

The Pedestrian

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1973-09-06

Languages:

German, French, English

Countries:

Switzerland, West Germany, Israel

Runtime:

98 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

6.9 (108 Reviews)

Genres:

Drama

Cast:

Writer:

Dagmar Hirtz

Maximilian Schell

Fullplot:

When a German businessman causes a car accident with deadly consequences, the papers start digging into his past to find scandals. What they find causes him to reevaluate his own past during WW2 when he was in Greece.

A Passage to India

A Passage to India

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1985-02-01

Languages:

English, Hindi

Countries:

UK, USA

Runtime:

164 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

7.4 (12092 Reviews)

Director:

David Lean

Cast:

Writer:

E.M. Forster (by)

E.M. Forster (based on the novel by)

Santha Rama Rau (and the play by)

David Lean (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Circa 1920, during the Indian British rule, Dr. Aziz H. Ahmed was born and brought up in India. He is proficient in English, and wears Western style clothing. He meets an old lady, Mrs. Moore, at a mosque, who asks him to accompany her and her companion, Adela Quested, for sight-seeing around some caves. Thereafter the organized life of Aziz is turned upside down when Adela accuses him of molesting her in a cave. Aziz is arrested and brought before the courts, where he learns that the entire British administration is against him, and would like to see him found guilty and punished severely, to teach all native Indians what it means to molest a British citizen. Aziz is all set to witness the "fairness" of the British system, whose unofficial motto is "guilty until proved innocent."

When the Wind Blows

When the Wind Blows

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1988-03-11

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

80 min

IMDB Ratings:

7.8 (6514 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Raymond Briggs (book)

Raymond Briggs (script)

Fullplot:

With the help of government-issued pamphlets, an elderly British couple build a shelter and prepare for an impending nuclear attack, unaware that times and the nature of war have changed from their romantic memories of World War II.

Madame Sousatzka

Madame Sousatzka

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1988-10-14

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

122 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

6.6 (1056 Reviews)

Genres:

DramaMusic

Cast:

Writer:

Bernice Rubens (from the novel by)

Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (screenplay)

John Schlesinger (screenplay)

Peter Morgan (additional material written by)

Mark Wadlow (additional material written by)

Fullplot:

Bengali Sushila Sen and her son, Manek, relocate from India to London after Sushila's relationship with her husband fails. Sushila struggles with everyday living. A child piano prodigy, Manek's schoolteacher refers him to a piano teacher, Irina Sousatzka, a Russian immigrant renowned for her teaching skills. Irina forms a strong bond with Manek, not only teaching him piano but also valuable life lessons. Disagreements arise, as Manek does not want anyone to run his life for him, but nevertheless the training progresses. Sushila, a baker and seller of Indian cuisine, loses an important client after her hair is found in one of her baked goods. To help his mother, Manek feels pressure to use his piano skills to earn some money. This is against Irina's wishes, however, as she is trying to protect Manek from her own negative experiences as a young concert pianist. She believes no student should perform until they are ready. But Manek, encouraged by a pushy music agent, decides to perform with the London Symphony Orchestra, ready or not.

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