F. Murray Abraham Movies
Of Italian/Syrian heritage, Pittsburgh native F. Murray Abraham attended the University of Texas, then studied acting under Uta Hagen in New York. The peripatetic Abraham made his stage debut in a Los Angeles production of Ray Bradbury's The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit, and, shortly before reaching the age of 29, made his New York bow in The Fantasticks. An archetypal example of the "working actor," Abraham managed for more than ten years to make a good living at his craft without ever truly achieving fame. Appearing on television in everything from All in the Family to Kojak, he was seen on several commercials, including a now-famous spot for Fruit of the Loom underwear. His big-screen roles include 1975's The Sunshine Boys (a garage mechanic); 1976's All the President's Men (one of the arresting officers at the Watergate Hotel); 1976's The Ritz (a gay bathhouse patron); and 1978's The Big Fix (a fugitive '60s activist). Abraham's "overnight" stardom came about in 1984, when he was cast as the covetous Antonio Salieri in Amadeus, and his brilliant, bravura performance won him an Oscar. Abraham remained busy throughout the 1980s and '90s, appearing in such efforts as The Name of the Rose (1986), in which he playing a 14th century monk deliberately made up to look like a "living gargoyle," and the otherwise awful Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), in an uncredited, albeit pivotal, role of a prosecuting attorney. One of the most versatile actors in the business, Abraham has nonetheless never quite escaped the long shadow cast by his unforgettable portrayal of Salieri. Indeed, in Arnold Schwarzenegger's genre spoof The Last Action Hero, Abraham was pinpointed as the mystery murderer because he looked just like "the guy that killed Mozart." Onece again hamming it up in that same year's National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1, Abraham freaquently alternated big-budget Hollywood fare and more low-key, performance driven dramas and comedies through the remainder of the decade. While apprearances in such films as Mimic (1997) and Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) kept Abraham a familiar face to a new generation of moviegoers, roles in such small screen efforts as Dead Man's Walk (1996) and the following year's The Color of Justice allowed him a venue to display his true skills. In 1995 Abraham portrayed famed gangster Al Capone in not one but two films; Dillinger and Capone and Baby Face Nelson. Heading into the new millennium with roles in Finding Forrester and 13 Ghosts, Abraham appeared alongside an impressive cast in The Bridge of San Luis Rey. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 2009
South Africa's Drakensberg mountain range is a geologically unique landscape whose harsh physical terrain is nonetheless home to a diverse collection of flora and fauna. This nature documentary focuses on one of the Drakensberg's animal inhabitants, the eland species of antelope, which makes a yearly migration to the mountains' peaks in search of food. ~ All Movie Guide
- 2009
Along the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, southern Africa's Zambezi River plummets into a nearly mile-wide chasm to form Victoria Falls, one of the world's largest and most beautiful waterfalls. Academy Award-winning actor F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus) narrates this documentary look at one of the wonders of the natural world. ~ Sandra Bencic, All Movie Guide
Romulus "Rom" Whitaker sustains a reputation as one of the world's most respected herpetologists (scientists who study reptiles and amphibians). But his fascination blossomed from a most unusual source: as a child, he fantasized constantly about validating the existence of real-life dragons. As an adult, this desire evolved into something far more plausible and tangible: Whitaker's quest to chart the actual origins of dragon myths. His love of herpetology inspired him to found the first crocodile bank and snake park in India (a breeding ground for reptiles in the wild), which set a remarkable precedent for wildlife sanctuaries around the globe. This documentary follows Whitaker in a search for contemporary "dragons." He journeys to Slovenian caves, where he encounters the olm - a blind, nocturnal salamander once mistaken for a baby dragon. He then heads off to the rainforest in the Western Ghats of India, where he handles and examines Draco lizards with bright yellow flaps on their necks that extend when the males are threatened or courting. And finally, Whitaker journeys to the Komodo Island of Indonesia, where he encounters the venomous, carnivorous and incredibly dangerous Komodo Dragon - the largest known lizard on Earth. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2008
This breathtaking nature film follows the awe inspiring life of a single red deer as he struggles for survival in nature's harsh conditions. Capturing the deer's life from his birth, the film shows how the newborn grows into a curious and precocious calf in his first six weeks, exploring the world around him with the protection of his mother. Then, they take off together for a migration that will prove to be an epic journey filled with both majesty and danger, all presented with sweeping, panoramic views. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- 2008
