Jonathan Pryce Movies
Welsh native Jonathan Pryce switched from art studies to acting after winning a RADA scholarship, and quickly became both a critically viable and immediately recognizable screen presence. In numerous screen assignments, Pryce's subtle intensity and mania - deftly but not deeply buried beneath a placid exterior - could be parlayed with equal aplomb into roles as an angst-ridden everyman or a manipulative sociopath. In the majority of Pryce's characterizations, he projected a frightening degree of intelligence and sophistication almost by default.
After a few seasons with the Liverpool Everyman Theatre, Pryce scored a London theatrical success in Comedians, winning a Tony award when the play moved to Broadway in 1976. Thereafter, he starred in the Broadway musicals Miss Saigon and Oliver!. Pryce's subsequent effectiveness in villainous roles threatened to typecast him as Machiavellian heavies, such as his icewater-veined personification of "reason and logic" in Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989). As time rolled on, however, Pryce began to demonstrate his ability to add layers of offbeat and intriguing eccentricity to roles that, in other hands, could easily become caricatures or stock parts - a gift apparent as early as Pryce's leading turn in Gilliam's Brazil (1985), as a beleaguered everyman enmeshed in a Kafkaesque bureaucratic nightmare. The actor was particularly arresting, for example, as James Lingk, a bar patron with not-so-subtle homosexual inclinations, who falls prey to the machinations of hotshot salesman Ricky Roma (Al Pacino), in James Foley's 1992 screen adaptation of the David Mamet play Glengarry Glen Ross. He commanded equally powerful screen presence as Henry Kravis, a cunning entrepreneur and the "master of the leveraged buyout" (who bilks corporate giant F. Ross Johnson for a fortune) in the Glenn Jordan-directed, Larry Gelbart-scripted boardroom comedy Barbarians at the Gate (1993). In 1995, Jonathan Pryce won a Cannes Film Festival best actor award for his portrayal of homosexual writer Lytton Strachey in Carrington, opposite Emma Thompson.
In subsequent years, Pryce's screen activity crescendoed meteorically; he remained extremely active, often tackling an average of three to five films a year, and demonstrated a laudable intuition in selecting projects. Some of his more prestigious assignments included roles in Evita (1996), Ronin (1998), De-Lovely (2004) and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007). The Brothers Grimm (2005) re-united the Welsh actor with Brazil and Baron Munchausen collaborator Terry Gilliam. In 2008, Pryce teamed up with George Clooney, Renee Zellweger and John Krasinski for a supporting role in the Clooney-directed sports comedy Leatherheads (2008); Pryce plays C.C. Frazier, the manager of a 1920s collegiate football player (Krasinski).
Many American viewers may continue to associate Pryce with his television commercial appearances as the spokesman of Infiniti automobiles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Paddy Considine, Uma Thurman, and Jonathan Pryce star in this feature adaptation of acclaimed writer David Hare's searing play, an uncompromising study of alcohol addiction and obsession. Paul is a poet and recovering alcoholic in search of employment. Offered a job by a kind billionaire businessman, Paul soon discovers that despite their differences, the two men have much in common. Meanwhile, the businessman's alcoholic wife begins her own path to recovery, a non-traditional approach that doesn't include Alcoholics Anonymous. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Uma Thurman, Jonathan Pryce, (more)
A movie set becomes a metaphor for the tragic rise of World War II in Europe in this historical drama. It's 1939, and as Benito Mussolini rules Italy and war sweeps through Europe, Italian film producer Davide Rieti (Alfred Molina) is attempting to set up his latest project, a historical epic adapted from Puccini's opera Tosca. While Rieti is short on money, that's the least of his problems -- as a gay Jew, he's an easy target for the fascist pogroms which have become commonplace in Europe, and working at Rome's lavish Cinecitta Studio is one of his few respites from the grim realities of life under Mussolini. Eager to turn his adaptation of Tosca into an international epic, Rieti hires Hungarian Lazlo Molnar (Andras Balint) to direct, and casts German Kristina Baumgarten (Catherine McCormack), Italian Maria Grazia (Surama De Castro) and British James Clavel (Jonathan Pryce) in the leading roles. Rieti also finds room in the cast for his handsome lover Renzo (Rupert Friend), but while the cast offers one another a certain grudging respect (and Baumgarten and Clavel enjoy a brief romance off-set), the tensions that have gripped the world can be felt on set, and fascist and anti-fascist factions arise among the crew. The turmoil is aided and abetted by the presence of Annibale (Ivano Marescotti), the film's chief backer and an ardent supporter of Il Duce, while free-spirited director Molnar makes no secret of his leftist views. The Moon and the Stars received its North American debut at the 2007 Palm Springs Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Pryce, Catherine McCormack, (more)
- 2007
