16 Movies Directed by Fred Zinnemann

The Clock

The Clock

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1945-05-25

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

90 min

Rated:

PASSED

IMDB Ratings:

7.5 (2091 Reviews)

Genres:

DramaRomance

Cast:

Writer:

Robert Nathan (screenplay)

Joseph Schrank (screenplay)

Paul Gallico (story)

Pauline Gallico (story)

Fullplot:

Soldier Joe Allen is on a two-day leave in New York, and there he meets Alice. She agrees to show him the sights and they spend the day together. In this short time they find themselves falling in love with each other, and they decide to get married before Joe has to return to camp.

The Search

The Search

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1948-03-26

Languages:

English, German, French, Polish, Hungarian, Czech

Countries:

Switzerland, USA

Runtime:

104 min

Rated:

PASSED

IMDB Ratings:

7.9 (2621 Reviews)

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Cast:

Writer:

Richard Schweizer (screen play)

David Wechsler (collaborator: on screen play)

Paul Jarrico (additional dialogue)

Fullplot:

A silent nine-year-old Czech boy, a survivor of Auschwitz, flees a refugee center in postwar Germany and is found by an American G.I. At the same time, the boy's mother, the sole surviving member of his family, searches refugee centers for her son. Time, distance, and the massive numbers of refugee children are factors hampering the reunion of mother and son.

Act of Violence

Act of Violence

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1948-12-21

Languages:

English, German

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

82 min

Rated:

PASSED

IMDB Ratings:

7.5 (2840 Reviews)

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Cast:

Writer:

Robert L. Richards (screenplay)

Collier Young (story)

Fullplot:

War veteran Frank Enley seems to be a happily married small-town citizen until he realises Joe Parkson is in town. It seems Parkson is out for revenge because of something that happened in a German POW camp, and when a frightened Enley suddenly leaves for a convention in L.A., Parkson is close behind.

The Men

The Men

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1950-09-01

Languages:

English, Spanish

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

85 min

Rated:

PASSED

IMDB Ratings:

7.2 (3082 Reviews)

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Genres:

Drama

Cast:

Writer:

Carl Foreman (story)

Carl Foreman (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Ex-GI Ken who as a result of a war wound is paralyzed below the waist. In the hospital back home, he passes through an initial period of depression with the help of a sympathetic Dr. Brock and his faithful fiancèe Ellen. Ken's bitter isolation is also overcome with the help of his fellow patients, especially the intelligent young cynic Norm, the witty Leo and serious young Angel. Soon Ken throws himself into the work rehabilitation and after a long period of physical therapy even suspects he may regain the use of his limbs. With the approval and help of the doctor, he and Ellen marry, but on their wedding night both have misgivings about the marriage: the full realization of Ellen's new responsibilities frighten her and makes her more uncertain than ever, and Ken reverts to self-pity. There is a violent argument, and he goes back to the hospital. But his blazing anger finds no sympathy from his buddies, and after a surprising conversation with Dr. Brock, Ken realizes that he must return to his wife, with whom he must try to build his new life, in spite of all the attendant difficulties.

Teresa

Teresa

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1951-09-23

Languages:

English, Italian

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

102 min

IMDB Ratings:

6.5 (300 Reviews)

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Genres:

Drama

Cast:

Writer:

Alfred Hayes (story)

Stewart Stern (screenplay)

Stewart Stern (story)

Fullplot:

A reluctant soldier, Peter, serves in Italy during WWII. He marries a local girl named Teresa and brings her to the US.

High Noon

High Noon

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1952-07-30

Languages:

English, Spanish

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

85 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

8.1 (72202 Reviews)

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Cast:

Writer:

Carl Foreman (screenplay)

John W. Cunningham (magazine story "The Tin Star")

Fullplot:

On the day he gets married and hangs up his badge, lawman Will Kane is told that a man he sent to prison years before, Frank Miller, is returning on the noon train to exact his revenge. Having initially decided to leave with his new spouse, Will decides he must go back and face Miller. However, when he seeks the help of the townspeople he has protected for so long, they turn their backs on him. It seems Kane may have to face Miller alone, as well as the rest of Miller's gang, who are waiting for him at the station...

