Paul Scofield Movies
A professional since the age of fourteen, British actor Paul Scofield was widely regarded as one of the 20th century's finest interpreters of Shakespeare. His first role of note was as The Bastard in a Birmingham Repertory staging of Shakespeare's King John; following that, he performed in more than 80 plays over the course of his long and distinguished career. Scofield's Hamlet, in particular, has entered the realm of theatrical legend: in 1955, he portrayed the Danish prince in the Soviet Union, the first English actor to be invited to do so since the 1917 revolution. In addition, his interpretations of Henry V, Pericles and King Lear earned a place in theatrical history.While his rough facial features prevented him from becoming a movie matinee idol along the lines of Laurence Olivier, Scofield was always welcome in his extremely infrequent film appearances. His first picture was That Lady (1955), for which he won a Most Promising Newcomer British Academy Award for his portrayal of King Philip II of Spain. In 1966, Scofield gained international film stardom -- and won an Academy Award -- for recreating his Tony-winning Broadway portrayal of Sir Thomas More in A Man for All Seasons. Further acclaim greeted the actor for his work in films such as Kenneth Branagh's Henry V (1989) and Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet (1990). In 1994, at the age of seventy-two, Scofield was once again nominated for an Oscar, this time for his performance as American poet Mark Van Doren in director Robert Redford's Quiz Show. Two years later, audiences could see him in Nicholas Hyntner's The Crucible, lending somber authority to the role of Judge Danforth. Scofield earned one of his last credits doing voiceover work on the Hallmark television production of Animal Farm in 1999.
Over the course of his career, Scofield served as the co-director for the Royal Shakespeare Company (1966-1968) and as the director of the National Theatre (1971). His years of service to his country culminated in a several offers of of knighthood from Queen Elizabeth, honors that the actor gracefully declined on each occasion. Scofield died of leukemia in March 2008, at the age of 86. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1955
Based on a true event from 16th century Spain, this costume drama follows the tragic life of Ana de Mendoza, Princess of Eboli, (Olivia de Havilland) who is secretly loved by her good friend the King. Unfortunately for the monarch, she marries one of his ministers and bears his son. Her husband eventually dies and later the King asks her help train a replacement for her late husband. When romantic sparks begin flying between the woman and her protege, the king becomes terribly jealous and this sets in motion a terrible tragedy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gilbert Roland, Paul Scofield, (more)
The true story of Violette Szabo, a heroine of the Second World War for her espionage activities on behalf of the British government. Born Violette Bushell (Virginia McKenna) to a French mother and an English father, she chances to meet Etienne Szabo (Alain Saury), a French officer, whom she later marries. They have a child, Tania, but Etienne is fatally wounded in the Battle of El Alamein. Violette is already contributing to the war effort at home, but soon discovers that her bi-lingual skills make her a potentially valuable member of England's Special Operations Executive, the country's wartime overseas espionage unit. She agrees to join and, after extensive training, is sent into France in the spring of 1944, on a mission to salvage a resistance unit in Rouen area. Szabo completes that mission successfully and returns home, intending to resume her life as a mother raising her daughter -- but she is offered a second mission in France, immediately after the Normandy landings, and accepts, with tragic consequences. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Virginia McKenna, Paul Scofield, (more)
John Frankenheimer directs Burt Lancaster in the tense spy thriller The Train. Lancaster plays Labiche, a French railway inspector. Allied forces are threatening to liberate Paris, so Col. Franz von Waldheim (Paul Scofield) is ordered to move the priceless works of art from the Jeu de Paume Museum to the fatherland. The head of the museum (Suzanne Flon) attempts to convince Labiche that he should sabotage the train on which they are transporting the art. Labiche is more focused on destroying a trainload of German weapons. After his friend is killed trying to stop the train with the art, and after a consciousness-raising conversation with a hotel owner (Jeanne Moreau), Labiche resolves to save the antiquities. Lancaster and Frankenheimer had worked together previously on both Birdman of Alcatraz and Seven Days in May. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Lancaster, Paul Scofield, (more)
Adapted by Robert Bolt and Constance Willis from Bolt's hit stage play, A Man for All Seasons stars Paul Scofield, triumphantly repeating his stage role as Sir Thomas More. The crux of the film is the staunchly Catholic More's refusal to acknowledge King Henry VIII (Robert Shaw)'s break from the church to divorce his first wife and marry Anne Boleyn (an unbilled Vanessa Redgrave). Sir Thomas willingly goes to the chopping block rather than sacrifice his ideals. Director Fred Zinnemann retains the play's verbosity without sacrificing the film's strong sense of visuals. The impeccably chosen cast includes Wendy Hiller as Sir Thomas' likably contentious wife Alice, John Hurt as the deceitful Richard Rich (More's put-downs of this despicable character provide some of the film's biggest laughs), Orson Welles as a dour Cardinal Woolsey, Leo McKern as the ambitious Thomas Cromwell, and Susannah York as More's daughter Margaret. The "Common Man," an important bridging-the-scenes character in the original play, is removed from the film version, which does just fine without him. A Man for All Seasons won six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, as well as seven British Film Academy awards. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, (more)