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Screen star Jonathan Pryce deftly portrays Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary sleuth in the made-for-television production Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars. Based on an original story in lieu of a Doyle novel, the feature revolves around a group of characters known as The Baker Street Irregulars, street urchins who appeared in a number of the Holmes novels and occasionally help the famous detective solve crimes. In this feature, the pack must solve a mystery surrounding two of their own who suddenly and inexplicably vanish; meanwhile, Holmes himself is arrested and tried for homicide, and it is up to the youngsters to come to the rescue on both fronts. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Pryce, Bill Paterson, (more)
- 2005
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Experience the performances that made Broadway history in this release that compiles twenty-three unforgettable musical performances from the Tony Award broadcast archives. Featuring such stars as Harvey Fierstein, Robert Goulet, and Carol Channing in performances from Show Boat, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Kiss Me Kate, My Fair Lady and many more, this release brings the magic of the stage directly into your living room. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
What's a middle-aged woman to do when her husband walks out on her and her favorite pop star is murdered by a serial killer? Writer/director P.J. Hogan explores this and many other pressing questions in Unconditional Love, a comic murder-mystery he devised with his wife and co-screenwriter, Jocelyn Moorhouse. Their heroine, Grace Beasly (Kathy Bates), finds her placid Midwestern life turned upside down after she loses both of the aforementioned men in her life: her husband (Dan Aykroyd) and the Tom Jones-like, Welsh singing star Victor Fox (Jonathan Pryce), whom she unabashedly worships. After Fox's death, Grace impetuously flies to England for his funeral. Paying an uninvited visit to his countryside estate, she discovers Dirk Simpson (Rupert Everett), Fox's longtime, secret live-in lover, who's also in a state of shock following the senseless murder. Together, the two team up, traveling back to the Windy City to find the infamous "Crossbow Killer" who took Fox's life. After receiving a fall 2002 release in the U.K., Unconditional Love had its U.S. premiere on the Starz network in August 2003. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathy Bates, Rupert Everett, (more)
- 2002
Based on the (somewhat darker) novel by Gregory Maguire, the made-for-TV movie Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister offers a refreshing revisionist spin on the old Cinderella legend. Having squandered her late husband's fortune, 17th century widow Margarethe (Stockard Channing) moves from London to her native Holland, in hopes of snagging wealthy tulip merchant Van Den Meer (David Westhead) as Hubby Number Two. Going along for the ride are Margarethe's two daughters, Iris (Azura Skye) and Ruth (Emma Poole), whom their mother regards as hopelessly homely and awkward -- especially when compared to Van Den Meer's gorgeous, aloof, and chronically agoraphobic daughter Clara (Claire Harrison). Though unattractive by her mother's idiotically exacting standards, Iris glows with beauty from within, especially when her artistic soul is unleashed by a wise old mentor known as the Master (Jonathan Pryce) (who, without giving too much of the game away, bears a remarkable resemblance to the great Rembrandt). When Margarethe selfishly attempts to marry off Iris to a handsome Prince, ignoring the girl's growing fondness for the Master's humble apprentice Casper (Matthew Goode), Iris formulates a plan to draw Clara out of her shell and prepare her unofficial stepsister for a royal marriage. Deftly challenging still-prevalent notions of "ugly," "beautiful," "good," and "evil," Confessions of an Ugly Sister was a Canadian-Luxembourg coproduction, filmed in 2001 and first telecast as part of ABC's Wonderful World of Disney anthology on March 10, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Pigs from another world are ready to destroy the Earth, and only one mental patient can stop them in this absurdist comedy. Robert (Ian Fraiser) is an eccentric man living in a small British community, who after a stint of psychotherapy begins hearing voices in his head. This in itself is disturbing enough for Robert, but what really troubles him is what the voices are saying -- it seems he's being told about a band of alien invaders who resemble pigs and have a plan to destroy the world as we know it unless the United States stops its research in interstellar weaponry. Robert tries to tell the world about this dire news, but he soon proves to be a less-than-ideal cosmic messenger, and the only people believe he's serious are his on-and-off girlfriend Narendra (Indira Varma) and would-be musician Jimmy (Paul Barber). As Robert faces this unusual crisis, England reels from the effects of a strange plague that is apparently being spread by the nation's canines. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
