11 Movies Directed by Richard Attenborough

Oh! What a Lovely War

Oh! What a Lovely War

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1969-10-03

Languages:

English, French, German

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

144 min

Rated:

G

IMDB Ratings:

7.2 (1880 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Charles Chilton (play)

Ted Allan (stage treatment)

Fullplot:

A movie about the First World War based on a stage musical of the same name, portraying the "Game of War" and focusing mainly on the members of the Smith family who go off to war. Much of the action in the movie revolves around the words of the marching songs of the soldiers, and many scenes portray some of the more famous (and infamous) incidents of the war, including the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, the Christmas meeting between British and German soldiers in no-man's-land, and the wiping out by their own side of a force of Irish soldiers newly arrived at the front, after successfully capturing a ridge that had been contested for some time.

Young Winston

Young Winston

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1972-07-28

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK, USA

Runtime:

124 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

6.7 (1333 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Winston Churchill (based upon "My Early Life: A Roving Commission")

Carl Foreman (written for the screen by)

Fullplot:

This historical drama is an account of the early life of British politician Winston Churchill (Simon Ward), including his childhood years, his time as a war correspondent in Africa, and culminating with his first election to Parliament.

A Bridge Too Far

A Bridge Too Far

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1977-06-15

Languages:

English, German, Dutch, Polish, Latin

Countries:

USA, UK

Runtime:

175 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

7.4 (37616 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Cornelius Ryan (book)

William Goldman (screenplay)

Fullplot:

It is near the end of WWII. The Germans have lost most of France, and the Allied forces decide to give them the final hit. They plan to drop thousands of paratroopers in Holland and keep a few key positions there, until reenforcements arrive. The most important spot is the bridge of Arnhem; once it's captured, it can block everything west of Germany

Magic

Magic

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1978-11-08

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

107 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

6.8 (5776 Reviews)

Genres:

Horror

Cast:

Writer:

William Goldman (novel)

William Goldman (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Magician's assistant Corky performs disastrously at his first solo appearance. He is given a ventriloquist dummy called Fats to improve his act and within a few years Corky is at the height of fame. However, Fats has developed a mind of his own and wants to control his master.

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.

A Chorus Line

A Chorus Line

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1985-12-13

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

113 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

(7097 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Arnold Schulman (screenplay)

Michael Bennett (concept: musical "A Chorus Line")

James Kirkwood Jr. (book)

Nicholas Dante (book)

Fullplot:

A director is casting dancers for a large production. Large numbers of hopefulls audition, hoping to be selected. Throughout the day, more and more people are eliminated, and the competition gets harder. Eventually, approximately a dozen dancers must compete for a few spots, each hoping to impress the director with their dancing skill. But, is this really what the director is looking for?

Cry Freedom

Cry Freedom

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1987-11-06

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

157 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

7.5 (9276 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

John Briley (screenplay)

Donald Woods (books)

Fullplot:

Donald Woods is chief editor of the liberal newspaper Daily Dispatch in South Africa. He has written several editorials critical of the views of Steve Biko. But after having met him for the first time, he changes his opinion. They meet several times, and this means that Woods and his family get attention from the security police. When Steve Biko dies in police custody, he writes a book about Biko. The only way to get it published is for Woods himself to illegally escape the country.

Chaplin

Chaplin

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1993-01-08

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA, Japan, France, Italy

Runtime:

143 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

7.6 (39743 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

David Robinson (book)

Charles Chaplin (book)

Diana Hawkins (story)

William Boyd (screenplay)

Bryan Forbes (screenplay)

William Goldman (screenplay)

Fullplot:

The biography of Charlie Chaplin, filmmaker extraordinaire. From his formative years in England to his highest successes in America, Charlie's life, work, and loves are followed. While his screen characters were extremely hilarious, the man behind "The Little Tramp" was constantly haunted by a sense of loss.

Shadowlands

Shadowlands

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1994-01-14

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

131 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

7.4 (12702 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

William Nicholson (screenplay)

William Nicholson (play)

Fullplot:

CS Lewis is the author of the Narnia books - The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Known as Jack, he teaches at an Oxford College, during the 1930's. An American fan, Joy Gresham, arrives to meet him for tea in Oxford. It is the beginning of a love affair. Tragically Joy becomes terminally unwell and their lives become complicated.

In Love and War

In Love and War

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1997-01-24

Languages:

English, Italian

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

113 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

5.9 (6515 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Henry S. Villard (book)

James Nagel (book)

Allan Scott (screen story)

Dimitri Villard (screen story)

Allan Scott (screenplay)

Clancy Sigal (screenplay)

Anna Hamilton Phelan (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Reporter Ernest Hemingway is an ambulance driver in Italy during World War I. While bravely risking his life in the line of duty, he is injured and ends up in the hospital, where he falls in love with his nurse, Agnes von Kurowsky.

Closing the Ring

Closing the Ring

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2007-12-28

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK, Canada, USA

Runtime:

118 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

6.6 (3587 Reviews)

Genres:

DramaRomance

Fullplot:

In 1943, A dying gunner, who was in a crash involving a United States B-17, gives a ring to a local to return to his girlfriend in the USA. Fifty years later, a man finds the ring and tracks down the girlfriend and the history of this ring. Set in Belfast and Michigan.

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