Hugh Griffith Movies
A burly, exuberant British character star, Hugh Griffith worked as a bank clerk before debuting onstage in 1939; he appeared in one film in 1940, but his film career didn't begin in earnest until the late '40s. He played forceful character roles in dozens of plays and films in both the U.S. and Britain. For his portrayal of Sheik Ilderim in Ben-Hur (1959) Griffith won a "Best Supporting Actor" Oscar; he was nominated for the same award for his portrayal of lusty Squire Western in Tom Jones (1963), perhaps his best known performance. Hugh Griffith was last onscreen in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978). ~ All Movie Guide- 1951
Four relatives find themselves going to unusual lengths to inherit a fortune in this British comedy. Henry Russell (Hugh Griffith) was a practical joker all his life, and his sly sense of humor is hardly stilled by his death; when his four closest relatives gather for the reading of the will, they discover that each is to be left $140,000 -- but, as always, there are strings attached. His sister Agnes (Fay Compton) has always treated her hired help with an attitude bordering on contempt, so Henry leaves her the money with the proviso that she must first work as a maid for 28 days. His cousin Deniston (Alastair Sim) writes detective novels for a living, so Henry insists that he get a clearer perspective on how bad guys live -- to collect his inheritance, he must spend four weeks in prison. Herbert (George Cole), a milquetoast clerk at a bank, will only receive his share if he's able to pull off a robbery at his place of employment. And Simon (Guy Middleton), a confirmed ladies' man, must marry the first girl he meets (and stay married to her) if he's to collect his $140,000. Keep an eye peeled for a youthful Audrey Hepburn, who has a bit part as a cigarette girl. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alastair Sim, Fay Compton, (more)
- 1950
The brooding British romantic drama Gone to Earth is better known by its American title The Wild Heart. Filmed in England and cofinanced by David O. Selznick and Alexander Korda, the film stars Jennifer Jones (Mrs. Selznick) as Hazel Woodus, a tempestuous Welsh gypsy maid who can't seem to stay out of trouble. Feeling more of a kinship with woodland animals than with human beings, the Hazel enters into a loveless marriage with minister Edward Marston (Cyril Cusack). Believing she's been born under a curse which will punish her if she ever truly falls in love, Hazel does her best to suppress her carnal desires, but gives up the struggle when she begins an affair with rakish landowner Jack Reddin (David Farrar). Her inability to be mistress of her own fate leads to a spectacularly tragic denouement. Based on a novel by Mary Webb, Gone to Earth was cut from 110 minutes to 82 for its American release; the latter version included a narration by Joseph Cotten and several new scenes directed by Rouben Mamoulien. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Jones, David Farrar, (more)
- 1949
A movie based on a true story, this is the story of a man who was exiled as a thief from his village but later returns for revenge. He plans to buy the entire district up as part of a water reservoir project but an old woman and her stepson stand in his way. Revenge, murder, desperation and love all intertwine in this moving account. This was Richard Burton's first screen role, having been a stage actor prior to his stint in the Royal Air Force as a navigator during WWII. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Burton, Anthony James, (more)
Alec Guinness gets to die eight times, playing a line of successors to a dukedom, in the Ealing black comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets. Louis Mazzini (Dennis Price) is ninth in line to inherit the dukedom from the aristocratic D'Ascoyne family. Louis vows to kill all eight people who stand between him and the duke's title. Aside from two cases of natural causes, Louis works through the list, eliminating rivals (all played by Guinness). Along the way he romances Sibella (Joan Greenwood), a childhood friend who ends up marrying a dullard, and Edith (Valerie Hobson), the beautiful widow of one of his victims with whom he plans to share his title. But just when Louis is ready to assume the D'Ascoyne mantle, a bizarre irony strikes. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Price, Alec Guinness, (more)
- 1949
In this comedy, two brothers, both of them Welsh coal-miners, win a contest and get to go on a day trip to London. Upon their arrival in the town, they miss their newspaper escort and get separated. Mayhem ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alec Guinness, Donald Houston, (more)
