Christopher Plummer Movies
From his 1950 debut onward, Christopher Plummer has been regarded as one of the most brilliant Canadian actors of his generation. His portrayal of Hamlet was a major ratings coup when telecast over the CBC in the early '60s. Following his first Broadway appearance in 1954 (among his New York stage credits are JB, Royal Hunt of the Sun and The Good Doctor), efforts were made to convert Plummer into an American matinee idol, most of these attempts were resisted by Plummer himself. His first two films, Stage Struck (1957) and Wind Across the Everglades (1958), set no new box office records, although the latter, directed by Nicholas Ray, did earn strong critical notices. Plummer was shown to better advantage in such live network-TV presentations as The Prisoner of Zenda and A Doll's House.In 1965, the actor was cast as Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, an assignment he despised, reportedly referring to the musical blockbuster as The Sound of Mucus. Nonetheless, and as Plummer has ruefully noted on many occasions, this one film did more to make the actor bankable in Hollywood than any previous effort. He went on to do steady, if varied, work throughout the rest of the century. Among Plummer's more notable films were The Return of the Pink Panther (1974), the British Empire extravaganza The Man Who Would Be King (1975), 1979's Murder by Decree (in which he starred as Sherlock Holmes), Somewhere in Time (1980), the legendary 1983 miniseries The Thorn Birds, 1991's Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and 1995's Dolores Claiborne and Twelve Monkeys. In 1999, Plummer received some of the strongest notices of his career for his uncannily accurate portrayal of 60 Minutes anchor Mike Wallace in Michael Mann's The Insider. Throughout his long career, the actor has won many awards, including Tonys for the musical Cyrano and the biopic Barrymore, and an Emmy for his work in the TV miniseries The Moneychangers. Genie nominated for performances in the films Ararat and Blizzard in 2002 and 2003 respectively, Plummer and his daughter Amanda were both nominated for Emmy awards for their television performances in 2005. Though the father would ultimately walk away empty-handed, the award would stay in the family when Amanda was bestowed the honor for her memorable guest appearance in an episode of Law and Order: Special Victim's Unit. With roles in such high profile theatrical releases including The New World, Inside Man, and The Lake House keeping Plummer very much in the spotlight, it was obvious that his talent and passion for acting were still as strong as ever.
Talent seems to run in Plummer's family: he and first wife, actress Tammy Grimes, are the parents of acclaimed actress Amanda Plummer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2009
Producer Norman Twain spearheads this independent animated film adapted from British author J.R. Ackerley's 1956 novel detailing the 14-year friendship shared between the author and a German shepherd he once rescued. With vocal contributions by Christopher Plummer, Isabella Rossellini, Paul Hecht, and Lynn Redgrave, and animation by Paul and Sandra Fierlinger, this adult-oriented tale of friendship offers a touching testament to the bond between man and beast. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Plummer, Lynn Redgrave, (more)
Set in the present day, director Terry Gilliam's fantastical morality tale follows the traveling show of the mysterious Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) -- a man who once won a bet with the Devil himself, and possesses the unique ability to guide the imagination of others. Many centuries ago, Dr. Parnassus won immortality in a bet that found the malevolent Mr. Nick (Tom Waits) coming up short. While few would be foolish enough to try their luck against the powers of darkness a second time, Dr. Parnassus did precisely that -- this time trading his mortality for youth on the understanding that his firstborn would become the property of Mr. Nick when the child reaches his or her 16th birthday. Flash-forward to the present day, and Dr. Parnassus' daughter, Valentina (Lily Cole), is about to celebrate her sweet sixteen. Dr. Parnassus is desperate to save his little girl from her fiery fate, and when Mr. Nick arrives to collect, the good doctor presents the Prince of Darkness with a wager too enticing to refuse: Dr. Parnassus and Mr. Nick will each compete to seduce five souls, with possession of Valentina going to whomever manages to complete the task first. As the competition begins to heat up, Dr. Parnassus promises his daughter's hand in marriage to any man who can help him successfully navigate the surreal obstacle course that lies ahead and finally help him undue the many mistakes of his past. While the sudden death of prominent Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus player Heath Ledger in January of 2008 left Gilliam and company scrambling to find a means of salvaging the film -- which was already well into principal photography at the time -- the cavalry soon arrived in the form of Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell, who each serve as alternate-dimension versions of the character originally set to be played by Ledger when the character crosses through a paranormal mirror. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, (more)