- 1967
Although the late Sir Winston Churchill will be forever remembered as the Prime Minister who bravely led Britain through the darkest days of World War II. This documentary focuses on his passion for painting. Artists Lady Birley and Paul Maze give their professional insight on Churchill's work, while Merle Oberon, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Viscount Montgomery offer their personal recollections of the man as artist and statesman. The feature was reissued in 1990. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Merle Oberon, Sian Phillips, (more)
- 1968
Subtitled A Film About London, this drama is a quintessential experimental counter-culture film of the late 1960s that centers on the questions raised by the Vietnam war. Renowned Shakespearean theater director Peter Brook serves as producer and director. It includes many members of the Royal Shakespeare Company, such as London actors Mark Jones, Robert Lloyd), and Pauline Munro, who essentially play themselves. They become obsessed with a photograph of a wounded Vietnamese child and begin discussing the war with their friends and fellow actors. They attend a series of lectures and teach-ins, discussing the issues of the day with a number of activists, including the American Black Panther leader Stokely Carmichael. The discussions are combined with newsreel footage in a bizarre collage of images. Moved to do something, the group of actors puts on a series of skits about the war. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Jones, Pauline Munroe, (more)
Adapted from Herman Melville's short story, Bartleby features John McEnery in the title role. A secretive, solitary lad, Bartleby works as a clerk in the accounting office of Paul Scofield. Unable to deal with Bartleby's eccentricities, Scofield fires the clerk. But Bartleby refuses to leave, and shows up each day for work at the proper time. Only when the young man is carted away to hospital does Scofield find any peace of mind-but even then, the spectre of Bartleby looms large over the proceedings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Scofield, John McEnery, (more)
- 1971
In director Peter Brook's King Lear, Paul Scofield portrays the title character, a senile old ruler, whose susceptibility to flattery proves his undoing. The premise involves Lear's ill-fated attempts to divide his kingdom amongst his three daughters -- a goal that ultimately leads to tragedy. The stark terrain of Denmark stands in for England in this version, adding a brooding visual texture to the picture that exists alongside the traditional Shakespearean dialogue. Lear's daughters are played by Irene Worth (Goneril), Susan Engel (Regan), and Anne-Lise Gabold (Cordelia); others in the cast are Alan Webb (Gloucester), Cyril Cusack (Albany), Patrick Magee (Cornwall), and Jack MacGowran (the Fool). Younger viewers and those faint at heart be warned: King Lear is one of Shakespeare's most graphically violent works, and director Brook takes every opportunity to emphasize the carnage and gore. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Scofield
This spy thriller from future Death Wish (1974) director Michael Winner stars Burt Lancaster as the enigmatic Cross, a CIA agent who has hired a government assassin, Jean Laurier (Alain Delon), to kill an Arab terrorist. Once they return home, Laurier is arrested by his superior, McLeod (John Colicos), who wants to know why Cross is still alive, as Laurier was ordered to kill him as well. Laurier doesn't think that Cross is guilty of the crime, but he relents and agrees to carry out the contract for a higher price. Cross, suspected of selling secrets to the Soviets, learns that his life is in danger and flees to Vienna, where he is aided by a former comrade-in-arms from WWII, the sympathetic KGB agent Sergei Zharkov (Paul Scofield). When Cross learns that his wife (Joanne Linville) has been murdered by McLeod, he returns to the U.S. and kills him, leading to a bloody final confrontation with a reluctant Laurier, who is shocked to discover that his lover (Gayle Hunnicutt) is in league with Cross. Scorpio (1973) was the writing debut of David W. Rintels, who went on to author several critically respected made-for-TV films. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, (more)
A Delicate Balance is the 1973 film adaptation of Edward Albee's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Katharine Hepburn and Paul Scofield play an old married couple, Agnes and Tobias, who much prefer to be alone. Each time someone visits them, their "delicate balance" is threatened. The first intruder is Agnes' inebriated sister, Claire (Kate Reid). The next is their much-divorced daughter, Julia (Lee Remick). The limit is reached when well-meaning friends Harry (Joseph Cotten) and Edna (Betsy Blair) show up unexpectedly and threaten to stay forever. In keeping with the austerity of the other American Film Theatre presentations, director Tony Richardson eschews his usual cinematographic pyrotechnics here. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