The titular reference - "Superfish" - refers not to one particular species of fish, but to a whole class of aquatic vertebrae so enormous that they rank among the most intimidating "gamefish" in the Earth's seas and oceans. These include the swordfish, the sailfish, and the marlin (among others). The program argues that mystery, obscurity and towering legend have cloaked the species for untold decades. Here, marine biologist-turned-documentarist Rick Rosenthal takes his cameras to stunning depths in an attempt to capture these massive creatures on-camera and film them, observationally, in their natural habitats. As Rosenthal reminds the audience, the systematic decimation of these populations is making the documentary's goals increasingly elusive and difficult. It thus renders the footage that Rosenthal captures increasingly valuable for future generations. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2008
What external dynamics or internal traits would prompt a 400-pound Silverback gorilla with a tortured familial history to relinquish the past and rise above his trauma, courageously leading a pack of 25 other primates for the duration of his lifetime? That's the question posed by this documentary, which originally aired as an episode of the Nature series on PBS. The subject in question is Titus, who witnessed the brutal slaughter of his father at age 4, the murder of his baby sister not long after, and abandonment by another sister and his mother soon after that. Titus intrigued a number of primatologists and researchers, notably the late Dian Fossey and Kelly Stewart (Jimmy Stewart's daughter), for his ability to lead one of the most triumphant and issue-free lives imaginable, despite his past. This program explores the history and day-to-day world of Titus and discusses possible reasons for his extraordinary adaptive ability. It combines on-location footage of Silverback gorillas, archival footage of Titus as an infant, and on-camera commentary by primate researchers who discuss Titus's status and role as a leader of other gorillas. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- F. Murray Abraham
- 2008
In January 2003, two Manhattan activists, Sharron Bower and Kathryn Blume, conceived the idea of staging a public reading of Aristophanes's seminal anti-war comedy, Lysistrata, as a protest against the preemptive strike on Iraq and subsequent U.S. occupation. Word of their doings caught fire and spread to numerous additional dramatic ensembles, around the country - so that when the date of the Bower-Blume reading finally arrived, on March 3, 2003, it was echoed by no less than 1,000 other dramatic ensembles, in 59 countries, performing simultaneous productions of the Aristophanes play. With his nonfiction film The Lysistrata Project, documentarist Michael Patrick Kelly etches out a moving portrait of Bower and Blume during the time surrounding these events, and thus demonstrates how grassroots activism and art can intersect to form the basis of effective social protest. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2008
As produced by PBS and aired as an episode of the series Nature, this documentary follows the obstacle-filled course of a loggerhead turtle named Adelita, on her once-in-a-lifetime, 9,000 mile journey from Mexican shores to the beach in Japan where she first hatched from an egg. En route, Adelita must counter such potential setbacks as human fishing gear, the bloodthirsty rampaging of hammerhead sharks and underwater tempests. The said course, which took the turtle well over a decade to complete, gave scientists unprecedented insights into the way in which turtles use magnetic mapping to navigate their way across large distances - insights discussed at length in this program. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- F. Murray Abraham
Slava Tsukerman directed this visually striking story of a man whose past is taking him on an emotional roller-coaster ride. Sasha Greenberg (Sam Robards) is an astrophysicist who left the Soviet Union in 1975 to defect to the United States and ended up designing nuclear weapons for the American military. In 1992, after Communism has fallen and the USSR has collapsed, Greenberg returns to Russia for the first time, and while his visit is prompted by an invitation to speak at a conference on physics, he's soon occupied with catching up with the friends he left behind. Greenberg crosses paths with Professor Gross (F. Murray Abraham), his former teacher and intellectual sparring partner, who followed a curiously similar path, turning his back on the United States to design weapons in the Soviet Union. Several of Greenberg's sweethearts also happen to be on hand, including Helen (Ally Sheedy), an astrophysicist from the United States, Natasha (Oksana Stashenko), a fellow scientist from Russia, and Jill (Jicky Schnee), an activist filmmaker. As Greenberg ponders his present and his past, his imagination carries him back and forth through his life, leading him to a state of mental chaos as Russia begins to move toward a new revolution. Perestroika was an official selection at the 2009 BFI London Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Robards, Ally Sheedy, (more)
- 2008
Entitled The Beauty of Ugly, this episode of PBS's acclaimed Nature documentary series introduces the audience to a host of zoological species with pronounced "odd" or "unattractive" appearances - and discusses the ways in which the creatures' unique physiologies impart them with added behavioral complexity and capability. Species on hand include the Cape Griffon vulture, the star-nosed mole, the naked mole-rat and the needle-toothed viperfish. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- F. Murray Abraham
