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
- 1958
In the psychological WW2 drama Torpedo Run, Glenn Ford plays submarine commander Barney Doyle, who is obsessed with sinking a particular Japanese aircraft carrier. Several months earlier, the carrier had escaped destruction by shielding itself with a POW transport ship, which was sunk by Doyle's torpedoes. The sunken transport had been carrying Doyle's wife and daughter, captured in the Philippines. This tragically unavoidable incident has transformed Doyle into a modern Ahab, mercilessly driving the men under him towards the single goal of blowing the hated enemy aircraft carrier out of the seas. Finally, Doyle achieves his goal, and all is forgiven between himself and his crew, especially his second-in-command Archer Sloan ($Ernest Borgnine). Unfortunately, Doyle's sub was irreparably damaged in the attack, making it necessary for him to attempt an escape. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Ford, Ernest Borgnine, (more)
- 1965
- Add The Spy Who Came in From the Cold to QueueAdd The Spy Who Came in From the Cold to top of Queue
Based on the novel by John Le Carre, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold stars Richard Burton as a dispirited, end-of-tether British secret agent. He comes in from "the cold" (meaning he is pulled out of field operations) to act as a undercover man behind the Iron Curtain. To make his staged defection seem genuine, Burton goes on an alcoholic toot and is imprisoned and publicly humiliated. Once he has been accepted into East German espionage circles, Burton discovers that what he thought was his mission was a mere subterfuge--and that he's been set up as a pawn for an entirely different operation. Though Ireland and England "stand in" for East Berlin, Spy Who Came In From the Cold has the air of authenticity throughout, thanks in great part to the bleak black and white photography by Oswald Morris. The film was condemned as incomprehensible by those filmgoers accustomed to the simplistic melodramatics of James Bond; seen today, the double-crosses and double-double crosses seem all too clear and credible. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Burton, Claire Bloom, (more)
- 1967
One of the lower points of Joan Crawford's latter-day career curve (though nothing to compare with the later embarrassment of Trog!), this lurid, low-rent thriller nevertheless gives Crawford the opportunity to chew acres of scenery in a campy Marlene Dietrich-style get-up. She portrays the ringmaster of a cheesy traveling circus troupe whose stars are being whacked in a variety of flamboyant ways (many of which are depicted in the garish trailer, particularly Michael Gough's spike-in-the-head scene). Despite the exploitation potential in this lurid Grand Guignol scenario, this film is fairly light on scares or gore -- and far too heavy on circus stock footage. A sequel of sorts to producer Herman Cohen's Horrors of the Black Museum, this one is a slight improvement, thanks to Crawford's outrageous, over-the-top performance. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Crawford, Ty Hardin, (more)
Among the first of the late 60s anti-war films that reflected growing concern over the Vietnam War, How I Won the War takes a cold, dark look at the Good War, World War II. In adapting Patrick Ryan's 1963 novel, screenwriter Charles Wood and director Richard Lester offered a narrative fractured by characters making side comments to the camera, stylized cinematography, inserts of newsreel war footage, and plenty of absurdist humor and slapstick. Ernest Goodbody (Michael Crawford) is a bumbling British officer who manages to get most of his small company of musketeers killed while on a mission in North Africa to set up a cricket pitch behind enemy lines for officers of the advancing British army. The rest of the company dies in an ensuing campaign in Europe near the war's end, but all of the men continue to march along, appearing as monochromatic ghosts. (Original prints of the film intercut real battle footage tinted to match the color of the soon-to-be ghost soldier. Some prints of the film, including one shown on Turner Classic Movies, present the newsreel shots in black and white, undercutting the stylized touch.) The story is framed as a flashback, with Goodbody relating his version of events to a German officer (Karl Michael Vogler), while the real version of events, demonstrating Goodbody's ineptitude, plays out on screen. Among the supporting players are John Lennon, who had worked with Lester on A Hard Day's Night and Help; Roy Kinnear, a Lester regular, as a fat soldier who is certain his wife is cheating on him; Jack MacGowran as the troop's designated fool, and Michael Hordern as a general almost as oblivious to his suffering men as Goodbody. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Crawford, John Lennon, (more)
- 1971
10 Rillington Place is the true story of British mass murderer John Reginald Christie, played with chilling "normality" by Richard Attenborough. Throughout the late '40s, Christie lures middle-aged women to his London flat promising to cure their ailments with nitrous oxide, then kills them, assaults their dead bodies, and buries them. One of his victims is Beryl Evans (Judy Geeson), who misguidedly comes to Christie seeking an abortion -- and in the process, not only loses her own life, but sets in motion a horrid sequence of events that threatens to endanger her husband as well. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Attenborough, Judy Geeson, (more)