This biographical video covers the life and poetry of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Known as the British romantic poet, this film was done on location in London, England, and is also available in a 32-minuted edited version. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1980
Originally made for television, the film centers on an Egyptian archaeological expedition, and the discovery of the tomb of the famed Pharaoh. After it is opened, disturbing events mark the trip. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Much of 1919 takes place in 1984, but the spectre of that year looms large over the proceedings. Paul Scofield and Maria Schell play two of the surviving patients of Sigmund Freud. Currently residing in the US, Schell happens to see Scofield being interviewed on a TV show. She decides to seek her fellow patient out and compare notes. As they recall their long-ago therapy, the film fades back to the past, with Colin Firth and Claire Higgins playing, respectively, the younger Scofield and Schell. Freud himself is never seen, though his voice is heard (courtesy of actor Frank Finlay). Concluding that Freud wasn't all that he was cracked up to be, Scofield and Schell emerge from their nostalgia session with a mutual affection and attraction. The first dramatic effort of documentary filmmaker Hugh Brody (whose recreation of Times Past is succinct and remarkably accurance), 1919 was originally a coproduction of Britain's Channel Four and the British Film Institute. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Scofield, Maria Schell, (more)
- 1985
The best-known of the 12 filmed adaptations of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina include the 1936 Garbo vehicle and the 1947 Vivien Leigh vehicle. This made-for-TV version is every bit as elaborate and tasteful as those earlier efforts. Jacqueline Bisset makes her TV-movie debut as Anna, the wife of 19th century Russian nobleman Karenin (Paul Scofield). When she falls in love with the dashing Count Vronsky (Christopher Reeve), Anna runs afoul of the rigid social structure of the era-and of a husband whose anguish translates into revenge. The teleplay was by James Goldman, author of The Lion in Winter and screenwriter of another Russian-based period piece, Nicholas and Alexandria. Anna Karenina premiered March 26, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacqueline Bisset, Christopher Reeve, (more)
- 1987
In this ghostly comedy set on New Year's Eve, 1767, a dissatisfied young worker makes a bargain with a soul collector who quickly dispatches with the fellow's boss. But the young man's troubles are far from over as the boss's ghost cannot keep from meddling, and the soul collector has come to claim his debt. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
This 1988 TV movie covers much of the same ground previously assessed in the stage and movie versions of The Diary of Anne Frank. The principal difference is that this adaptation is told from the point of view of Miep Gies (Mary Steenburgen), the courageous Dutch gentile who, together with her husband (Huub Stapel) risked her life by hiding the Jewish Frank family in the attic of an Amsterdam office building during World War 2. We see how Gies and other good Samaritans attempted to protect and provide sustenance for their Jewish neighbors, right under the noses of the Gestapo. Paul Scofield co-stars as Otto Frank, while his daughter Anne is played by newcomer Lisa Jacobs. Like George Stevens' 1959 filmization of Diary of Anne Frank, this film was made on location. Unlike Stevens' film, The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank is based not on Anne's diary but on Miep Gies' memoirs, Anne Frank Remembered. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Kenneth Branagh makes his feature film directorial debut with this adaptation of William Shakespeare's Henry V. After the Chorus (Derek Jacobi) introduces the play, young king of England Henry V (Kenneth Branagh) begins an angry dialogue with King Charles of France (Paul Scofield). The king's son, Dauphin (Michael Maloney), insults Henry and the argument escalates into war. In flashback, Henry is seen as a young man drinking in a tavern with Falstaff (Robbie Coltrane), Bardolph (Richard Briers), Nym (Geoffery Hutchings), Pistol (Robert Stephens), and Mistress Quickly (Judi Dench). Meanwhile, Henry and his captain, Fluellen (Ian Holm), assemble an army and invade France. The French greatly outnumber the British troops, yet Henry leads them to victory in the Battle of Agincourt after delivering his famous St. Crispin's Day Speech. Throughout this struggle, Henry also courts Katherine (Emma Thompson) and eventually wins her over. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, (more)
- 1989
- PG
In this English drama, set during World War I, a strange, deaf man, known to all as "The Birdman" (Paul Scofield), must enlist the help of young Daniel Pender (Max Rennie) and Gracie Jenkins (Helen Pearce) to prevent the narwhal whales from suffering abuse at the hands of the local islanders. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Scofield, David Threlfall, (more)