- 2007
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French filmmaker Christian Delage offers a condensed version of the chilling Nuremburg Trials in a documentary that draws on restored courtroom footage shot under the supervision of filmmaker John Ford to tell the remarkable story of the Holocaust while simultaneously examining how reproduced images effect the writing of history. Narrated by esteemed actor Christopher Plummer, the film offers a captivating testimony by the female survivor who vividly recounts the horrors witnessed at Auschwitz and a chilling testimony by the SD leader responsible for the deaths of 90,000 Russian Jews. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Sixty-five years after making his screen debut as a young stoker in co-directors Noël Coward and David Lean's World War II drama In Which We Serve, Richard Attenborough perfects the balance between epic story and intimate tale with this drama starring Shirley MacLaine and Neve Campbell as a mother and daughter who find a relic from the past sparking an incendiary series of events. The year is 1991, and as a small American town mourns the passing of beloved World War II veteran Chuck Harris, his wife Ethel (MacLaine) numbs herself with alcohol to the point where she completely neglects her grieving daughter Marie (Campbell). Later, after Marie receives a telephone call from a boy in Northern Ireland who claims to have recently discovered a ring belonging to Ethel, a mystery nearly five decades in the making comes slowly into focus as the story drifts back into Chuck's wartime past and the days when he and Ethel first formed their powerful bond. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shirley MacLaine, Christopher Plummer, (more)
- 2006
- Add American Experience: Eugene O'Neill to QueueAdd American Experience: Eugene O'Neill to top of Queue
The compelling life story of America's only Nobel Prize-winning playwright comes to the screen in a documentary featuring scenes performed by Al Pacino, Christopher Plummer, Liam Neeson, and Vanessa Redgrave, and originally produced as part of PBS's American Experience series. Despite intense family drama and raging inner turmoil, Eugene O'Neill persevered to emerge as a world-class talent through such acclaimed works as The Iceman Cometh and Long Day's Journey Into Night. In transcending the traditional documentary form to truly examine O'Neill's character in great detail, filmmakers offer a revealing meditation on loss, redemption, and the high cost that artists are forced to pay in life. Excerpts from O'Neill's plays performed by some of the greatest actors of their generation prove that, even after his death, O'Neill continues to influence and inspire. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Based on the book by Newsweek senior editor David France, the made-for-cable Our Fathers dramatizes the pedophilia scandal that literally tore apart the Catholic Diocese of Boston. The story is set in motion when the Boston Globe gets wind of a determined effort by lawyer Mitchell Garabedian (Ted Danson) to get belated justice for his client Angelo DeFranco (Daniel Baldwin), who as a youngster was repeatedly abused sexually by Father John Geoghan (Steve Shaw). Several of Angelo's contemporaries had previously come forth with stories of Father Geoghan's misdeeds, and the similar outrages of other priests, but they had made the error of complaining to the head of the Boston Diocese, the arrogant Cardinal Bernard Law (Christopher Plummer), who turned a deaf ear to the claims and in some cases went so far as to tell the complainants that they, and not the priests, were somehow to blame. All the while, Law and his colleagues covered up the scandal through a series of covert transfers of the offending priests, allowing the perpetrators to continue their sexual activities with shocking impunity. The film also details a number of related subplots, including the plight of Mary Ryan (Ellen Burstyn), all of whose seven sons suffered from the priests' abuse, and Father Spagnolia (Brian Dennehy), who dared to attack Law's handling of the scandal from his pulpit -- only to have the sexual skeletons in his own closet revealed. Our Fathers made its Showtime cable debut on May 21, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Set largely in England (but filmed in Canada), Four Minutes is the story of Sir Roger Bannister, doctor by profession and runner by preference -- and the first man to run under a four-minute mile. Played by Jamie Maclachlan, Bannister is accurately depicted as a brilliant Oxford medical student, who in the years following WWII gains a reputation as England's fastest runner, but who regards his sports accomplishments as merely an adjunct to his studies, and thus avoids formal athletic training. Only after he fails to win a medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics does Bannister come to realize how important he has become as a morale-booster for a postwar Britain plagued by shortages, rationing, and unemployment. Shouldering this spiritual responsibility, Bannister submits himself to a grueling (but surprisingly scientific) training regimen imposed by disabled ex-athlete Archie Mason (Christopher Plummer). Originally slated for release in 2004 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Roger Bannister's "great run," Four Minutes was not seen until it was picked by the ESPN2 cable service on October 6, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jamie Maclachlan, Christopher Plummer, (more)