A Welsh woman is belatedly forced to come out of her shell when poor fortune befalls her family and friends in this kitchen-sink comedy. Annie Mary (Rachel Griffiths) is a woman in her early thirties who seems never to have finished growing up; she still lives at home with her widowed father Jack (Jonathan Pryce), hasn't established much of a life of her own, and can't get her relationship with her boyfriend Colin (Rhys Miles Thomas) to go anywhere. Jack, an enthusiastic ladies' man with a passion for opera and no modesty about sharing his vocal talents with those around him, runs a bakery, and is known to sing the occasional aria for the edification of fellow motorists as he delivers bread. Annie-Mary has been slowly saving up money for a down payment on a flat of her own until disaster strikes and Jack suffers a stroke. Confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak, Jack is incapable of running the bakery, and it falls to Annie-Mary to keep the business afloat. Attempting to rise to the occasion, Annie-Mary decides to give the bakery a make-over, with limited success, but as she tries to keep the business going and care for her father, Annie-Mary discovers that one of her closest friends, Bethan (Joanna Page), is suffering from a serious illness and hasn't long to live. Bethan has always wanted to visit America and see Disneyland, so Annie-Mary hatches a plan to raise the money by winning a local talent show; despite her feeble dancing ability, Annie-Mary decides to form a pop group with her friends, in hopes of fulfilling one of her foiled ambitions from her teenage years. Though shot in 1999, Very Annie-Mary didn't find its way to theaters until 2001. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rachel Griffiths, Jonathan Pryce, (more)
Roger Corman revives his tradition of bringing low-budget literary adaptations to the screen with this stylish reworking of Robert Louis Stevenson's The Suicide Club, directed by Rachel Samuels. Lev L. Spiro strips the book down to its essence while also devising subplots that are not in the original work. Set in 1899, Henry Joyce (David Morrissey) is on the brink of suicide after losing the great love of his life. His buddy Captain May (Neil Stuke) calms him down some, but soon both find themselves under the spell of an equally suicidal Shaw (Paul Bettany), who leads them to The Suicide Club, run by the shadowy Bourne (Jonathan Pryce). The rules of the Suicide Club are simple: the members, all well-bred citizens with a penchant for death, decide the murderer and victim from a draw of the cards. Bourne quickly and ruthlessly dispatches with those who do not want to abide by the rules. Soon Henry finds himself sucked into this underworld with no chance of escape. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Morrissey, Jonathan Pryce, (more)
- 1999
Drawing from Othello and Un ballo in maschera, Italian filmmaker (Claudia Florio) directs this English language thriller. Actress Michela (Claudia Gerini) receives the cryptic offer to assume the identity of another. When she passes, her English roommate Corinna (Susan Lynch) signs up and begins meeting with an older man (Jonathan Pryce), playing the part of a married woman being seduced by an art-forger. Though she finds herself attracted to her mysterious patron, she realizes that she is part of some great dastardly plot. She -- along with her jealous boyfriend (Enrico Silvestrio) -- sets out to discover his true motivations. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Pryce, Susan Lynch, (more)
This made-for-tv relgious epic relates the life story of David, one of the Bible's most fascinating figures. David's life included a passionate affair with Bathsheba, an odds-defying defeat of Goliath, to a struggle with King Saul. This film, co-starring Jonathan Pryce, Leonard Nimoy, and Sheryl Lee touches upon these and many other aspects of his existence. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
This animated feature from Don Bluth is aimed toward very young children. It follows the exploits of Stanley, the nicest troll in Troll Land. Unfortunately, the other trolls do not like too much niceness, and Stanley is banished from his homeland by the nasty Gnorga. He is sent to live in New York City with the hope that the banishment will cure him of his sweetness. Stanley lands in Central, where he puts his special talent for growing pretty flowers to good use. There he meets two sad youngsters whose parents are too busy working to pay attention to them. Stanley becomes their friend. He teaches them to believe in themselves. Stanley is happy. But then, Gnorga suddenly appears and tries to destroy it all. Will she succeed? ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dom DeLuise, Cloris Leachman, (more)
This British romantic comedy follows the exploits of a young woman determined to become an aviator in the 1950's. The story begins in the West Indies as plucky Gabriel Angel prepares to board a ship home to England to achieve her dreams of flying. Due to a reservations glitch, Gabriel must share her cabin with Duncan Stewart, a Scottish fellow. The two are attracted to each other. Obstacles are presented by the sleazy Rex Goodyear, an art historian who claims "Stewart" is the art thief who swiped one of his paintings after murdering his wife. Two lesbian missionaries also returning to England round out the cast. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vanessa Redgrave, John Hurt, (more)
- 1993
Teresa Russell plays dual roles as twins in this made-for-television English thriller. Based on the book of the same name by Dylan Jones, Russell stars as twin sisters Debbie and Jo. When Jo is killed in a car accident, twin Debbie assumes her sister's life and family, making everyone suspicious of Jo's death -- including Jo's husband. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Theresa Russell, Jonathan Pryce, (more)
- 1989
In this fact-based drama, a British man accused of his wife's murder becomes the target of his friends' and neighbors' wrath. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Pryce, Anna Massey, (more)
- 1984
