Frank Langella Movies
An imposing and highly memorable presence on the Broadway stage, actor Frank Langella has won only a fraction of the acclaim he's received in the theater for his film career; still, his brooding good looks and his ability to play both villains and comic foils with a touch of menace has made him a welcome (and increasingly familiar) fare to film buffs. Frank Langella was born in Bayonne, NJ, on New Year's Day, 1940. Langella caught the acting bug when he was 11, after playing an elderly man in a school play on the life of Abraham Lincoln, and he went on to earn a degree in Theater from Syracuse University. After studying acting with Elia Kazan, Langella began working with regional theater companies in the East Coast and the Midwest, and in 1963, made his New York stage debut when he landed the leading role in an off-Broadway revival of The Immoralist. Between 1964 and 1966, Langella would win three Obie awards for his work in off-Broadway theater, and in 1969, he received a Drama Desk award for his work in the drama A Cry of Players. In 1974, he made his Broadway debut in Edward Albee's Seascape, and, the following year, won another Drama Desk award as well as a Tony for his performance.Langella made his film debut in 1970 with a supporting role in Diary of a Mad Housewife, and later that same year, scored a larger part in The Twelve Chairs, written and directed by Mel Brooks. While Langella landed occasional television and film roles through much of the 1970s, he was still busiest as a stage actor. In 1977, Langella was cast in the leading role of a Broadway revival of Dracula, and his con brio performance as the bloodthirsty count earned rave reviews, turning the production into an unexpected hit. Langella was tapped to reprise his performance for a film version of Dracula released in 1979, but he was forced to tone down his unique take on the role for the screen, and what would have seemingly been the perfect screen vehicle for his talents became a critical and box-office disappointment. However, Langella maintained a busy schedule of stage work, and in the 1990s, finally scored a breakthrough screen role in the comedy Dave as the deceitful political puppet master Bob Alexander. A busy schedule of character roles in such films as Junior, Lolita, and The Ninth Gate followed, though Langella still remained a frequent and distinguished presence in the New York theatrical community. He worked steadily at the beginning of the twenty-first century in films as diverse as the romantic drama Sweet November, and David Duchovny's directorial debut House of D. He scored an artistic and critical success in 2005 playing William Paley in George Clooney's historical docudrama about Edward R. Murrow Good Night, and Good Luck. He was then tapped by Bryan Singer to embody Daily Planet editor Perry White in the 2006 summer blockbuster Superman Returns.
In 2007, Langella earned strong reviews and some awards buzz for his starring role in Starting Out in the Evening, but it was actually the next year, 2008 when he captured a Best Actor Academy Award nomination, a well as a SAG nomination, for his portrayal of disgraced former president Richard Nixon in Ron Howard's big-screen adaptation of Frost/Nixon. ~ All Movie Guide
- 2010
Famous onscreen villain Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) returns to the big screen with Wall Street 2, once again directed by Oliver Stone. This installment promises a "ripped from the headlines" plot, with Gekko teaching co-star Shia LaBeouf the ins and outs of criminal investments. Frost/Nixon's Frank Langella co-stars along with Susan Sarandon. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Douglas, Frank Langella, (more)
- 2006
A doomed love affair blooms against the beautiful and exotic backdrop of the deserts of India in this romantic drama. Samantha Hartley (Kelli Garner) is a woman in her early twenties who travels to Rajapur in India to visit a resort where her mother stayed years ago. While tracing the steps of her mother, Sara (Lynn Collins), Samantha learns the true story about her mother's stormy marriage to Jeremy (Justin Theroux), a charming but moody alcoholic. Only a few days after their wedding, Sara began to wonder if marrying Jeremy was a mistake, and while visiting India on their honeymoon, Sara met Jai Singh (Manoj Bajpai), a handsome and sensitive widower living in Rajapur. Jai Singh, who speaks fluent English, soon strikes up a friendship with Sara that quickly grows into a romance, but both are aware of the transgressive nature of their love, and their affair takes a tragic turn, leaving its scars on all parties involved. Return to Rajapur received its North American premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2006