- 1948
Taking advantage of Paramount's "frozen funds" in Britain, producer Hal Wallis was able to film much of So Evil My Love in London. Based on a novel by Joseph Shearing, whose previous Gothic romances included Moss Rose and Blanche Fury, the film stars Ray Milland in his first (but hardly his last) all-out villainous characterization. Milland is cast as charming scoundrel Mark Bellis, or at least that's what he's calling himself at the moment. Escaping his latest criminal escapade by boat, Bellis falls victim to a malaria epidemic. Nursed back to health by young widow Olivia Harwood (Ann Todd), Bellis repays the favor by pretending to fall in love with her, all the while intending to deplete her of her estate and bank account. Eventually Bellis' evil nature corrupts Olivia as well, prompting her to indulge in blackmail, with her old school friend Susan Courtney (Geraldine Fitzgerald) as the victim. Eventually, Olivia is driven to commit murder, carefully arranging the evidence to convict poor Susan. But when Bellis double-crosses her one time too many, Olivia belatedly does the "right thing," clearing her conscience if not her good name. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Todd, Ray Milland, (more)
- 1948
Jean-Pierre Aumont heads the largely British cast of Affairs of a Rogue. Set in the years just following the Napoleonic wars, the film casts Aumont as Leopold, a poverty-stricken German prince. Leopold casts his romantic spell upon Charlotte (Joan Hopkins), the daughter of England's Prince Regent (Cecil Parker). What began as another fortune-hunting expedition for Leopold culminates in true romance and startling tragedy. Swamped in period costumes and decor, Affairs of a Rogue is consistently good to look at, even when the plotline begins to drag. The film was released in the U.S. by Columbia Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Pierre Aumont, Joan Hopkins, (more)
- 1948
Assembled by the reliable team of Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat, London Belongs to Me stars Richard Attenborough as a young, full-of-beans boy looking for fun. Bursting into a staid, wearisome London neighborhood, Attenborough exhorts the others to get some kicks out of life. Unfortunately, his search for thrills gets him involved in a murder. Just when you think that the film is a dour "slice of life" drama, a new comic element is introduced as the locals start up a petition to release Attenborough from jail. The presence of Alastair Sim in the cast should have tipped us off that London Belongs to Me wasn't meant to be taken entirely seriously. The film was released in the US as Dulcimer Street. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Attenborough, Alastair Sim, (more)
- 1948
In this crime drama, three ancient, weird sisters begin planning to kill their half-brother in order to scare up the cash they need to keep their ramshackle mansion running. Poet Dylan Thomas helped write the screenplay. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nancy Price, Mary Clare, (more)
- 1947
The hard lives of those living on the rugged Hebrides are chronicled in this drama that is partially comprised of footage from a documentary. The story centers on a farmer's wife who becomes miserable when her husband loses his livelihood and is forced to become a herring fisherman on those barren isles. The woman loathes life near the sea, and after her husband is forcibly inducted into the Navy, she moves in with her aunt. In the new village, she meets the handsome captain of a herring boat and they fall in love. Unfortunately, a cholera outbreak erupts. She must also cope with her son's desire to become a fisherman. Storms also wreak havoc in her life, but fortunately, she weathers it all and at last is able to be with the man she truly loves. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carl Bernard, Clifford Evans, (more)
- 1941
Scottish stage, radio and film favorite Will Fyffe heads the cast of Neutral Port. The star is cast as crusty Captain Ferguson, who is forced to dry-dock his torpedoed ship at the mythical port of Esperanto. Anxious not to injure its neutrality, the country refuses to allow Ferguson to seize a Nazi supply ship as compensation for the loss of his own vessel. But the good captain takes matters into his own hands by stealing not one but two German ships. When these are shot from under him, the captain returns to Esperanto to face the consequences, but chances are he'll be back in business again before the sun sets. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Fyffe, Leslie Banks, (more)
