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
Stigmata is a supernatural suspense story about good, evil, and faith. Frankie Paige (Patricia Arquette) is a hair stylist in her mid-20s who has no strong religious convictions until odd things start happening to her after she's given a rosary by her mother: she begins speaking with another person's voice; unknown and unseen forces start to attack her; and she develops stigmata, bleeding wounds that spontaneously appear on her wrists, feet, and side, as Christ was wounded at Calvary. Some people believe that a holy miracle has been visited on Frankie, though no one can say why. A Cardinal from the Vatican (Jonathan Pryce) sends a priest, Father Andrew Kiernan (Gabriel Byrne), to investigate Frankie and her condition; after getting a first-hand look, Father Andrew finds himself less concerned with whether Frankie's wounds are a legitimate miracle and more concerned with saving her life. Billy Corgan, leader of the rock group The Smashing Pumpkins, composed the score for Stigmata in collaboration with keyboardist Mike Garson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patricia Arquette, Gabriel Byrne, (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)
John Frankenheimer directed this $20 million international action thriller from a screenplay by Richard Weisz (pseudonym for David Mamet) and J.D. Zeik. In Paris, Irish organizer Deidre (Natascha McElhone) assembles a team to grab a mysterious briefcase from criminals. They are never told who hired them or the true identity of their targets. The hired specialists: Former CIA officer Sam (Robert De Niro), former Euro intelligence agent Vincent (Jean Reno), German electronics expert Gregor (Stellan Skarsgard), driver Larry (Skip Sudduth), and British weapons wrangler Spence (Sean Bean). After a Seine shootout, the action moves to the South of France, with a recon mission in Cannes, and a chase that brings everyone to Nice. Inevitable betrayals ensue, along with more pursuits. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, (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
Roger Spottiswoode (Air America) directed this film, the 18th chapter in the 35-year-old James Bond series (excluding Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again). James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) learns billionaire media mogul Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce) is manipulating world events via an exclusive flow of information through his satellite system reaching all corners of the planet. With a stealth battleship sinking a British naval vessel, Carver sees that the Chinese are blamed. Crashing Carver's party in Hamburg, Bond meets "journalist" Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh), later revealed as a Chinese agent. In a brief tryst, Bond renews his past relationship with Carver's wife Paris (Teri Hatcher). Carver dispatches Stamper (Gotz Otto) and other goons to cancel Bond, who eludes attackers with some of his new gadgets. In Southeast Asia, after Bond and Wai Lin scuba dive into the sunken British ship, they are captured by Stamper, handcuffed, and taken to Saigon where they make a motorcycle escape. To thwart Carver's plans for WWIII, the two agents head for Carver's stealth ship where a cruise missile is aimed at Beijing. Principal photography began April 1, 1997 in the new Eon Productions studio facility at Frogmore, northwest of London, and on the 007 stage at Pinewood Studios. Locations included the UK, Hamburg, Southeast Asia, Mexico, and off the Florida coast. The trademark Bond pre-title sequence was filmed in the French Pyrenees snowfields, centered around one of the few high-altitude operational airfields in Europe. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, (more)
This period drama was based on the Booker Prize-winning novel by author Pat Barker, one of a trilogy dealing with World War I. James Wilby stars as Siegfried Sassoon, the real-life war hero and poet who, in 1917, writes a statement against the war that is read in Parliament. Faced with the choice of either a court-martial or time in a mental hospital as a result, Sassoon chooses the hospital, and is sent to Craiglockart, a Scottish castle where shell-shocked vets are being treated by Freudian therapist Dr. William Rivers (Jonathan Pryce). Sassoon soon befriends a pair of fellow inmates. One, Billy Prior (Jonny Lee Miller) is suffering from battlefield trauma. The other is shy young fan and fellow poet Wilfred Owen (Stuart Bunce), whose own anti-war writings, encouraged by Sassoon, will go on to make him posthumously famous as well. In the meanwhile, the once-zealous Dr. Rivers begins to question his role of mending patients' minds so that they may simply go back to the front lines. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Pryce, James Wilby, (more)