This made-for-TV movie is a remake of the theatrical feature Conrack, using the original title of the source novel by Pat Conroy. Set in 1969, The Water Is Wide stars Jeff Hephner as Conroy, an idealistic young teacher whose first assignment is at a run-down school located on Yamacraw Island in South Carolina. The state's imperious school superintendent Henry Piedmont (Frank Langella) has written off the unkempt, illiterate black children of Yamacraw as thoroughly unteachable, while the school's authoritarian black principal Mrs. Brown (Alfre Woodard), evidently unwilling to buck the Anglo-Saxon establishment, insists that Conroy doggedly adhere to an established curriculum that has never worked with the students. Instead, Conroy utilizes compassion and humor as teaching tools, reaching out to his students through a variety of humanistic methods, including adopting the kids' own archaic Gullah dialect in order to teach them proper English. Not surprisingly, Mr. Piedmont and Mrs. Brown are dead set against Conroy's "radical" approach to teaching -- even when it is obviously working -- but fortunately, our hero has a strong ally in the form of deputy superintendent Bennington (James Murtaugh). Echoing elements from another Pat Conroy novel, The Great Santini, the young protagonist is plagued throughout the film by memories of his uncompromising Marine-officer father, who has instilled in Conroy a hatred (and fear) of all authority figures. Produced as part of CBS's Hallmark Hall of Fame series, The Water Is Wide was first broadcast on January 29, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Hephner, Frank Langella, (more)
For those who survived the earth-shaking terrors of 10.5, the tremors just keep on coming in this sequel that finds scientist Samantha Hill (Kim Delaney) and President Hollister (Beau Bridges) doing battle against Mother Nature as she unleashes her formidable wrath in the heartland. Extinct volcanoes are erupting at an alarming rate, and the ground is opening up to swallow entire cities, leading some to believe that the Apocalypse has finally begun. All hope isn't lost yet, however, and as FEMA leaps into action to provide assistance to those in need, volunteer firefighter Brad Malloy (Dean Cain) and kindly doctor Miguel Garcia (Carlos Bernard) do their best to get citizens out of the rapidly expanding danger zones. With even more destruction on the horizon, Samantha is forced to put the past behind her in hopes that her father, Dr. Earl Hill (Frank Langella), a rogue scientist whose ideas have found him exiled from mainstream science, can find a way to divert the path of the quake and save countless lives in the process. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kim Delaney, Dean Cain, (more)
A slacker college student whose higher education has become a blur of drunken parties and casual sex falls for a pretty and studious girl who isn't like the other girls in a thoughtful coming of age drama starring Frank Langella, Laura Allen, and Bruce Marshall Romans. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Langella, Laura Allen, (more)
- 2005
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The half-hour FOX sitcom Kitchen Confidential was inspired by the warts-and-all memoirs of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. Bradley Cooper headed the cast as Jack, a infamous "bad boy" chef who had destroyed his career through a combination of bad drugs, bad booze, and bad women. After hitting rock bottom (he couldn't even hold down a fry-cook job in a theme restaurant), Jack was given a second chance by the owner of a upscale New York restaurant -- provided he could assemble a kitchen staff and serve hundreds of A-list guests within 48 hours. In desperation, Jack pulled together a number of eccentrics, goof-offs, and looney tunes from his culinary past, including troublesome chefs Steve Daedelus (Owain Yeoman) and Seth Richman (Nicholas Brendon), novice pastry chef Jim (John F. Daley), and sassy hostess Tanya (Jaime King). Hoping against hope that Jack would fall flat on his keester was the restaurant owner's vituperative daughter Mimi (Bonnie Somerville). Created by Sex and the City's Darren Star, Kitchen Confidential premiered September 19, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bradley Cooper, Nicholas Berendon, (more)
The second series created by executive producers George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh for HBO, Unscripted follows the exploits of three unknown actors attempting to make it big in tinsel town. Not a reality series in the traditional sense, the series co-starred Frank Langella as an acting teacher. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 2005
Teen sorcerer Danny Sinclair (Johnny Pacar) is among the contestants chosen for the reality-TV program "Search for the World's Greatest Kid Magician." While Danny is concerned with learning to harness his powers, his go-getter producer (Alyson Michalka) has creating enchanting television on her mind. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alyson Michalka, Johnny Pacar, (more)
Directed by Rick McKay, who traveled across five continents during the documentary's production, Broadway: The Golden Age is both a celebration of current Broadway stars and a tribute to Broadway legends past. Through a plethora of interviews and vast amounts of archival footage, McKay presents a variety of factoids, anecdotes, and memories from over 100 Broadway actors, writers, and directors. The careers of Laurette Taylor, Kim Hunter, Jessica Tandy, and Marlon Brando are all animatedly retold, as is some of the Broadway "lore of olde," such as Angela Lansbury's struggle to land a role in Mame and the shocked reaction to West Side Story on its opening night. In addition to footage and discussion regarding highly successful Broadway stars, a variety of actors recount their experiences and struggles in finding even a small amount of critical recognition. The cast includes Shirley MacLaine, Bea Arthur, Edie Adams, Alec Baldwin, and Kaye Ballard, and many others. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edie Adams, Bea Arthur, (more)
