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
- 199z
From the book by Ludwig Bemelman, this delightful story of Madeline tells of her being stranded at the circus with her friend Pepito, bur they get taken in by a good group of gypsies. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1990
- R
When Ivan Tibor (Brett Porter), a Russian with dangerous psychokinetic powers, flees to the United States, scientist Warren Hart (Chris Lemmon) is charged with the responsibility of capturing the renegade. However, when Warren discovers that Ivan is on a mission to foil the plans of a group of government officials who are illegally storing and manufacturing weapons, the scientist rethinks his priorities. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Plummer, Chris Lemmon, (more)
- 1990
Several editions of the animated children's series (based on the books of Ludwig Bemelman) are included here: in addition to "Madeline's Rescue," the pack includes "Madeline and the Bad Hat" and "Madeline and the Gypsies." Narration is provided by Louise Roberts. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1989
- Add The Metamorphosis: A Study - Nabokov on Kafka to QueueAdd The Metamorphosis: A Study - Nabokov on Kafka to top of Queue
In this witty, dialogue-heavy piece, Christopher Plummer stars as the legendary Russian writer Vladimir Nabokov during his days lecturing at Cornell University. He proceeds to give an extremely literate and colorful interpretation of Franz Kafka's classic short story "The Metamorphosis," about a man who wakes up to discover his own transformation into a beetle. The gifted Peter Medak (The Krays, The Changeling) directs. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Plummer
- 1989
- R
While on the routines of his job, a Montreal policeman (Michael Ironside) is tormented by flashbacks and hallucinations. He eventually traces the bizarre behavior to the LSD experiments of a CIA scientist (Christopher Plummer). ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Ironside, Lisa Langlois, (more)
This made-for-cable documentary traces the filming of the imperishable classic Gone with the Wind, from its inception to its triumphant Atlanta premiere in December of 1939. Filmmaker David Hinton interviews as many survivors of the experience as he's able to round up, but the main attraction of this film is its precious "test" clips. We watch a montage of screen tests of the many actresses considered for the role of Scarlett O'Hara, ranging from such front-runners as Paulette Goddard to such not-a-chancers as Lana Turner. The Goddard footage is particularly enjoyable as we watch her eagerly reciting the lines of all the characters as she auditions for Scarlett. The documentary also turns up several tantalizing bits of trivia, notably the fact that the film was shown to a preview audience with an entirely different musical score (portions of which are played on the soundtrack). There is, of course, very little suspense involved in Making of a Legend, but even those who've heard all the Gone With the Wind factoids from other sources will watch in fascination as the saga unfolds. This documentary was produced by David Selznick's sons, and written by iconoclastic movie historian David Thomson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
The series of animated children's films--based on the books of Ludwig Bemelman--continues with this Christmas edition, in which Madeline is taught a lesson in compassion by caring for several ill friends over the holidays. Christopher Plummer lends his voice to the narration. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1989
- PG
This animated children's musical, Madeline is narrated by Christopher Plummer and based on the book series by Ludwig Bemelman. It follows the various adventures of Madeline and her friends: a trip to the zoo, walks in the city, and a slumber party. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Ellis (Duncan Fraser), a literature professor, has started a relationship with Fee (Elizabeth Dancoes), one of his students, displaying a serious lack of judgement. However, his judgement is not in question when he goes to meet his girl's parents. Why she invited him to see her parents (Roberta Maxwell and Christopher Plummer) scream and yell at one another, displaying for all to see the bonds of hatred they share, remains a mystery. The new couple, baptised by this conflagration, now proceed to spend the rest of their weekend with Daniel Kingsgate (Alan Scarfe), a famous writer. This time, not only is there shouting and screaming, but the writer tries to put the make on Ellis' new girlfriend while he is busy trying to console the writer's wife (Barbara March). ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Plummer, Duncan Fraser, (more)