Tourist season sets the stage for terror when a greedy developer attempts to transform a quiet California fishing town into a gaudy tourist trap, and a swarm of man-eating Great Whites begin devouring anyone who dares venture into the once-peaceful waters. Decades of dumping has turned the Pacific Ocean into a toxic cesspool, and while some species died out others somehow managed to survive and adapt. Full Moon Bay is a sleepy seaside town populated primarily by fisherman, though slimy industrial millionaire Hamilton Lux (Armand Assante) is planning to rape the land a reap a profit. Should Lux have his way, overpriced shops will flank historic landmarks and a luxury resort will draw tourists from around the world. Of course this will put a stranglehold on the local business, such as the nearby fishery fun by Daniel (John Schneider) and Brook Wilder (Daryl Hannah). Wilder isn't about to go down without a fight though, and though he's never seen eye to eye with his estranged brother Phillip (Roark Critchlow) - a noted professor and environmental expert - the siblings are about to reunite to fight for a common cause. Just as Phillip returns to town, word emerges that a number of locals have been torn to shreds and eaten alive after venturing into in bay. When Marine biologist Amy Zuckermann (Heather McComb) arrives to survey Lex's developments, she makes a most disturbing discovery - a beached bull shark with sensory organs that still display predatory instincts even after death. As if this news wasn't horrifying enough, Amy discovers that a swarm of Great White sharks are stalking the waters and killing for pleasure. Each day the number of sharks grows, and each day they become more violent. With the sun shining bright and the tourists turning up in droves, Amy, Daniel, and Brook must figure out a way to stop these killing machines before the feast begins. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Schneider, Daryl Hannah, (more)
- 2008
As originally produced for - and broadcast on - PBS, the documentary program Nature: The Silence of the Bees travels back to the winter of 2006, when an odd and enigmatic phenomenon transpired in the entomological realm: millions of honeybees vanished without a trace from their hives, thereby putting the global food supply at risk and rendering untoward acres of crops extremely vulnerable to externalized threats. Tragically, this phenomenon continued far beyond the initial season in which it was discovered. Silence of the Bees carries audiences to a series of locales where the catastrophe continues to transpire, including hives now vacant and fallen. It also ventures into scientific laboratories, where entomological researchers race against time to prevent the complete and permanent extinction of the honeybee as they search for the reasons behind its demise. The program then provides a detailed exploration of the insect's history, its role in influencing human diets, and the potential losses wrought if honeybees vanish from existence altogether. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2008
- Add Nature: The Wolf That Changed America to QueueAdd Nature: The Wolf That Changed America to top of Queue
It marked an unusual and seldom-discussed battle between animal and man: in the year 1893, the bounty hunter Ernest Thompson Seton hearkened out to the rugged canyons of New Mexico to slay a wolf alternately christened "Lobo" and "King of the Currumpaw" by the locals. Lobo courted a legendary reputation as one of the most fearsome beasts in the Old West, notorious for terrorizing ranchers, devouring cattle, and - incredibly - cheating death. The beast eluded trap after trap, prompting nearby residents to solicit naturalist and animal trapper Seton's help. But Seton carried his mission one step further than originally intended, vowing not simply to kill Lobo, but to single-handedly wipe out the entire species. This program documents this astonishing and disturbing story, and reveals how Seton's wolf extermination inadvertently laid the groundwork for the wilderness preservation movement of the 20th and 21st centuries. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2008
This two-part biological documentary examines the process and practice of courtship as exhibited by numerous species in the animal kingdom. The first half explores behavior common to females and argues that they instinctively attempt to "shape the future" of their respective species by selecting the finest mates available, while the second half hones in on the "universal" behavior of males, arguing that their erogenous behavior is shaped by a need to "pass on" their genes to successive generations. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- F. Murray Abraham
- 2008
As originally produced for - and broadcast on - PBS, this documentary program argues that the titular beasts represent one of nature's most remarkable species. The direct product of a global Ice Age, and the descendant of the traditional brown bear, the polar bear (or ursus martimus) learned to adapt to subthermal environs with astonishing ease and rapidity. But all is not well for these majestic creatures: as global temperatures peak and the ice slowly melts, the polar bears' sources of food are dwindling, and the beasts have begun to evince signs of intense anguish that foreshadow a dire and deadly period for it. With rapidly increasing ecological threats posed to the arctic regions, then, the polar bear's very existence may be threatened. Yet, ironically, warmer temperatures mean happier times for grizzlies, which find it difficult to thrive in subthermal climes; with rising temperatures, they may eventually, it seems, begin to usurp the polar bear's position as king of the Arctic. This program travels to the said regions, evaluates the impact of global warming on polar bears, and speculates on the future for these wondrous beasts and for traditional land grizzlies. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2007
