Robert Hardy Movies
Robert Hardy is legendary in his native England for his skill and versatility as an actor. As an interpreter of fictional characters and historical personages, Hardy has received critical acclaim for roles in scores of outstanding films, TV programs, and plays presented throughout the English-speaking world. British, North American, and Australian audiences may remember him best for his roles as Winston Churchill in War and Remembrance (1989), Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small (1990), Arthur Brooke in Middlemarch (1994), Sir Toby Belch in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (1981), and the Earl of Leicester in the heralded Elizabeth R (1971). But Hardy has also distinguished himself in many motion pictures, including Mrs. Dalloway (1997), Sense and Sensibility (1995), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), The Shooting Party (1984), Young Winston (1972), 10 Rillington Place (1971), and The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. Hardy brings to all of his roles an acting savvy honed to a fine edge by years of study and training at the best British institutions. Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, on October 29, 1925. At Oxford University, he studied under the great British author C.S. Lewis and graduated with honors, then joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon in 1949. His experience there prepared him for roles in many Shakespeare productions, including A Midsummer Night's Dream (Royal Shakespeare Company, 1959), a live-TV production of Henry V (1960), and Coriolanus (BBC, 1963). The rhetorical skills he developed in those roles served him well as a narrator or host of documentary productions such as Castle Ghosts of Ireland, Horses in Our Blood, and The Picardy Affair, about the Battle of Agincourt. His classical training has also enabled him to wear the mantle of historical personages such as Pontius Pilate in The People's Passion (1999), Prince Albert in Edward the King (1975), and Nazi foreign minister Joachim Von Ribbentrop in The Gathering Storm (1974). Hardy has a special interest in medieval history -- in particular, in the use of the longbow. Regarded as one of Britain's leading experts on that weapon, he has written a book about it, serves as a consultant on the longbow for organizations involved in history projects, and handcrafts longbows himself. Hardy, who first performed in stage plays in the late '40s, has always maintained a busy schedule. For example, between 1998 and 2001, he performed in ten film and TV productions. He is married to Sally Pearson, a costume designer. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
- 2007
- PG13
- Add Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to QueueAdd Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to top of Queue
Young wizard-in-training Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) returns to Hogwarts for his fifth year of studies, only to find that the magical community seems to be in a curious state of denial about his recent encounter with the sinister Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in the fifth installment of the popular fantasy film series based on the best-selling books by author J.K. Rowling. Rumor has it that the dreaded Lord Voldemort has returned, but Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge (Robert Hardy) isn't so sure what to make of all the hearsay currently floating around the campus of Hogwarts. Suspecting that Headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) may be fueling the rumors regarding Voldemort's return in order to undermine his authority and lay claim to his job, Fudge entrusts newly arrived Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) with the task of tracking Dumbledore and keeping a protective watch over the nervous student body. The young wizards of Hogwarts will need something much more effective than Umbridge's Ministry-approved course in defensive magic if they are to truly succeed in the extraordinary battle that lies ahead, however, and when the administration fails to provide the students with the tools that they will need to defend Hogwarts against the fearsome powers of the Dark Arts, Hermione (Emma Watson), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Harry take it upon themselves to recruit a small group of students to form "Dumbledore's Army" in preparation for the ultimate supernatural showdown. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, (more)
- 2005
- Add The Concise History of World War Two to QueueAdd The Concise History of World War Two to top of Queue
Presented by actor Robert Hardy, volume one in the The Second World War documentary series, The Concise History of World War Two, efficiently summarizes the political events leading up to the war and details the main campaigns and battles from throughout its entire six-year span. ~ Dana Rowader, All Movie Guide