An annoying devil-worshipping British biker gang calling themselves "The Living Dead" decide to take their moniker to heart when their leader commits suicide and is brought back from the dead in an occult ritual, thanks to a Satanic pact. Realizing that becoming zombies could be even more fun than the usual day-to-day hell-raising, most of the gang follow suit -- throwing themselves off buildings, into traffic, walls, etc. Without the annoyance of death to contend with, the Living Dead become even more obnoxious than usual, leading to a pat solution from their leader's peeved mother (Beryl Reid). Outrageously dated and featuring loads of unintentional laughs, this is still the finest movie ever made about British zombie biker gangs and features the stately Reid turning into a giant frog. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
Political, romantic, and religious intrigue confront Elizabeth Tudor (1533-1603) in this acclaimed six-part television series chronicling her early life as a princess and her reign as queen of England (1558-1603). While still a princess, Elizabeth (Glenda Jackson) exonerates herself from a plot to kidnap young Edward VI (Jason Kemp). Then, after Edward dies, Elizabeth's sister, Mary (Caroline Harris), assumes the throne and imposes Catholicism on her subjects, but Elizabeth refuses to disavow her Protestantism. After Mary announces plans to wed the Catholic king of Spain, the people rise up in favor of Elizabeth, but Mary imprisons her in the Tower of London. Happily for Elizabeth, Mary dies without an heir, and Elizabeth becomes queen. Although urged to marry, Elizabeth stalls, content to maintain a relationship with Robert Dudley (Robert Hardy), Master of the Horse, whom Elizabeth makes Earl of Leicester. Then Mary Queen of Scots (Vivian Pickles) claims the English throne, and Elizabeth tries to pacify her in an unsuccessful attempt to marry her to Dudley. Meanwhile, the French -- battlefield rivals of the Spaniards -- propose an alliance with England and urge Elizabeth to marry the French king's brother, the Duc d'Alençon (Michael Williams), a Catholic. Though officials draw up a marriage contract, Elizabeth ignores it. By this time, Mary Queen of Scots is in prison, and Protestant agents implicate her in a trumped-up plot against Elizabeth. Elizabeth orders her execution. The angry Spanish then attack with their mighty Armada, but the English defeat them and strengthen Elizabeth's hold on power. In the later years of her reign, Elizabeth attempts to appease an unruly court favorite, the Earl of Essex, with special appointments, but he eventually turns against her and leads an uprising against the crown two years before the queen's death. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenda Jackson
- 1972
This historical drama is an account of the early life of Winston Churchill (Simon Ward), including his childhood years, his time as a war correspondent in Africa, and culminating with his first election to Parliament. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Simon Ward, Robert Shaw, (more)
Giant Flesh-Eating Rabbits Ravage American Southwest After Scientist Slips Up! Such is the plot of this unintentionally campy horror outing. The trouble begins when a researcher's experiment to use hormone injections to control Arizona's burgeoning rabbit population goes terribly awry, causing the cuddly rodents to grow to enormous proportions. In order to facilitate their growth, the rabbits need extra protein, and what better source than the relatively slow-moving human population that surrounds their huge subterranean lairs? ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stuart Whitman, Janet Leigh, (more)
Hammer Films apply their characteristic Gothic touch to this offbeat psychological thriller about a bombastic 19th-century Baron (Robert Hardy) who keeps his two adult offspring imprisoned in the family estate, convinced they are afflicted by an evil curse of madness passed down from their late mother. Unfortunately, they're not the only ones to worry about: it seems a spate of recent murders in the surrounding village are being committed by his son (Shane Briant), who is being manipulated by his father's deranged will to leave the castle and act out Dad's twisted, violent fantasies. Superb photography and good use of locations lend a rich atmosphere to this psycho-costume-drama, and Patrick Magee turns in a good performance as the family doctor (somewhat reminiscent of his role in Coppola's Dementia 13). Director Peter Sykes keeps the horror fairly subdued until the bloody "shock" ending, which seems to spoil the mood a bit. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1973
In this historical fantasy, based on the classic medieval poem during the days of King Arthur, the gallant Green Knight gallops into the court and makes a gruesome challenge to the Round Table Knights. He dares any of them to successfully chop off his head. If they fail, he gets to hack off theirs. Brave Gawain accepts the challenge and with a mighty swing slices off the Green Knight's noggin. Unfortunately, the headless body calmly picks up the head and places it back on his shoulders. The honor-bound Gawain then must fulfill his destiny at the palace of the Green Knight. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1973