A young girl still saddened by the decision of her best friend's family to move away learns an important life lesson about change from her eccentric aunt in this family-friendly holiday tale directed by LeVar Burton and starring Whoopi Goldberg, Kevin Pollak, Christopher Plummer, and Zoë Warner. When ten-year-old Jess' best friend Bobby moves to another town, Jess is inconsolable. Seeing the young girl's grief at the loss of her friend and hoping to offer some comfort, Jess' aunt Millie (Brenda Blethyn) tells her niece the story of a young girl named Katie (Warner) and her lifelong dream to become a world-famous ice skater. Befriended by former Olympic skating champion Otto Brewer while practicing at an outdoor rink near her home, Katie soon is soon transformed into a world-class skater thanks to the help of her newfound friend. As Katie's father breaks the news that he has lost his job and the family must move to a new home in a new town, a miracle occurs in the North Pole. It seems that reindeers Blitzen and Delphi have given birth to a new baby reindeer named Blizzard, and Blizzard possesses the three powers held by every famous reindeer: the power of flight, the power of invisibility, and the ability to navigate life with her heart. Immediately sensing the sadness of young Katie's loss, Blizzard sets out on her first mission, much to the dismay of Santa's disapproving task-master elf Archimedes. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zoë Warner
One of Charles Dickens' best-loved (and most complex) stories receives its fourth feature film adaptation in this lively historical comedy-drama. Nicholas Nickleby (Charlie Hunnam) is a 19-year-old who becomes the head of the family when his father dies unexpectedly. Keeping watch over his mother (Stella Gonet) and his sister Kate (Romola Garai) becomes an even greater challenge when Nicholas discovers that his father lost the family fortune due to ill-advised investments. Without a shilling to his name, Nicholas turns to his wealthy but unforgiving Uncle Ralph (Christopher Plummer) for help; Uncle Ralph offers to find work for all three, and Nicholas becomes a teacher at a school for unfortunate boys run by Wackford Squeers (Jim Broadbent) and his wife (Juliet Stevenson). Squeers and his wife are cruel and frequently violent toward their charges, and when Wackford, without cause, beats a weak and timid student, Smike (Jamie Bell), Nicholas decides he can take no more and runs away, with Smike in tow. The two young men fall in with a traveling theater troupe run by the genially eccentric Vincent Crummles (Nathan Lane) and his equally flamboyant spouse (Barry Humphries, aka Dame Edna Everage). In time Nicholas returns to London to check in on his sister and mother. To his horror, he learns that Uncle Ralph has promised Kate's hand to Sir Mulberry Hawk (Edward Fox), a wealthy older man with a less-than-wholesome interest in young women. Both Kate and Nicholas are upset at the prospect of this union, and Nicholas attempts to tear his family away from Uncle Ralph's control, beginning with a job working for the warm-hearted Charles Cheeryble (Timothy Spall) and his brother (Gerard Horan). Nicholas also falls in love with the fair Madeline (Anne Hathaway), but when Uncle Ralph learns of Nicholas' plot to foil Kate's impending marriage, he strikes back by kidnapping Smike and attempting to force Madeline to wed Sir Hawk. Actor, writer, and filmmaker Douglas McGrath adapted Nicholas Nickleby into a screenplay, as well as directing the picture. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jamie Bell, Jim Broadbent, (more)
Hard-drinking newspaper reporter John McWhirter (Fred Ward) finds himself in the middle of a messy political assassination plot when he is compelled to keep in his house an on-the-lam Palestinian operative, Armiti Khalq (Rachel Ticotin). McWhirter, who is being heavily pressured by his editor (Virginia Madsen) to come up with a scoop, has no choice but to keep the woman safe as a payback to two old friends he apparently betrayed when they were university radicals during the turbulent 1960s. The overreaching FBI bureau chief, Robert Lecker (Christopher Plummer), is anxious to find the woman and send McWhirter and his companions away -- unless they happen to die first. Meanwhile, a manic hit woman, Michelle (Penelope Ann Miller), discovers Armiti's hiding place and closes in for the kill, just as McWhirter returns home. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Virginia Madsen, Penelope Ann Miller, (more)
- 2000