Everyone's favorite collie returns to the screen -- and to her native home back in Britain -- in director Charles Sturridge's faithful adaptation of author Eric Knight's sentimental kid and canine novel Lassie Come Home. When Lassie saves a fox from the hunting hounds of the duke of Rudling (Peter O'Toole), the captivated nobleman becomes obsessed with the idea of purchasing the collie for his adoring granddaughter Cilla (Hester Odgers). Unfortunately for Rudling, the pooch already has a loving family in the form of kindly miner Sam Carraclough (John Lynch), his wife, Sarah (Samantha Morton), and their young son, Joe (Jonathan Mason). When Sam is laid off from his job, however, he is forced to sell the loyal dog to the duke in order to put food on the family table. Incensed at the dog's repeated attempts to escape and seek out her original loving family, the villainous duke charges kennel-keeper Eddie Hynes (Steve Pemberton) with the task of teaching Lassie how to stay as World War II looms ever more heavy on the horizon. When the dogs of war finally stop barking and start biting, Rudling beats a hasty retreat to the safety of northern Scotland with both the child and the canine. Realizing that her newfound companion is far from the people she cares about most, Cilla later helps her ever-loyal four-legged friend escape from the family's heavily fortified compound so that she may begin the 500-mile journey back home to Yorkshire. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter O'Toole, Samantha Morton, (more)
- 2005
- PG13
- Add Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to QueueAdd Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to top of Queue
Directed by Mike Newell, the fourth installment to the Harry Potter series finds Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) wondering why his legendary scar -- the famous result of a death curse gone wrong -- is aching in pain, and perhaps even causing mysterious visions. Before he can think too much about it, however, Harry boards the train to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he will attend his fourth year of magical education. Shortly after his reunion with his best friends, Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), Harry is introduced to yet another Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher: the grizzled Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson), a former dark wizard catcher who agreed to take on the infamous "DADA" professorship as a personal favor to Headmaster Dumbledore (Michael Gambon). Of course, Harry's wishes for an uneventful school year are almost immediately shattered when he is unexpectedly chosen, along with fellow student Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson), as Hogwarts' representative in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, which awards whoever completes three magical tasks the most skillfully with a thousand-galleon purse and the admiration of the international wizard community. As difficult as it is to deal with his schoolwork, friendships, and the tournament at the same time (not to mention his feelings toward the ever unfathomable Professor Snape (Alan Rickman), Harry doesn't realize that the most feared wizard in the world, Lord Voldemort, is anticipating the tournament, as well. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, (more)
- 2004
- PG
- Add Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to QueueAdd Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to top of Queue
After directing the first two movies in the Harry Potter franchise, Chris Columbus opted to serve as producer for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and passed the baton to Y Tu Mamá También director Alfonso Cuarón. Though "immensely popular" is an understatement when it comes to Harry Potter, Azkaban is somewhat of a departure from its predecessors, and particularly beloved among fans for its surprise ending. Prisoner of Azkaban also marks the introduction of Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), who has escaped from the title prison after 12 years of incarceration. Believed to have been the right-hand-man of the dark wizard Voldemort, whom Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) mysteriously rendered powerless during his infancy, some of those closest to Harry suspect Black has returned to exact revenge on the boy who defeated his master. Upon his return to school, however, Harry is relatively unconcerned with Black. Run by Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) -- who is widely regarded as the most powerful wizard of the age -- Hogwarts is renowned for its safety. Harry's nonchalance eventually turns to blind rage after accidentally learning the first of Black's many secrets during a field trip to a neighboring village. Of course, a loose serial killer is only one of the problems plaguing the bespectacled wizard's third year back at school -- the soul-sucking guards of Azkaban prison have been employed at Hogwarts to protect the students, but their mere presence sends Harry into crippling fainting spells. With the help of his friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), and Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Remus Lupin (David Thewlis), Harry struggles to thwart the Dementors, find Sirius Black, and uncover the mysteries of the night that left him orphaned. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, (more)