Based on the novel The Pork Butcher by David Hughes, this melodrama was directed by literary adaptation specialist Geoffrey Reeve, producer of The Shooting Party (1984), Half Moon Street (1986), and The Whistle Blower (1987). Christopher Plummer stars as Ernst Kestner, a German Army veteran who relocated to New York, where he has lived for 43 years, since the end of WWII. Upon the death of his wife and the takeover of his deli business by a chain store, Ernst embarks on a nostalgic journey to France, the site of a 1944 love affair he had with a beautiful young woman in the small, occupied town of Lascaud. In Paris, Ernst reunites with his estranged daughter Tina (Catherine Hicks), who is having marital problems and agrees to accompany her father on his sentimental journey. In Lascaud, however, Ernst discovers both the fate of his long-lost love and horrifying evidence of his complicity in a wartime atrocity he never knew occurred. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Plummer, Catherine Hicks, (more)
- 1988
- PG
Isaac Asimov wrote the English translation for this animated sci-fi tale about the prince of the planet Gandahar, who is sent to the future in order to avenge an attack on his home world. The film is re-edited from the original French version (Ghandahar (1987), created and directed by Rene Laloux). ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1988
- PG
In the thriller Shadow Dancing, the head of the Beaumont Theater of Dance has been haunted for decades by one of his dancers who died suddenly during a performance of "Medusa." Despite the bad memories surrounding "Medusa," the company is set to stage a production of the ballet nearly 50 years later, and a young dancer is obsessed with winning the title role. After she receives it, she begins to assume the physical and emotional characteristics of the woman who died years earlier, and as it gets closer to the actual production, it becomes apparent that she is headed toward her doom. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nadine Van Der Velde, Christopher Plummer, (more)
- 1987
Part of the World of David the Gnome video series, which features exciting adventure stories starring David the Gnome, World of David the Gnome: Young Doctor Gnome journeys inside the Enchanted Forest for fun and storytelling. There, a proficient young doctor and wizard solves problems and helps his fellow gnomes. The video series is animated. ~ Betsy Boyd, All Movie Guide
Celebrity photographer Gianni Bozzacchi supposedly wrote and directed this uneven romantic drama based on his own personal experience. Struggling photographer Mario Cortone (Scott Baio) falls in love with the pretty debutante Nicole (Kelly Van Der Velden), daughter of the popular but moody stage star John R. Yeates (Christopher Plummer). The young lovers try to sustain a relationship in spite of their cultural and economic differences in this routine teen romance. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Baio, Christopher Plummer, (more)
- 1987
The animated gnomes are featured in this adventure of one gnome's fantastic journey to collect stolen gold from mischievous trolls. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1987
Assigned to read Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar", Theo (Malcolm Jamal-Warner) and Cockroach (Carl Anthony Payne II) cannot make heads nor tails of the text. All this changes when the Huxtable's house guest Dr. Barnabus Foster (Roscoe Lee Browne) teams up with the family's professor friend Jonathan Lawrence (Christopher Plummer) to deliver an impromptu--and very lively--Shakespeare reading. In other developments, Denise (Lisa Bonet) has distubing news for her parents; and Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe) is mad that she has been chosen as the model for the witch in a fairy tale written by Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam. This episode was originally taped for the series' third season (former regular Lisa Bonet is afforded "guest star" billing).