- 2001
Centuries ago, the Bandhavgarh plateau in Central India was a seat of power in that great nation, where mighty maharajas presided over their domain. Today, the temples and the palaces they called home are ruins, but another sort of royalty still reigns over Bandhavgarh -- the Bengal Tiger, whose magnificent beauty is matched by his strength and cunning. The Living Edens: Temple of the Tigers is a documentary produced for PBS which examines the fabled history of Bandhavgarh and its tigers, as well as the temples as they exist today, where one Hindu holy man still lives, playing host to spiritual pilgrims and living at peace with the tigers and other local wildlife. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
This 2000 production recounts a famous tale from Greek mythology: the quest for the Golden Fleece. The film begins when the evil Pelias (Dennis Hopper) usurps the throne of his half-brother, Aeson, king of the Greek city of Iolcus, after murdering Aeson and marrying his wife, Polymele (Diana Kent). Aeson's child, Jason (Mickey Churchill), escapes but returns years later as a young man (Jason London) to see his mother, Polymele, and claim his royal patrimony. Pelias then threatens to kill Polymele unless Jason brings him the Golden Fleece. Made of the skull, horns, and gilded wool of a winged ram, the fleece affords protection and prosperity to the kingdom that possesses it. It hangs from a tree on sacred ground in the Black Sea port of Colchis, where an unsleeping dragon protects it. After Jason agrees to undertake a perilous ocean voyage to retrieve it, he assembles a crew that includes the mighty Hercules (Brian Thompson) and the musician Orpheus (Adrian Lester). On the long ocean voyage aboard his ship, the Argo, Jason overcomes many perils -- passing through clashing rocks and fighting deadly Harpies -- while the gods Zeus and Hera observe from the heavens and occasionally meddle in Jason's exploits. At Colchis, the King Aertes (Frank Langella) forbids Jason to carry off the fleece, for it has long protected and sustained his realm. But he relents upon learning that the gods favor the youth. However, Jason must first prove himself by yoking a fire-breathing bull. With the help of the king's daughter, Medea (Jolene Blalock), a sorceress smitten with love for him, Jason succeeds, survives further tests, kills the dragon, and returns with the fleece -- and Medea. But in Iolcus, Pelias gains control of the fleece, then sends 200 soldiers to kill Jason and his crew. Thus, Jason faces still another trial. His fate and the fates of Media, Pelias, and all of Iolcus depend on how he responds. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason London, Jolene Blalock, (more)
Known for his sex-charged erotic dramas and thrillers, British director Adrian Lyne made a name for himself with such racy fare as 9 1/2 Weeks, Fatal Attraction, and Lolita. This video profile highlights his career, featuring interviews with Jeremy Irons, Anne Archer, and Tim Robbins. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
French Canadian director Denys Arcand pushes the boundaries of the mockumentary with Stardom, the tale of a fictional neophyte supermodel (Jessica Pare) told entirely through clips of her appearances on talk shows, television interviews, and documentaries. Originally titled 15 Moments, Stardom begins its portrait at a women's hockey game in the nether regions of Ontario, Canada. When the team's formidable teenage forward Tina (Pare) pulls her helmet off, letting her brunette tresses fly, a bystander snaps a photo, and Tina soon becomes the buzz at the country's hottest fashion houses. Her rise through the industry, however, is plagued by advances from older men with sundry motives: a smitten French photographer (Charles Berling), a smarmy entrepreneur (Dan Aykroyd), the Canadian Ambassador to the U.N. (Frank Langella), and a slick promoter (Thomas Gibson, the latter half of TV's Dharma and Greg). Stardom was the closing film at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, marking the first time in over 50 years that a Canadian production was chosen for such an honor; it would go on to open the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival before its theatrical premiere. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jessica Paré, Dan Aykroyd, (more)
- 2000
This made-for-cable thriller-chiller was filmed in Ohio, where most of the story takes place. A pair of young brothers, Andrew (Jase Blankfort) and Carl (Trey Rogers), cannot get their fill of the spooky ghost stories told by local undertaker Mr. Bennett (Frank Langella). The boys are particularly fascinated by the legend of a brace of long-deceased Siamese twins -- one good, one evil -- who were literally torn apart at the time of their funeral. Intending to learn more about the twins, the adventurous Andrew conducts a séance, only to get more than he bargains for when he releases a horrifying demon, which promptly wreaks havoc upon the community. It is up to Andrew's mild, unassuming brother Carl to undo the damage -- if it isn't already too late. Cry Baby Lane made its Nickelodeon TV debut on October 28, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