This mystery centers around an isolated British town in which a death at a theological college, previously ruled as accidental, is reopened for an extended investigation by Scotland Yard. Commander Dalgliesh, a former student at the college, conducts the necessary research at first simply as a matter of protocol, but he soon finds more mysterious and distressing revelations at every turn. Dalgliesh believes that the college and its visitors are in imminent danger, but by the time he is able to warn them, it may be too late. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Shaw
- 2002
- PG
- Add Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to QueueAdd Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to top of Queue
Youthful wizard Harry Potter returns to the screen in this, the second film adaptation of J.K. Rowling's wildly popular series of novels for young people. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) return for a second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where Headmaster Dumbledore (Richard Harris), Professor Snape (Alan Rickman), Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith), and Hagrid the Giant (Robbie Coltrane) are joined by new faculty members Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh), a self-centered expert in Defense against the Dark Arts, and Sprout (Miriam Margolyes), who teaches Herbology. However, it isn't long before Harry and company discover something is amiss at Hogwarts: Students are petrified like statues, threats are written in blood on the walls, and a deadly monster is on the loose. It seems that someone has opened the mysterious Chamber of Secrets, letting loose the monster and all its calamitous powers. As Harry, Ron, and Hermione set out to find the secret chamber and slay the beast, speculation is rife that one of the heirs of Salazar Slytherin, the co-founder of the school, opened the chamber as a warning against the presence of "mudbloods" (magic-users of impure lineage) at the school -- and that the culprit may be fellow student Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton). Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets featured Richard Harris' second and final appearance as Headmaster Dumbledore; he died less than a month before the film was released in the United States. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, (more)
The fascinating story of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth is recounted in this British made-for-TV effort. It all begins in 1920, when the then-Duke of York Albert (James Wilby), known affectionately as Bertie, meets and falls in love with the aristocratic, 19-year-old Elizabeth Bowes-Lytton (Juliet Aubrey). Although their marriage makes international headlines, the mild, unprepossessing Bertie knows that he will always play second fiddle to his dashing older brother, the Prince of Wales, in the hearts and minds of the British people. This is never more true than when Bertie's brother ascends to the throne as King Edward VIII in 1936. That same year, however, the new King abdicates so that he may marry the woman of his choice, thereby thrusting the reluctant Bertie into the limelight as Monarch of the British Isles. Spurred on by the love and devotion of his lifelong helpmate Elizabeth, Bertie -- now King George -- proves more than worthy of his new burdens and responsibilities, especially during the darkest days of WWII. Although the King passes on in 1952 (a death hastened by his fondness for tobacco), Elizabeth lives well past the century mark, beloved by her subjects as the mother of the future Queen Elizabeth II and the impulsive Princess Margaret. A co-production of Carlton Television and PBS, Bertie and Elizabeth was telecast in America as part of the Masterpiece Theater anthology on February 4, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Wilby, Juliet Aubrey, (more)
- 2002
Previously filmed in 1957, Kingsley Amis' first novel Lucky Jim served as the source for this sprightly and satirical two-hour drama special. Stephen Tompkinson headed the cast as Jim Dixon, a tweedy young lecturer at a provincial British university. While trying to curry favor with his self-enamored boss Neddy Welch (Robert Hardy), Jim also nervously pursued a romance with Christine Callaghan (Keeley Hawes), who happened to be the girlfriend of Welch's snotty son Bernard (Stephen Mangan). At the same time, fellow lecturer Margaret Peel (Helen McCrory), a neurotic with a pronounced suicidal streak, amorously pursued poor Jim all over the campus. In America, Lucky Jim was broadcast February 25, 2002 as part of PBS' Masterpiece Theatre anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The family-oriented comedy Thunderpants, directed by Peter Hewitt, concerns an unfortunate ten-year-old who suffers from nearly incessant intestinal gas issues. Patrick Smash (Bruce Cook) is shunned by much of his family and his classmates because of the unpleasant odors that are forever emanating from him. Only his nerdy friend Alan A. Allen (Rupert Grint), who has no sense of smell, will help Patrick in his goal to become an astronaut. Eventually, Patrick becomes involved with representatives of the United States space program, as well as an opera singer (Simon Callow) who needs Patrick to "play" an exact note at a perfect moment. Ned Beatty and Stephen Fry round out the cast of this quirky comedy. Thunderpants was screened at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Cook, Rupert Grint, (more)