- PG
This tepid supernatural melodrama involves the former director of a mental hospital (Robert Hardy) who inherits the estate of one of his patients -- a house which was once the site of multiple murders. He also stands to inherit a substantial sum of gold... if only he can locate the treasure, which is hidden somewhere on the premises. Before long, Christopher Lee, Joan Collins and Herbert Lom catch the scent, aiming to do a bit of prospecting themselves. As the search progresses, Hardy's mental state begins to degrade, apparently as a result of the malevolent spirits which haunt the mansion, driving him to commit murder. Despite the prominent billing of Joan Collins (at the peak of her popularity on TV's Dynasty) for the video release, she and horror stalwart Lee have rather insignificant roles in this routine thriller. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1973
This French spy thriller makes a number of surprising variations on familiar themes. Tibere (Lino Ventura) is a Soviet nuclear scientist who comes to London with a platoon of his colleagues for a conference. When he is injured in an auto accident, he gets separated from them. The accident was a set-up by British MI5 (secret service). It turns out that he is a Frenchman who was kidnapped by the Soviets many years before. The British insist on his returning to the West to helping the British and French spy agencies. They don't look after him any too well, however, and he ends up being chased by everybody under the sun, including the KGB. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lino Ventura, Lea Massari, (more)
- 1973
Also known as Gawain and the Green Knight, this British swashbuckler features Murray Head as the title character. That is, Murray is Sir Gawain; the Green Knight is played by Nigel Green (apropos casting, eh what?) Intending to decimate the knights of King Arthur's Round Table, the Green Knight challenges one and all to mortal combat. Gawain accepts the challenge, promptly decapitating the Green Knight. The latter, none the worse for wear, plants his head back on his body and invites Gawain to solve a riddle...or else. Now Gawain has one year to figure out a way to foil the Green Knight without losing his own head, which is not so easily replaced. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was remade eleven years later by the same producers as Sword of the Valiant, with Miles O'Keeffe and Sean Connery in the principal roles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
While Adolf Hitler Ian Bannen builds his war machine, Winston Churchill Richard Burton repeatedly warns England of the dangers the Nazis pose. But most of Churchill's countrymen refuse to listen to him, viewing him as an alarmist. Nevertheless, Churchill continues to press his case at every opportunity. At Chartwell, his country home in Kent, he presides over domestic affairs -- paying the electric bill, comforting his injured pug, advising his 18-year-old daughter Sarah Angharad Rees about the pitfalls of marrying an Austrian -- when a disaffected German officer traveling under an assumed name pays a visit. He discloses that Germans are building U-boats in Holland as part of a 1,500-million pound investment in armaments. In Parliament, Churchill rails against the pacifism of the British political establishment and uses his new information to rouse the governing body to action. But again, the establishment ignores him. In a crisis of another kind, King Edward VIII Ian Ogilvy announces plans to abdicate in order to marry a twice-divorced American, Wallis Simpson. When Churchill supports the abdication, he further isolates himself. However, he doggedly persists and his predictions begin to come true. After Nazis march into the Rhineland unopposed, Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin Thorley Walters resigns in favor of Neville Chamberlain Robin Bailey. Chamberlain meets with Hitler and forges an agreement that he believes will lead to "peace in our time." Then Hitler marches into Czechoslovakia. Chamberlain declares war and appoints feisty Churchill First Lord of the Admiralty. But after an ill-fated incursion into Norway, Chamberlain loses support, and Churchill becomes prime minister. In Parliament, on May 13, 1940, he makes a speech rallying the people, saying, "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat." ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Burton
- 1978
The second season of the warm-hearted BBC medical series All Creatures Great & Small finds young veterinarian James Herriot (Christopher Timothy) gradually winning over the confidence of all the animal owners in the tiny Yorkshire farming community of Darrowby. But it is still an uphill climb; the locals are a superstitious lot who don't hold with modern methods, and James' boss Siegfried Farnon (Robert Hardy) can be a holy terror if you catch him in the wrong mood. Making life easier for our hero is the love and support of his new wife Helen (Carol Drinkwater). The season opener finds the practice swamped with work, as cats and dogs literally fall from the sky. In later episodes, Siegfried's capricious brother Tristan (Peter Davison) runs afoul of the law, James takes on the daunting task of "duty vet" at the annual Darrowby Show, a hormone treatment on a local dog yields most unexpected results; the Farnon brothers inveigle the klutzy James into representing Darrowby in the yearly cricket match with Rainby; and Christmas Day proves to be just another workday for our beleaguered vets. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Timothy, Robert Hardy, (more)