The Member of the Wedding

The Member of the Wedding

Basic Info:

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

93 min

Rated:

TV-G

IMDB Ratings:

7.1 (922 Reviews)

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Genres:

Drama

Cast:

Writer:

Edna Anhalt (screenplay)

Edward Anhalt (screenplay)

Carson McCullers (novel)

Carson McCullers (play)

Fullplot:

In a small Georgia town, twelve year old tomboy Frankie Addams feels unconnected to the world, a fact troubling to her. Her unconventional views for a twelve year old girl make her an outcast among her peers, which she in turn blames for her situation rather than anything of her own doing. Her only real friend is John Henry, her younger next door neighbor, although she doesn't see him as a friend since she doesn't consider him a peer. As her widowed father is all consumed with running his small business, Frankie is largely left to the care of their housekeeper, Berenice. Berenice tries to provide as much true guidance to Frankie and what Frankie considers her problems, although Berenice has her own troubles looking after her wild foster brother, Honey Camden, her only surviving family. In addition, Frankie largely sees Berenice's advice as the rantings of a large, crazy black woman. Frankie believes that she has finally found her place in life upon the return to town and announcement by her older enlisted brother Jarvis that he is getting married to a woman named Janice. Immediately upon seeing Jarvis and Janice together, she falls in love with "them", believing she can be a "member" of "them" by leaving town with them immediately following the wedding. Frankie even wants to change her name to Jasmine to feel more connected to them as they will all then have a name "Ja__". Two negative situations following the wedding - one in reaction to her finding out that she can't go with Jarvis and Janice - may however put Frankie in the right direction to truly finding her place in life.

From Here to Eternity

From Here to Eternity

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1953-10-15

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

118 min

Rated:

NOT RATED

IMDB Ratings:

7.8 (31376 Reviews)

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Cast:

Writer:

Daniel Taradash (screen play)

James Jones (based upon the novel by)

Fullplot:

It's 1941. Robert E. Lee Prewitt has requested Army transfer and has ended up at Schofield in Hawaii. His new captain, Dana Holmes, has heard of his boxing prowess and is keen to get him to represent the company. However, 'Prew' is adamant that he doesn't box anymore, so Captain Holmes gets his subordinates to make his life a living hell. Meanwhile Sergeant Warden starts seeing the captain's wife, who has a history of seeking external relief from a troubled marriage. Prew's friend Maggio has a few altercations with the sadistic stockade Sergeant 'Fatso' Judson, and Prew begins falling in love with social club employee Lorene. Unbeknownst to anyone, the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor looms in the distance.

Oklahoma!

Oklahoma!

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1956-01-09

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

145 min

Rated:

APPROVED

IMDB Ratings:

7.2 (8105 Reviews)

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Cast:

Writer:

Sonya Levien (screen play)

William Ludwig (screen play)

Richard Rodgers (adapted from Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical play)

Oscar Hammerstein II (adapted from Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical play)

Lynn Riggs (based upon a dramatic play by)

Fullplot:

In the Oklahoma territory at the turn of the twentieth century, two young cowboys vie with an evil ranch hand and a traveling peddler for the hearts of the women they love.

A Hatful of Rain

A Hatful of Rain

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1957-09-09

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

109 min

IMDB Ratings:

7.3 (751 Reviews)

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Genres:

Drama

Cast:

Writer:

Michael V. Gazzo (play)

Michael V. Gazzo (screenplay)

Alfred Hayes (screenplay)

Carl Foreman (screenplay)

Fullplot:

A Korean War veteran's morphine addiction wreaks havoc upon his family.