Evita is based on the musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Actually, the film is more of an opera, with only short moments devoted to dialogue. "Evita" is the friendly, family version of the proper name "Eva," and this film tells the story of Eva Peron (1921-52), a woman whose name evokes powerful feelings in her native Argentina. Throughout this film, as in the musical, the story is explained and commented on by a character known as "Che," played here by Antonio Banderas. The film begins with the news of Evita's death, and then turns to a much earlier scene at her father's funeral. Eva (Madonna) was an illegitimate child (one of many) of a rural landowner and her seamstress mother. Hers is not a wealthy childhood by any means, and she is constantly discriminated against because of her lowly birth. She is refused admission to her father's funeral for this reason. This scene is contrasted with her own funeral, a spectacular affair, not different from the funeral of a beloved head of state. Eva Peron leaves her village at age 15, in the arms her lover Agustin Magaldi (Jimmy Nail), a traveling singer. With his help, she goes to Buenos Aires and begins her campaign to become a performer, actress, and public figure. Many men help her during these years, and she is reported to have given her favors freely. That changes when she becomes involved with Juan Peron (Jonathan Pryce). In 1944, when they meet, Peron is an ambitious young army officer, serving in the right-wing government of the time. When he falls afoul of the government and is imprisoned, Eva uses her position as a celebrity and radio performer to get him released. Peron marries his feisty mistress when he is freed from prison. Eva is a formidable supporter, and her help is crucial to his later becoming head of state. Once Juan Peron becomes the President of Argentina, Eva expects better treatment from Argentina's high society, but they snub her brutally. She, in response, diverts government money from society-led charities, and starts the Eva Peron Foundation. As its president, she works tirelessly to directly better the lot of Argentina's poor. For this work, and for having risen from poor origins to glory, she is beloved by huge masses of her fellow citizens, if not by those in high society. She also arranges for the enfranchisement of women in Argentina. Thus, her death of uterine cancer at age 33, while she was at the height of her power and influence, strikes the whole world as tragic. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madonna, Antonio Banderas, (more)
Carrington is the true story of the peculiar love affair between two nonconformists in Victorian England: painter Dora Carrington (Emma Thompson) and author Lytton Strachey (Jonathan Pryce). Dora is a young English artist who is part of the Bloomsbury Group, an assemblage of British writers, painters, and eccentrics that includes the likes of Virginia Woolf and E.M. Forster, when she meets Strachey. A confirmed homosexual before meeting Carrington, Strachey inquires who the "ravishing boy" is and discovers that it's a woman. Shocked to discover this, he finds himself captivated by her, and they begin an unusual 17-year love affair/friendship. Strachey (most famous for the groundbreaking book Eminent Victorians) and Dora eventually move in together and have a series of offbeat sexual experiences with other members of the group and sometimes even with the same man; at one juncture, Dora even marries another man. Yet their relationship endures until Strachey's death years later. Pryce was honored as Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for his performance. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emma Thompson, Jonathan Pryce, (more)
- 1994
- R
Though not as successful as Trainspotting (1996) or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), this high-energy, kinetic crime thriller belongs in the same British New Wave category as those later films. In a decaying British city of the near future, Billy (Jude Law) is an ex-con adrenaline junkie dating a Belfast native, the thrill-seeking Jo (Sadie Frost). Billy and Jo are the leaders of a teen gang of "ram-raiders," car thieves who jack an automobile, ram the vehicle through the front of a store, and steal whatever booty they can carry before the authorities arrive. A typical ram raid ends up in a high-speed pursuit by the police, which is all a part of the game for Billy, Jo, and their followers. However, a local drug lord, Tommy (Sean Pertwee) doesn't like the teen crooks infringing on his business. His opposition to their scheming leads to a deadly car race that plays out like a game of post-modern "chicken." Following the release of Shopping (1994), writer-director Paul Anderson went in a different direction than contemporaries Guy Ritchie and Danny Boyle, opting to create slick Hollywood science fiction films such as Mortal Kombat (1995), Event Horizon (1996), and Soldier (1998). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sadie Frost, Jude Law, (more)
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)