The discovery of a strange religious relic may have something to do with the terrible dreams haunting a young woman in this stylish thriller from Great Britain. When a pit opens up in a small English town, the local priest, Luke Fraser (Simon Russell Beale), is startled to discover what appears to be an ancient church lurking beneath. Fraser asks a friend with a background in archeology, Simon Kirkman (Stephen Dillane), to investigate the ruins, and Kirkman is startled to find a series of striking realistic sculptures and an usual portrait of Jesus in which the savior turns away from the church. As Kirkman and his wife, Marion (Kerry Fox), are driving home from the site, they accidentally hit Cassie Grant (Christina Ricci), an American student who is crossing the street. While Cassie isn't seriously injured physically, she has suffered a blow to the head that's left her with a mild case of amnesia; Marion brings Cassie home to recuperate until her memory returns, and in the meantime, Cassie helps keep an eye on Michael, Simon and Marion's young son. Soon, Cassie begins having a series of vivid and disturbing dreams involving the people of the town suffering violent deaths. Kirkman and Fraser begin wondering if the church was buried on purpose (and if so, why) and if Cassie's nightmares are somehow connected to the discovery of the house of worship. Completed in 2002, The Gathering didn't see release until 2004, when it opened in France and Germany. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christina Ricci, Stephen Dillane, (more)
Made for British television, this two-part adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's adventure-fantasy novel The Lost World adroitly combines a straightforward retelling with an abundance of slyly satirical grace notes--not to mention deliberate echoes of such earlier films as Jurassic Park, Planet of the Apes and even Apocalypse Now. The basic plotline details the efforts of feuding scientists George Challenger (Bob Hoskins) and Summerlee (James Fox) to prove that dinosaurs still exist on a remote plateau somewhere in the Amazon jungles. They succeed in this endeavor, and also stumble upon a lost tribe of primitive humans, whose hearts and minds are captured by a mad missionary (Peter Falk). Though the film does not flinch in the special-effects department, there is still plenty of time left over for a quaintly old-fashioned romantic triangle involving sportsman Lord Roxton (Tom Ward), the lovely Agnes Mooney (Elaine Cassidy) and dashing Edward Malone (Matthew Rhys). And while there is action aplenty, the film remains scrupulously within the "suitable for children" category. Originally broadcast as the 2001 Christmas offering by BBC1, The Lost World premiered in the US over the A&E cable network on October 6 and 7, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This ten-hour mini-series extravaganza originally aired on February 26, 2000 on NBC, and concerns the fate of a janitor, Tony (John Larroquette), and his lovely daughter Virginia (Kimberly Williams), who mysteriously find themselves in a land where fairies, trolls, and elves live. Their attempts to return home are thwarted by an evil witch (Diane Wiest). Appearing in supporting roles are Rutger Hauer, Warwick Davis, and Camryn Manheim as Snow White. The 10th Kingdom was rebroadcast on August, 2000, with a substantially trimmed running time of eight hours, which was shortened even further to six hours for the video release, after all commercials had been removed. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kimberly Williams, John Larroquette, (more)
- 1999
The eighth feature-length episode of the British detective series Midsomer Murders, "Dead Man's Eleven" premiered in the U.K. on September 12, 1999. Having had his fill of Midsomer Worthy, Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby (John Nettles) prepares to move himself and his family to the village of Fletcher's Cross. Alas, Barnaby's move is delayed by yet another murder: The wife of a prosperous landowner has been brutally bludgeoned to death with a cricket bat. Suspicion immediately falls upon the landowner's son (it was his bat, after all), but with no conclusive evidence, Barnaby and his assistant Troy (Daniel Casey) cannot close the case. And then another murder occurs...and another? "Dead Man's Eleven" first aired in the United States on August 12, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Nettles, Daniel Casey, (more)
- 1999