This fourth episode of A&E's series Mummies and the Wonders of Ancient Egypt examines the tomb of King Tut the first royal tomb ever discovered intact within Egypt's Valley of the Kings. The events of the tomb's discovery and excavation are discussed, as well the display of the tomb's contents and the curse that some believe claimed the lives of many involved in the initial exploration. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide
- 1996
This first episode of A&E's series Mummies and the Wonders of Ancient Egypt examines the pyramids, perhaps the region's most salient feature. New theories are offered to explain the construction of these monolithic structures. Also included are discussions of the religion and worldview that allowed such structures to be built. Also included are brief histories of the exploration of each pyramid. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide
- 1996
This third episode of A&E's series Mummies and the Wonders of Ancient Egypt examines the hieroglyphs, the writing system of ancient Egypt. An in-depth discussion of their initial translation is offered, including the crucial role played by the Rosetta stone. Also discussed is the lasting and continuing impact of the ancient wisdom thus decrypted. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide
- 1996
This second episode of A&E's series Mummies and the Wonders of Ancient Egypt examines the Sphinx, the massive and enigmatic half-cat, half-man that squats just above the sands of Egypt. The video examines the history of the object from its origins to the latest attempts at its restoration. Also included is a discussion of its desecration by Napoleon's troops who used its nose for target practice. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide
The life of the reluctant Old Testament prophet is told in this made-for-television biblical drama. When the Pharaoh Ramses calls for the death of all Hebrew children, a mother puts her son Moses in a basket and sends him down the Nile to save his life. The baby is found by a princess and raised as the heir to the family throne. Called upon by God, the hesitant Moses (Ben Kingsley) accepts the challenge to lead his enslaved people out of Egypt for what becomes a 40-year journey into the promised land. This extravagant production was nominated for the "Outstanding Mini-Series" Emmy. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
Laurence Fishburne and Ellen Barkin star in this complex tale of former C.I.A. agents who now specialize in freelance espionage. As the film opens, Nelson Crowe (Fishburne) is being interviewed for a position with the Grimes Organization, which focuses on industrial espionage. He is hired by Margaret Wells (Barkin), who then takes Crowe to her boss, Grimes (Frank Langella). Grimes and Wells visit a man named Walter Curl (Spalding Gray) to tell him that they can bribe a state judge so that Curl's company doesn't have to pay a $25 million fine for the toxic poisoning of some children. The judge himself (David Ogden Stiers) is deep in gambling debts. Meanwhile, Wells aligns herself with Crowe and tries to convince him that the two of them could do away with Grimes and take over his entire organization. The plot thickens from there, with several surprises. The first-time original screenplay was by famous crime writer Ross Thomas, and the film's elegant cinematography by Jack N. Green captures the coldness of the characters and their surroundings. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Wooldridge, Ellen Barkin, (more)
This HBO docudrama tells the real-life story of Dr. Gerald Bull (Frank Langella), a genius weapons designer whose services were used by the CIA for some highly suspect operations. After these operations were exposed, the CIA denied all knowledge of them and Bull was put in prison; following his release, he began to work with Saddam Hussein to build an extremely dangerous supergun that threatened the security of Israel. Doomsday Gun also stars Kevin Spacey, Alan Arkin, Rupert Graves, and Francesca Annis. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Langella, Alan Arkin, (more)
Madonna plays Rebecca Carlson, a sex bomb who parades naked in front of the open windows of her houseboat at all hours while the lobstermen catch crabs. This entry in the Basic Instinct sweepstakes poses the question: If love hurts, does sex kill? The judge and jury certainly want to find out when Rebecca's latest conquest, a multi-millionaire, dies of a heart attack while making love to her. Eight million dollars was bequeathed to Rebecca in his will, and District Attorney Robert Garrett (Joe Mantegna) is convinced that Rebecca, knowing that her rich lover had a weak heart, killed him with wild sex so that she could get her mitts on the money. Rebecca's lawyer, Frank Dulaney (Willem Dafoe), thinks differently, suspecting the millionaire's private secretary Joanne Braslow (Anne Archer) of the crime, since she was dumped by the millionaire for Rebecca. Besides which, Frank is attracted to Rebecca himself and throws legal ethics out the window as he starts a sadomasochistic affair with her. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madonna, Willem Dafoe, (more)