A disturbed woman starts getting friendly advice from some of the great murderers of history in this black comedy from Great Britain. Introverted Jody Greenwood (Jane Horrocks) and her bolder sister Beth (Imelda Staunton) both live under the thumb of their domineering mother Iris (Brenda Fricker). Jodie has romantic feelings for Dr. Ted Phillips (Jonathan Pryce), a local physician at least twenty years her senior, while Beth has become involved with a hunky male stripper, but both sisters feel paralyzed to do much about their relationships while Iris is still around. One night, Jody is visited by the ghost of Maj. Herbert Armstrong (Edward Woodward), a locally infamous man who made his small town famous with the spectacular murder of his wife. After he passes on some advice about how to achieve personal freedom, Jody kills Iris with an axe and hides the body with Beth's help. However, bad blood arises between Jody and Beth, and, after a nocturnal visit from well-known murderer Dr. Crippen (Hywel Bennett), Jody is inspired to pick up the hatchet again, doing away with Beth and her stripper. Jody beats the case against her in court and wins the heart of Dr. Phillips, but unfortunately she starts getting visits again ... . Jane Horrocks's performance as Jody won her the Best Actress award at the 1994 Catalonian International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Horrocks, Brenda Fricker, (more)
- 1994
- R
This romantic comedy concerns Kate Swallow (Carole Bouquet), who works in a French department store to help support her husband Alec (Jonathan Pryce), an egocentric novelist who insists on peace and quiet when he writes. Kate has literary aspirations herself, but Alec complains that the clacking of the keys on her laptop is too much of a distraction for him (he prefers to write longhand). Alec's editor Vanni Corso (Christopher Walken) has high hopes for his next book, which needs to sell well if his company is to pull itself out of the red. While Vanni is interested in Alec's novel, he also becomes interested in Alec's wife, and Kate becomes quite taken with Vanni as well. In time she leaves Alex to pursue a relationship with Vanni and work on her own book. Kate's novel turns out to do quite well indeed, but there's trouble in paradise when Vanni tells her he's not so sure her second novel is going to go anywhere. Business Affair was loosely based on the real-life literary and romantic travails of author Barbara Skelton. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carole Bouquet, Christopher Walken, (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)
This TV movie recounts the true-life story of a corporate takeover in the greed-driven 1980s. James Garner is F. Ross Johnson, CEO of RJR-Nabisco. Having just been burned by an expensive failure of a smokeless cigarette product, Johnson doesn't wish to incur the wrath of the stockholders. He begins drawing up plans to buy RJR-Nabisco outright so he'll have no one to answer to but himself. Unfortunately for Johnson, his company is also being coveted by sharkish "buyout king" Henry Kravis (Jonathan Pryce), who turns out to have $25 billion at his beck and call. Barbarians at the Gate was adapted by Larry Gelbart from the book by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar. Advertised as a "docucomedy", the film premiered March 20, 1993, over the HBO cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Garner, Jonathan Pryce, (more)
In Martin Scorsese's adaptation of Edith Wharton's 1920 novel, romance between an upper-class gentleman and an ostracized lady is doomed by 19th century New York society. Shortly after his engagement to blandly genteel May Welland (Winona Ryder), Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis) is reacquainted with May's scandalous cousin Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer). As the head of an esteemed family, Archer initially uses his standing to try to rehabilitate Ellen's reputation, but he finds himself increasingly drawn to her disregard for the codes of New York manners. Bound by ingrained society mores and his peers' insinuations, Newland tries to dodge his growing passion by rushing his marriage to May, but he cannot keep himself from confessing his love to Ellen. Recognizing that Newland could never abandon his sense of honor and be happy, Ellen pushes Newland to May and leaves town. The marriage proceeds as dictated, but when Newland unexpectedly sees Ellen again, he yearns for the affair to come to fruition. However, he underestimates not only what May knows but also her ability to uphold the rules of propriety. Sumptuously shot by Michael Ballhaus, the film offers meticulously designed costumes and settings that evoke a culture as seductively beautiful in its surfaces as it is stifling in its rituals. Unspoken emotions are expressed through such details as yellow roses or a clipped cigar, a fade to red or a single camera move. Using Wharton's original prose to comment on the setting's hypocrisies, Joanne Woodward's voiceover narration suggests how much decisive power is buried beneath dainty femininity. The Age of Innocence received five Oscar nominations, including Best Supporting Actress for Ryder and Best Screenplay for Scorsese and Jay Cocks, and a win for Best Costumes. Although The Age of Innocence seemed like a departure from Scorsese's prior work, Newland is as much at the mercy of his circle's Byzantine structure (and his own conscience) as are Scorsese's more familiar mobsters; Newland's persecutors just wear white tie and tails. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, (more)