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
This classic animated fairy tale comes from the Hans Christian Andersen story of two mice and how they reunite a toy soldier and a music box dancer. ~ All Movie Guide
Dan Aykroyd must have practiced for months to perfect his Jack Webb inflections for Dragnet. Screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz's directorial debut (also written by Mankiewicz, along with Aykroyd, and Alan Zweibel) is a gentle spoof of the legendary '50s television police drama -- pitting '50s conservatism smack up against the attitudes of the '80s. Basically, the film is another 48 Hours or Beverly Hills Cop clone. Aykroyd stars as Joe Friday, the nephew of the original Friday. But with his brown suit, fedora, and lockjaw, he could just as well be the incarnation of Jack Webb. He is involuntarily assigned a smart alecky, street-wise partner, Pep Streebeck (Tom Hanks), and they are appointed to investigate a series of religious cult murders in L.A. The two cops follow the trail to a phony televangelist, the Reverend Jonathan Whirley (Christopher Plummer). From there, they are only at step away from uncovering an Orange County-based religious cult calling itself P.A.G.A.N. (People Against Goodness and Normalcy). After sneaking into a secret ceremony, Friday falls in love with the sacrificial victim Connie Swail (Alexandra Paul). So much so that even after his superior Captain Gannon (Harry Morgan, reprising his role from the '60s revival of the Dragnet program) orders him off the case, Friday continues on, with the requisite car chases and crashes that usually climax any '80s cop movie or comedy. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Aykroyd, Tom Hanks, (more)
- 1987
Hazard of Hearts was adapted for television from a 1948 bodice-ripper by Barbara Cartland. Set (where else?) in 1810 England, the film stars Helena Bonham Carter as the obligatory innocent young lass with a dynamite figure. Falling in love with a Rochester-like Marquis (Marcus Gilbert), Helena is whisked off to the mysterious Castle Mandrake ("played" by England's Belvoir Castle and Burghley House). Here, our heroine is menaced by Diana Rigg, the Marquis' evil, possessive mother. First broadcast December 27, 1987, Hazard of Hearts was buried in the ratings by NBC's repeat showing of Terms of Endearment (1983) and ABC's telecast of Stir Crazy (1980). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helena Bonham Carter
- 1986
A six-hour adaptation of Danielle Steel's best-selling novel, the ABC miniseries Crossings began on board a transatlantic ocean liner in 1938. In the course of a truly eventful sea voyage, a torrid romance developed between powerful American steel magnate Nick Burnham (Lee Horsley) and Liane DeVilliers (Cheryl Ladd), the wife of French ambassador Armand DeVilliers (Christopher Plummer). This indiscretion would ultimately embroil both characters in the political intrigues leading up to WWII, with a rousing denouement in Nazi-occupied France just after America's entry into the war. To give the project a semblance of verisimilitude, several prominent historical figures flitted in and out of the action, notably Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt and France's Marshal Petain. Even so, most of the audience's interest was focused on the antics of Nick Burnham's hot-to-trot wife Hilary, played by Jane Seymour. Billed near the bottom of the huge cast was future Cheers and Frasier star Kelsey Grammer as "Craig Lawson." Partially filmed on the old British liner Queen Mary (then dry-docked as a tourist attraction), Crossings originally aired from February 23 to 25, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cheryl Ladd, Lee Horsley, (more)
- 1986
- R
Daniel Stern plays an up-and-coming stockbroker; Christopher Plummer is his boss; and Arielle Dombasle is the boss' wife. As a sort of litmus test for future executives, Plummer invites Stern and coworker Martin Mull for a weekend in the country. The sexy Dombasle takes a liking to Stern, who wonders if cohabiting with the boss' wife will improve his chances at promotion. This is but one element of writer/director Ziggy Steinberg's Felliniesque script, which throws in all sort of eccentrics and bizarre situations to pad out what is essentially a one-joke situation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Stern, Arielle Dombasle, (more)
- 1986
A Canadian-Australian coproducton which originally aired over Australia's 7 Network, the six-hour miniseries Spearfield's Daughter stars Kim Braden as the title character. The daughter of a prominent and powerful Australian politician (Chris Wiggins), Cleo Spearfield (Kim Braden) incurs her father's wrath by becoming a reporter, with the Vietnam war as her "beat." When not dodging bullets and negotiating rice paddies, Cleo is wooed by two attractive gentemen, gonzo American journalist Tom Border (Steve Railsback) and Murdoch-like British publishing mogul Lord Jack Cruze (Christopher Plummer. Adapted by Jon Cleary from his own novel, Spearfield's Daughter was syndicated to the US beginning the week of May 25, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, this animated video tells a story of how a couple of mice play matchmakers to a toy soldier and ballerina. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Plummer