The PBS animal documentary Nature: Supersize Crocs begins with an incredible legend. Amid worldwide terror over the cannibalistic proclivities of the crocodile, even more jolting rumors persist of an oversized species that allegedly spans up to 21 feet. On a heartbreaking note for zoologists everywhere, this variant of croc -- a carryover from ancient times -- may soon cease to exist. Determined to locate this dying branch of the crocodile family, naturalist Romulus Whitaker hearkens off to Australia, Northern India, and Ethiopia, where the skin of a 21-footer recently cropped up; once there, he begins to search the homes of the Nile, Saltwater, and Gharial crocodile families with the hope of locating the extinct or near-extinct 21-foot breed. Celebrated Oscar-winning actor F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus, Mighty Aphrodite) narrates. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2007
F. Murray Abraham, classically trained star of the blockbuster features Amadeus (1984) and Finding Forrester (2000), hosts and narrates the PBS Nature special Sharkland. The program travels to the majestic, mysterious freezing waters around southern Africa, where a bizarre zoological phenomenon transpires: sharks of over 140 different species and stripe, from makos to tiger sharks to great whites -- each of which demand unique living conditions, climates, and temperatures -- somehow manage to coexist and thrive in common waters. Via involving narration and breathtaking on-location cinematography, the program charts the reasons for this occurrence as it offers viewers a startling introduction to many of the species. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- F. Murray Abraham
Six American graduate students studying apes in the African jungle discover a new species of killer chimpanzees that could prove to be the most formidable threat ever known to humankind. Upon first spotting this bizarre new breed, Greg, Dani, Amy, Josh, Sydney, and Seth were all assured by their highly-esteemed professor (F. Murray Abraham) that they have all been part of a discovery that could change the very face of science. Survival instinct soon takes over, however, when a typical study in animal behavior becomes a brutal struggle to escape a relentless predator with unparalleled strength and speed. As the serenity of the wilderness is suddenly shattered by the blood-curdling screams of man, Mother Nature proves just how little we truly understand about the savagery of the jungle. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- F. Murray Abraham, Matt Reeves, (more)
- 2006
A terrorist bombing victim who devoted his life to trumpeting the threat that Islam poses to western culture finds his marriage threatened by a converted Christian possessed by the vengeance of jihad in action specialist Renzo Martinelli's tense and topical thriller. Eschewing his career as a journalist shortly after losing both his legs in the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, Alceo (Jordi Molla) now dedicates every waking moment to educating students about the Muslim threat. When Alceo's wife Leda (Jane March) is nearly killed during an airport shootout between policemen and trigger-happy terrorists, the loving husband promises to spirit his wife away for a relaxing vacation in Cappadocia. Shortly after arriving at their scenic destination, Alceo and Leda come into contact with Italian gem merchant Ludovico Vicedomini (Harvey Keitel) and his Italian-speaking Muslim friend Shahid (F. Murray Abraham). Though on the surface Ludovico and Shadid keep their inflammatory religious rhetoric to a low-key minimum, a closer look at their motivations reveal two terrorist masterminds determined to bring the west to its knees while converting or killing anyone who opposes them. Seduced in a moment of weakness by the charismatic Ludovico, Leda is subsequently targeted to become the unsuspecting carrier of a dirty bomb. Despite his devotion to the Islamic cause, however, Ludovico soon finds his conviction put to the ultimate test as be begins to fall in love with the conflicted Leda. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harvey Keitel, Jordi Mollà, (more)
In addition to the reputation afforded him in the centuries following his death as a world-shaking scientific provocateur, Isaac Newton was also extraordinarily devout, and something of a mystic. As one who did his life's work during an unusual period when both modern science and theology were on the upswing, he simultaneously invented calculus, laid the foundation of alchemy, attempted to predict the date of Christ's return based on Biblical clues, and disclosed grave heresies buried deeply in Catholicism and Anglicanism -- to name only a few among hundreds of gifts that Newton brought to the world. He also established himself as one of the most profound mathematicians in world history, attaining the wickedly difficult Lucasian mathematics post at Cambridge and acquiring a professorial reputation that terrified prospective students by virtue of Newton's genius and esotericism. And the great irony is that a number of Newton's key discoveries have never been publicized, thanks to his unwillingness to make known many of his thoughts and conclusions. An episode of the critically and popularly acclaimed long-running PBS series that has instilled an adoration of science in hundreds of thousands of viewers during its 32-year run, NOVA: Newton's Dark Secrets plunges into the bizarre and brilliant corners of Newton's scientific genius, offering a fascinating, unflinching look at the many facets of this deep and complicated man. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