- 1992
- PG
A steamer trunk full of the voices of British acting greats (Ben Kingsley, Billie Whitelaw, Michael Hordern, Brian Blessed, and Jonathan Pryce) enliven this absurd pop-cartoon parody of the James Bond films. In a prologue taking place in a faraway time, a widowed magician-king (voice of Michael Hordern) and his son, Prince Freddie (voice of Ben Kingsley) live in their lonely castle. Freddie's mean aunt Messina (voice of Billie Whitelaw), dead-set against Freddie becoming king, kills his father and transforms Freddie into a frog. Freddie escapes the wrath of Messina by jumping into the sea. Several hundred years later, Freddie is now living in modern day Paris -- a six-foot-tall amphibian with the moniker Secret Agent F.R.O.7. Messina, too, is still around causing mischief, joining forces with an arch-villain named El Supremo (voice of Brian Blessed) in a scheme to shrink Big Ben. Freddie, alerted to Messina's nefarious plans, gathers his fellow agents Daffers (voice of Jenny Agutter) and Scottie (voice of John Sessions) together, planning to hide out in Big Ben and surprise the evil doers when they are set to strike at the much-loved British landmark. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Kingsley, Jenny Agutter, (more)
David Mamet's award-winning play about a group of desperate real estate agents comes to the big screen from director James Foley. In a role created specifically for the movie, Alec Baldwin appears as a sales motivator, informing the group of hard-luck salesmen that they must compete in a sales contest where the losers will be fired. The agents work their same tired leads, until one hatches a scheme to burglarize the office, steal the leads, and sell them to a rival. Featuring a cast that includes Al Pacino as the office's sales leader, Jack Lemmon as an elderly loser, Alan Arkin and Ed Harris as frustrated salesmen, Kevin Spacey as the harassed office manager, and Jonathan Pryce as a client, Glengarry Glen Ross is, at its core, a character study about a group of men whose time has passed. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, (more)
A teen sex comedy derived from the arch debut novel of author Martin Amis by debut director Damian Harris (son of actor Richard Harris). Dexter Fletcher stars as Charles Highway, a 19-year-old computer nerd in London who has created a program that will allegedly guide him through the process of seducing a girl. Charles is determined to win over a beautiful, older woman before he enters Oxford University as a freshman. Then he meets 20-year-old American girl Rachel Noyce (Ione Skye), who unfortunately has a boyfriend named DeForest (James Spader). Since Rachel is a bit of a free-spirited swinger, however, Charles might have a chance, but her complexity dooms his ill-conceived "Master of Seduction" computer program. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dexter Fletcher, Ione Skye, (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)
- 1989
- PG
- Add The Adventures of Baron Munchausen to QueueAdd The Adventures of Baron Munchausen to top of Queue
Director Terry Gilliam adroitly applies his Monty Python sensibilities upon the "career" of famed German prevaricator Baron von Munchausen. Played herein by John Neville, the baron is seen quelling a war that he himself started, flying into the stratosphere on the back of a cannonball, ballooning to the moon, exploring the innards of a volcano, being swallowed by a whale....In short, all of Munchausen's fabulous lies are here presented as "truth," played out in full view of nonplussed witnesses Eric Idle, Charles McKeown, Jack Purvis, and Sarah Polley. Fringe benefits include several loving medium shots of jaybird-naked Uma Thurman as Boticelli's Venus and an extended unbilled cameo by Robin Williams -- that is, by the head of Robin Williams -- as the King of the Moon. Filmed under considerable duress on a budget eventually exceeding 45 million dollars, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen never quite caught on with moviegoers, though it has enjoyed a lucrative afterlife on videocassette. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Neville, Eric Idle, (more)
- 1988
- R
A British production created by Monty Python alumni, this film concerns an inept chocolate-factory executive (Tyler Butterworth) who accidentally knocks three workers into a vat. The product is an incredible hit with consumers, though one of the workers' widows (Vanessa Redgrave) is considering blackmail. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vanessa Redgrave, Jonathan Pryce, (more)
- 1987
- R
An agent newly retired from the CIA (Scott Glenn) agrees to become an Italian businessman's bodyguard in this adventure film. Things fall apart though, when terrorists kidnap the Italian's daughter and the agent must rescue her. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Glenn, Jade Malle, (more)