CNN celebrates the innovations, headlines, and culture of the 20th century. CNN: Celebrate the Century consists of ten programs. The fourth program, CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 4, 1940-1945, features the major headlines of the day, including the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the birth of the United Nations. The program also recounts the major innovations of the early 1940's, such as the nifty fastener Velcro, the first computer, and the horrific napalm bomb. Culturally, America was enraptured with Ernest Hemingway, Orson Welles, and superstar Frank Sinatra. Features an entertaining and educational look at what it meant to be an American during the early 1940s . ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide
- 2000
CNN celebrates the innovations, headlines, and culture of the 20th century. CNN: Celebrate the Century consists of ten programs. The fifth program, CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 5, 1945-1954, features the major headlines of the day, including the effects of the barrier between the Soviet bloc and Western Europe known as the Iron Curtain, the independence of Israel in 1948, and the Korean War. The program also recounts the major innovations of the late 1940s and early 1950s, such as color TV, the powerful hydrogen bomb, and the discovery of the polio vaccine. Features an entertaining and educational look at what it meant to be an American during the late 1940s and early 1950s . ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide
- 2000
NN celebrates the innovations, headlines, and culture of the 20th century. CNN: Celebrate the Century consists of ten programs. The sixth program, CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 6, 1954-1961, features the major headlines of the day including the Suez Crisis, the Soviet satellite Sputnik, and the beginning of the civil rights movement. The program also recounts the major innovations and events of the mid-1950s and early 1960's, such as the first microchip and humans' first walk on the moon. Culturally, America was enraptured with the birth of the sound of Motown. Features an entertaining and educational look at what it meant to be an American during the mid-1950s and early 1960s . ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide
- 2000
CNN celebrates the innovations, headlines, and culture of the 20th century. CNN: Celebrate the Century consists of ten programs. The seventh program, CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 7, 1961-1969, features the major headlines of the day, including the birth of the Berlin Wall surrounding West Berlin, Mao's Red Guards, and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Culturally, America was falling in love with four young lads from Liverpool, the Beatles. Features an entertaining and educational look at what it meant to be an American during the 1960's . ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide
- 2000
CNN celebrates the innovations, headlines, and culture of the 20th century. CNN: Celebrate the Century consists of ten programs. The eighth program, CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 8, 1970-1979, features the major headlines of the day, including the massacre at Kent State University and the impeachment and resignation of President Nixon. The program also recounts the major innovations and events of the 1970s, such as the space probe and the breaking of the sound barrier. Culturally, America was enraptured with director Stanley Kubrick and his breakthrough film A Clockwork Orange, as well as with the disco beats of the film Saturday Night Fever. Features an entertaining and educational look at what it meant to be an American during the 1970s . ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide
- 2000
CNN celebrates the innovations, headlines, and culture of the 20th century. CNN: Celebrate the Century consists of ten programs. The ninth program, CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 9, 1980-1989, features the major headlines of the day including the presidency of Ronald Reagan and the fall of communism. The program also recounts the major innovations and events of the 1980s, such as the birth of the personal computer, the cell phone, and virtual reality. Culturally, America was enraptured with the Steven Spielberg film E.T., the advent of MTV, and the music and enigma of pop superstar Michael Jackson. Features an entertaining and educational look at what it meant to be an American during the 1980s. ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide
- 2000