- 1978
Season one of All Creatures Great & Small begins in late 1936 as newly qualified veterinarian James Herriot (Christopher Timothy) arrives at his first assistant's post at Skeldale House, Darrowby, Yorkshire. Here he meets his boss, the irascible Siegfried Farnon, and Siegfried's long-suffering but fun-loving, food-devouring younger brother Tristan (played by future Doctor Who star Peter Davison), who is kept on as a partner despite having flunked out of college. Though he thinks he is thoroughly prepared for his life's calling, James could never have imagined that his first patient would be a little girl's pet turtle. Not long afterward, however, our hero shows his mettle by curing a very valuable horse. In the third of season one's 13 episodes, James meets Helen Alderson (Carol Drinkwater), the farmer's daughter who will one day become his wife. First, however, James must overcome the resistance of Helen's father, who has an inbred distate for everyone in the medical profession. This he does, and by episode ten James and Helen are on their honeymoon...albeit using their spare time to carry out tuberculin testing! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Timothy, Robert Hardy, (more)
- 1979
Season three of All Creatures Great & Small begins with one of the series' customary dual crises as young Yorkshire veterinarian James Herriot (Christopher Timothy) and his wife Helen (Carol Drinkwater) try to save a cow from the slaughterhouse, while James' partners Siegfried and Tristan Farnon (Robert Hardy, Peter Davison) minister to a flock of ailing grouse. In later episodes, Tristan makes a mess of things filling in for his brother's housekeeper, Mrs. Hall (Mary Hignett); a young juvenile delinquent has an epiphany when his dog comes down with distemper; a goat eats the Herriots' checkbook, leaving them with nary an extra shilling for their wedding anniversary celebration; and an epidemic of foot and mouth disease is made doubly problematic when Britain and Germany go to war. The season ends as James and Siegfried leave their Darrowby practices to enlist in the RAF. All Creatures Great and Small ends at this point as well -- at least for the next eight years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Timothy, Robert Hardy, (more)
- 1980
A professional boxer (Herb Jefferson Jr.) refuses to accept the official verdict that he delivered a fatal blow to his opponent, who collapses and dies several days after the fight.. At the same time, a chef (Pete Schrum) who works for Quincy's friend Danny (Val Bisoglio) unexpectedly dies after undergoing routine surgery in an doctor's office. Investigating, Quincy (Jack Klugman) determines that the two deaths were connected--and the culprit may be a cut-rate physician whose "skills" are as inadequate as his cheap surgical equipment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Part of the TV series entitled "The Shakespeare Plays," this is one of the subtlest and most enjoyable of the Shakespearian plays. Portraying the different types of love, it is set in a country house of aristocrats and there are practical jokes, poetry and songs that make this a most entertaining view. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alec McCowen, Trevor Peacock, (more)
- 1981
Made for British television, Fothergill is based on a true story. Robert Hardy portrays Fothergill, a scholar who renounces academia to become a innkeeper. Throughout the 1920s, Fothergill's establishment is the place to be for London's smart set, with the genial host pulling all the proper social strings. Fothergill received its first US showing in 1984 on cable's Arts Network (now known as Arts and Entertainment). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
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As indicated by its title, this British miniseries concentrated on the years between the two world wars, when the eminent Winston Churchill (Robert Hardy) was politically out of favor in his own country. Acutely aware of the danger looming in a newly re-armed Germany, Churchill vainly tried to warn his fellow Britishers that Hitler was not a man to be trusted. It was only after the benighted PM Neville Chamberlain (Eric Porter) saw the promise of "Peace in Our Time" blow up in his face that Churchill was ensconced in his proper position as leader of his nation. First telecast in the U.K. in 1981, Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years aired in the U.S. two years later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Hardy, Sian Phillips, (more)
- 1983
Based on the delightful, heartwarming and sometimes tragic tales of a British country veterinarian who uses the penname James Herriot and the series they inspired, this feature film begins just after WW II as Herriot, who served as an army veterinarian, returns home and tries to readjust to his quiet, but never dull country practice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