The Old Man and the Sea

The Old Man and the Sea

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1958-10-11

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

86 min

IMDB Ratings:

(5032 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Ernest Hemingway (novel)

Peter Viertel

Fullplot:

Now an old man, a lifelong fisherman sets out to sea to ply his trade as he has done all of his life. He's not had much good fortune of late and has gone almost three months without a major catch while others are catching one or even two large marlins every week. Many of the locals make fun of him and some say he's too old now to be fishing but he still loves what he does and is encouraged by a young boy who loves him and has faith in him. On this day he hooks the fish of a lifetime, a marlin that is larger than his skiff. As it slowly pulls him out to sea, the old man reminisces about his past, his successes and the high points of his life. When he does finally manage to land the fish he has to fight off sharks who are feeding on it as he tries to return to his Cuban village.

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.

The Sundowners

The Sundowners

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1961-02-28

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

133 min

Rated:

UNRATED

IMDB Ratings:

7.3 (2621 Reviews)

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Cast:

Writer:

Isobel Lennart (screenplay)

Jon Cleary (novel)

Fullplot:

In the Australian Outback, the Carmody family--Paddy, Ida and their teenage son Sean--are sheep drovers, always on the move. Ida and Sean want to settle down and buy a farm. Paddy wants to keep moving. A sheep-shearing contest, the birth of a child, drinking, gambling and a race horse will all have a part in the final decision.

A Man for All Seasons

A Man for All Seasons

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1967-05-03

Languages:

English, Latin, Spanish, French

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

120 min

Rated:

APPROVED

IMDB Ratings:

7.9 (22053 Reviews)

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Cast:

Writer:

Robert Bolt (from the play by)

Robert Bolt (screenplay)

Fullplot:

The story takes place in 16th century England. But men like Sir Thomas More, who love life yet have the moral fiber to lay down their lives for their principles, are found in every century. Concentrating on the last seven years of English chancellor's life, the struggle between More and his King, Henry VIII, hinges on Henry's determination to break with Rome so he can divorce his current wife and wed again, and good Catholic More's inability to go along with such heresy. More resigns as chancellor, hoping to be able to live out his life as a private citizen. But Henry will settle for nothing less than that the much respected More give public approval to his headstrong course.

The Day of the Jackal

The Day of the Jackal

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1973-07-30

Languages:

English, Italian, French

Countries:

UK, France

Runtime:

143 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

7.8 (27372 Reviews)

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Cast:

Writer:

Frederick Forsyth (book)

Kenneth Ross (screenplay)

Fullplot:

It is the early 60s in France. The remaining survivors of the aborted French Foreign Legion have made repeated attempts to kill DeGaulle. The result is that he is the most closely guarded man in the world. As a desperate act, they hire The Jackal, the code name for a hired killer who agrees to kill French President De Gaulle for half a million dollars. We watch his preparations which are so thorough we wonder how he could possibly fail even as we watch the French police attempt to pick up his trail. The situation is historically accurate. There were many such attempts and the film closely follows the plot of the book.

Julia

Julia

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1978-01-20

Languages:

English, French, German, Russian

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

117 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

7.4 (5900 Reviews)

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Genres:

Drama

Cast:

Writer:

Lillian Hellman (based upon the story by)

Alvin Sargent (screenplay)

Fullplot:

From "Pentimento," the memoirs of late playwright Lillian Hellman, JULIA covers those years in the 1930s when Lillian attained fame with the production of her first play "The Children's Hour" on Broadway. Not surprisingly, it centers on Lillian's relationship with her lifelong friend, Julia. It is a relationship that goes beyond mere acquaintance and one for which the word "love" seems appropriate. While Julia attends the University in Vienna, studying with such luminaries as Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein, Lillian suffers through revisions of her play with her mentor and sometimes lover Dashiell Hammett at a New England beach house. After becoming a celebrated playwright, Lillian is invited to a writers' conference in Russia. Julia, having taken up the battle against fascism, enlists Lillian to smuggle money through Nazi Germany which will assist in the Anti-Fascist cause. It is a dangerous mission especially for a Jewish intellectual on her way to communist Russia. During a brief meeting with Julia on this trip in Berlin, Lillian learns that Julia has had a child who is called Lilly. While in Moscow, Lillian learns of Julia's murder. The details of her death are shrouded in secrecy. Lillian sadly travels to London and then to Alsace to search for her namesake, the child she had promised Julia to care for.

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