CNN celebrates the innovations, headlines, and culture of the 20th century. CNN: Celebrate the Century consists of ten programs. The tenth program, CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 10, 1990-1999, features the major headlines of the day including the tragic death of Princess Diana and the release of Nelson Mandela. The program also recounts the major innovations and events of the 1990s, such as the affect of the Internet, the cloning of sheep, and a little pill named Viagra. Culturally, America was enraptured with the sounds of Nirvana and with the film Pulp Fiction. Features an entertaining and educational look at what it meant to be an American during the 1990s. ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Two kids discover just how exciting science can be in this drama for the family. Julia (Alison Pill) is a young woman growing up in a farming community in Central Canada, which has been hit with an unseasonable drought. Spirits are low around Julia's household until she and her brother Daniel (Bill Switzer) meet Jack (Simon McCorkindale), a travelling archeologist who is looking for dinosaur bones. Jack's dream is to some day find an entire skeleton intact, and he teaches Julia and Daniel lessons about both the science and the excitement of looking for fossils. Just as Jack and his new friends begin making some important finds, along comes "Hump" Hinton (Christopher Plummer), a fellow dinosaur hunter who has long considered himself Jack's greatest rival and who is determined to steal Jack's bone samples for his own purposes. The Dinosaur Hunter was originally produced for WIC Premium, a Canadian pay-cable service. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alison Pill, Simon MacCorkindale, (more)
This TNT miniseries stars Alec Baldwin as Robert Jackson, the Supreme Court justice who served as the head prosecutor for the war crimes tribunal that took place in Nuremberg after the horrors of WWII and the Holocaust. The film follows Jackson from his preparations for the trial to the outcome of the trial itself, paying particular attention to the interplay between Jackson and the Nazi thugs he is trying to prosecute. Brian Cox co-stars a Hermann Goering, Hitler's right-hand man, while Christopher Plummer plays British prosecutor Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe, and Jill Hennessey portrays Elise Douglas, Jackson's invaluable secretary and sometime lover. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alec Baldwin, Jill Hennessy, (more)
- 2000
CNN celebrates the innovations, headlines, and culture of the 20th century. CNN: Celebrate the Century consists of ten programs. The second program, CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 2, 1915-1929, features the major headlines of the day, including the Russian Revolution and the panic on Wall Street. The program also covers the major innovations of the early 20th century, such as the invention of the liquid fuel rocket and the La-Z-Boy recliner. As far as culture, CNN reminds viewers that the most influential film was Birth of a Nation and that jazz began to make its mark on the American music scene. Features an entertaining and educational look at what it meant to be an American at the dawning of a new century . ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide
- 2000
CNN celebrates the innovations, headlines, and culture of the 20th century. CNN: Celebrate the Century consists of ten programs. The third program, CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 3, 1930-1939, features the major headlines of the day, including Amelia Earhart's solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932 and her attempt to fly around the world that ended tragically when she crashed into the Pacific Ocean in 1937. The program also recounts the rise of Adolf Hitler's power and the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, as well as the major innovations of the early 20th century such as the invention of sliced bread. Culturally, America was enraptured with the comic book superhero Superman. Features an entertaining and educational look at what it meant to be an American during the 1930s. ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide
- 2000
CNN celebrates the innovations, headlines, and culture of the 20th century. CNN: Celebrate the Century consists of ten programs. The first program, CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 1, 1900-1914, features the major headlines of the day, including the flight of the Wright Brothers and the sinking of the Titanic. Major innovations of the early 20th century are covered, such as the invention of the automobile, the car, and plastic. From 1900-1914, American culture was primarily influenced by the music and style of ragtime and the blues. Take an in-depth look at America at the dawning of a new century . ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide
This made-for-cable drama was adapted from the true story of the only exorcism sanctioned by the Catholic church to be performed in America in the 20th century. Father Bowdern (Timothy Dalton) is a Jesuit priest and military veteran still dealing with the emotional traumas of World War II as he tends to his flock in St. Louis in 1949. A strange case comes to Bowdern's attention -- a boy named Robbie who has strange markings on his body and appears to be under the influence of some otherworldly spirit. Robbie's family believes the child has been possessed by a demon, and in time Bowdern agrees. After receiving the consent of the Vatican, Bowdern attempts the torturous process of casting out the demon, which proves to be as much a test of his own powers as those of the devil. Possessed also stars Piper Laurie, Christopher Plummer, and Henry Czerny. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Dalton, Christopher Plummer, (more)