Franco Zeffirelli directs his third Shakespeare adaptation (after Romeo and Juliet and Otello) with this film version of the tragedy Hamlet. The titular prince of Denmark (Mel Gibson), returns home to his family's castle of Elsinore after years of attending school in Germany to find out his father has died and his uncle Claudius (Alan Bates) is the new king. To make matters worse, Claudius has married Hamlet's mother, Queen Gertrude (Glenn Close), whom he has unusually strong feelings for. Hamlet is visited by his father's ghost (Paul Scofield), who asks him to seek revenge for his murder. In order to find out who the real killer is, Hamlet stages a theatrical scene resembling his father's death. Claudius is upset by the production and leaves to arrange for Hamlet's murder. In the ensuing confusion, Hamlet accidentally kills Polonious (Ian Holm) instead of Claudius; Hamlet's lover, Ophelia (Helena Bonham Carter), goes mad and commits suicide; and eventually Hamlet and Claudius both meet their fate. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, (more)
- 1992
Hugh Whitemore adapted Bruce Chatwin's novel for this tale of a New York antique dealer who travels to Prague to buy the porcelain collection of the late Baron Utz, only to become embroiled in the wreckage of the dead man's unusual life history after he discovers that the collection is missing. ~ Nicole Gagne, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armin Mueller-Stahl, Brenda Fricker, (more)
It's 1958, and the producers of the quiz show 21 have a problem. Their current champ, Herbert Stempel (John Turturro), has a phenomenal memory and a broad range of knowledge. He's also a pudgy loudmouth with a grating personality, so Herbert is encouraged to "take a dive" and allow Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes), a handsome and charming college professor, to become the show's new champion. Audiences like Van Doren, and he's certainly not averse to the money he's winning, but the ethics of the situation begin to trouble him, especially when the show's producers begin to give him the questions in advance. Director Robert Redford and writer Paul Attanasio paint a telling portrait of how the network heads and advertising men who manipulated the quiz shows were also able to manipulate the responsibility for the scandal away from themselves. While on the surface a story about the scandal itself, Quiz Show is just as importantly about a turning point in the 1950s when TV and advertising began to change American character and culture. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Turturro, Rob Morrow, (more)
Charles Dickens' 1844 novel Martin Chuzzlewit was given one of its few TV presentations in this six-part British adaptation, which originally aired on BBC2 from November 7 to December 12, 1994. The youngest son of a mercenary London family, Martin Chuzzlewit was sent to America to learn the rudiments of the business world. Upon discovering that his new employer was even more odious and greedy than his relatives, Martin became determined not to be corrupted as well. Paul Scofield was cast as the older Martin, with Ben Walden as his younger self. Presented in one 80-minute and five 60-minute installments, Martin Chuzzlewit was rebroadcast in America as part of PBS' Masterpiece Theatre anthology in 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A side of London rarely experienced by tourists is seen in this spare, austere mix of narrative film and documentary. The filmmaking team behind Robinson in Space returns to the capitol of the United Kingdom to find out just how much a modern city can change in the short window of seven years. Upon returning to London to tour the city with his longtime lover Robinson, a mysterious traveler (Paul Scofield, heard only in voice-over) sets his sights on a series of fascinating historical locales made famous by such popular authors as Edgar Allen Poe and French poet Charles Baudelaire. In their journeys through city streets once brimming with vitality, the traveler soon finds that London has become but a shadow of its former glory due to the damaging effects of pollution, IRA bomb scares, and urban decay. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
When Arthur Miller's play The Crucible was first staged in 1953, it was widely acclaimed as a metaphor for the recklessness of Joseph McCarthy and his spurious crusade against communism. In its 1996 screen adaptation (scripted by Miller), the tone has been adjusted somewhat and plays as a warning against the dangers of political and religious extremism of all kinds. After a group of young women is accused of witchcraft in the Puritan community of Salem, Mass. in 1692, Abigail Williams (Winona Ryder) is held in suspicion of practicing magic. Abigail in turn levels charges against John Proctor (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his wife Elizabeth (Joan Allen). Abigail has a private grudge against the Proctors; while working as their servant, she had an affair with John, and when John ended the relationship and returned to his wife, Abigail was fired. Now the Reverend Parris (Bruce Davison) is hearing accusations and counter-accusations of misdeeds from all sides of the community in the wake of Abigail's charges, so he brings in Judge Danforth (Paul Scofield) to determine who is guilty or innocent. However, given the moral climate of the time, it seems someone has to be found guilty of witchcraft, even though firm evidence of wrongdoing is becoming hard to come by. This was the second screen version of The Crucible, though it was the first one in English; the previous version, filmed in France in 1956, starred Simone Signoret and Yves Montand. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder, (more)