The life of Martin Luther is recreated in this drama. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Pryce
- 1984
This live appearance by Mel Brooks includes songs, skits and jokes. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1983
A writer displays a troubling streak of opportunism in his personal and professional lives in this British drama. As the Falkland Islands war rages, journalist and aspiring historical writer James Penfield (Jonathan Pryce) is working on a book that will examine the 1965 Suez crisis in a manner compatible with the current political climate. James is also pursuing Susan Barrington (Charlie Dore), a documentary filmmaker whose mother Ann (Rosemary Harris) is a noted expert on the Suez crisis and an outspoken leftist. While James has assured his publisher that his book will take a conservative view, he tells Susan and Ann that he's a socialist and that his book will reflect that position as he attempts to glean information from them. James also sleeps with Ann as his relationship with Susan hits a rough patch, but he isn't especially forgiving when he discovers that Susan has had a fling with Jeremy Hancock (Tim Curry), a tabloid journalist who has worked with both of them. The Ploughman's Lunch includes a sequence where the characters attend the 1982 Conservative Party conference, which was shot at the actual event (and includes a speech Margaret Thatcher delivered to the assembled Tories). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Pryce, Tim Curry, (more)
This caper film stars Martin Sheen as Stephen Booker, an unemployed American architect in London who needs to jump-start his finances. Enter criminal mastermind Mike Daniels (Albert Finney), who gathers a group of thieves together to rob an impregnable London bank of millions by coming in through the sewers. Needing the money and the chance, Stephen, when offered, willingly joins the gang in their robbery attempt. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Albert Finney, Martin Sheen, (more)
- 1981
Murder Is Easy is one of a multitude of 1980s TV movies based on the novels of Agatha Christie. Bill Bixby stars as an American investor, vacationing in England. While on a train, Bixby strikes up a conversation with the seemingly dotty Helen Hayes, who insists she's en route to Scotland Yard with evidence pertaining to three murders. When Ms. Hayes is herself killed, Bixby finds himself heading to the village of Wychwood Under Ashe to investigate the killings on his own. In a twinkling, both Bixby and lovely villager Lesley-Ann Down find themselves the principal suspects. Olivia De Havilland is also among the highly suspicious guest stars in Murder is Easy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Jim Bishop's minute-by-minute account of the events leading up to the Crucifixion was the basis for the three-hour TV movie The Day Christ Died. Chris Sarandon plays the Hebrew "blasphemer" known as Jesus, who is brought before the beleaguered governor Pontius Pilate (Keith Mitchell). To avoid an insurrection, Pilate washes his hands of the matter by offering the Hebrews a pardon either to Jesus or the thief Barabbas during Passover. "Give us Barabbas!" is the answer, sealing Jesus' fate. The screenplay by James Lee Barrett and Edward Anhalt is for the most part objective and dispassionate, though there are some unsubtle parallels between Pilate and such future political "heavies" as Nixon. Also appearing in the cast are Colin Blakely as Caiaphas, Barrie Houghton as Judas, Jonathan Pryce as Herod, Eleanor Bron as Mary, and Hope Lange as Claudia. The Day Christ Died premiered -- not without protest from certain circles -- on March 26, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Sarandon
Brothers of the Head was adapted from Brian Aldiss' novel by screenwriter Tony Grisoni, and marks the narrative feature debut of Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe (Lost in La Mancha), who have structured Aldiss' story as a mock documentary. Twins Luke and Harry Treadaway star, respectively, as conjoined twins Barry and Tom Howe, joined at the torso. They were essentially purchased from their family as teens in the 1970s by a sleazy showbiz impresario, Zak Bedderwick (Howard Attfield), who planned to turn them into rock stars. Manager Nick (Sean Harris) kept the volatile Barry in line, sometimes violently, while musician Paul (Bryan Dick) taught the introspective Tom how to play the guitar, and helped the brothers write their songs. A documentary filmmaker, Eddie (Tom Bower), was hired to record the process. Their first live performance was a near disaster, as the rowdy pub crowd didn't welcome the sight of the two young men coming on-stage with their arms around each other, but Barry, the charismatically angry frontman, shocked the crowd by exposing the joint between them as he ripped into a snarling performance of their first single, "Two-Way Romeo," and the legend of their group, the Bang Bang, was born. As the proto-punk group's fame grew, Laura (Tania Emery), a young journalist, came to write an article about them, and quickly developed a romantic relationship with Tom, causing friction between the brothers. The film features interviews with some of the characters in the present day, and clips from an imagined unfinished Ken Russell film about the twins, starring Jonathan Pryce and Jane Horrocks. The music of the Bang Bang, performed by cast members and the band Crackout, was written and produced by Clive Langer. Brothers of the Head was shown at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Treadaway, Luke Treadaway, (more)