Love blooms amidst the backdrop of czarist Russia in Nikita Mikhalkov's The Barber of Siberia. The story opens in 1905 Springfield, MA, when a woman writes a letter to a young man in a military summer-training camp. He is currently being punished by one of his superiors, who forces him to wear a gas mask until he acknowledges that Mozart was a worthless composer. The woman has an important story to tell her addressee, and our story flashes back 20 years to Russia, where American Jane Callahan (Julia Ormond) is traveling to Moscow. A man who may or may not be Jane's father, Douglas McCracken (Richard Harris), is trying to perfect a machine, christened "The Barber of Siberia," that will harvest trees from the vast Siberian forests. Douglas hopes Jane can charm Gen. Radlov (Alexei Petrenko), the head of a Russian military academy, into arranging the financing that will enable him to complete his work on the harvester. En route, Jane meets a friendly Russian soldier, Andrei Tolstoy (Oleg Menshikov), and the two soon fall in love. Jane then meets and flirts with Radlov, who grows reciprocally fond of her -- enough so that he asks her to marry him. When it becomes evident she'd rather be with Tolstoy, he finds himself shipped off to Siberia after allegedly attacking a grand duke. Merging romance, costume drama, and slapstick comedy, The Barber of Siberia was screened at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Oleg Menshikov, Julia Ormond, (more)
- 1998
David Yates directed this $4 million fact-based British period drama, set in Victorian England and reminiscent of The Return of Martin Guerre and Sommersby. An elderly African-American man, Andrew Bogle (John Kani), dying in a London workhouse in 1895, reflects on the circumstances that led to this end. As a Tichborne family servant, Bogle was sent to Australia during the mid-1870s to locate the family's missing heir Sir Roger. Bogle selects someone (Robert Pugh) from several claimants, trains him in the proper behavior, and tutors him on the family background. Together, they will split the profits on the Tichborne estate. The family is convinced, but the sudden death of Sir Roger's mother (Paola Dionisotti) raises suspicions, leading to a rejection of the Claimant. With the support of Bogle, young lawyer John Holmes (Perry Fenwick), and entrepreneur Onslow (Dudley Sutton), the Claimant takes his case to the High Court, forum of the witty and clever barrister Hawkins (Stephen Fry). Until recently, this was the longest trial in British legal history. Shown at the 1998 Edinburgh Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Kani, Robert Pugh, (more)
Originally aired on the NBC network as a two-part miniseries, this all-star adventure is perhaps one of the most complete and faithful retellings of 18th-century author Jonathan Swift's epic social satire on film. Nine years after he set sail from England, a bedraggled, disoriented Dr. Lemuel Gulliver (Ted Danson) returns to his home. His faithful wife (Mary Steenburgen) is delighted to see him, but also troubled, for in Gulliver's absence the conniving Dr. Bates (James Fox) has taken over Gulliver's home and practice and is also trying to force Gulliver's wife to marry him. During his recovery, Gulliver raves and acts out his fantastic adventures at sea wherein he encountered the diminutive but contentious Lilliputians, the gigantic Brobdingnag's and their egalitarian society, the Laputas, who live upon a flying island, and the Houyhnhnmland, intelligent talking horses living in a land populated by wild humans. Scenes of his adventures are deftly interspersed with Gulliver's present predicament in which Dr. Bates, wanting Lemuel's wife and son, has placed the traveller in Bedlam, London's famous insane asylum where he awaits a hearing to determine his sanity. Gulliver's young son holds the key to his release. Filmed on location in Portugal and England, this miniseries is set apart by a top-notch cast and exceptional special effects. In addition to the aforementioned actors, the cast includes Peter O'Toole, Geraldine Chaplin, Sir John Gielgud, Omar Sharif and Alfre Woodard. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Danson
- 1996
Castle Ghosts of Scotland explores the eerie grounds of three of Scotland's most haunted castles: Glamis, Duntrune, and Fyvie. With a history every bit as bloody and treacherous as Shakespeare's MacBeth, it's no wonder Scotland has so many ghosts. The childhood home of England's Queen Mother, Glamis Castle is reputed to be the most haunted castle in the United Kingdom -- despite resembling the Disney castle. In 1537, King James V accused the young and beautiful Lady Glamis of witchcraft. Burned at the stake, the ghost known as the "Grey Lady of Glamis" haunts the castle to this day. As the program travels to Aberdeenshire, Fyvie Castle's "Green Lady" ghost is revealed to be Dame Lillias Drummond, who was starved to death by her husband, Sir Alexander Seton. In 1615 during a feud between the McDonalds and the Campbells, a piper loyal to the McDonald clan had his fingers chopped off by the Campbells and bled to death. Current owners of the castle report strange knocking on doors, the sound of footsteps running -- and late at night, the soft strains of bagpipes being played in the tower. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Hosted by dramatist Robert Hardy, Castle Ghosts of Ireland presents eerie dramatizations of actual reported tales of supernatural occurrences within the ancient structures of Ireland. Beautiful Irish views are incorporated into the discussion of the mysterious and deep-rooted beliefs of the country and its castles. Originally broadcast by the Learning Channel, the video offers knowledge applicable both to Irish history and to metaphysical interests. ~ Sarah Sloboda, All Movie Guide
