Dorothy Tutin Movies
London-born Dorothy Tutin went directly from the classrooms of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art to her 1949 stage debut as Princess Margaret in The Thistle and the Rose. Tutin spent the next two seasons at the Old Vic, then scored a personal triumph in the 1953 Graham Greene play The Living Room. During her first flush of stardom, the petite, gaminelike actress was frequently compared to Broadway's Julie Harris; indeed, two of Ms. Tutin's best-known stage roles were Sally Bowles in I Am a Camera and Joan in The Lark, both of which had been introduced in America by Ms. Harris. Tutin's film work has included such parts as Cecily Cardew in The Importance of Being Earnest (1952) and Polly Peachum in The Beggar's Opera (1953); her co-star in the latter endeavor was Laurence Olivier, who in 1984 would play Lear opposite Tutin's Goneril in an internationally syndicated television production of King Lear. Tutin was also seen on TV as Anne Boleyn in 1971's Six Wives of Henry VIII, as Lady Fenton in the 1994 Gone With the Wind sequel Scarlet, and as star of the weekly British series Body and Soul. When not acting, Dorothy Tutin could often be found on the Continent, pursuing her hobby of mountain climbing. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1996
- R
A dancer whose life and art were integrally connected to his body finds himself going through profound changes when he discovers that he has AIDS. Tonio (Jason Flemyng) recently inherited a plum role in the ballet Indian Summer from his friend Ramon (Anthony Higgins), who recently passed on from AIDS-related illnesses. Tonio, however, refuses all treatments that might interfere with his dancing abilities, determined that if he's going out, he's going out on his feet, doing what he loves most. Tonio meets Jack (Anthony Sher) at Ramon's funeral, and they later cross paths again at a gay dance club. Jack was once Ramon's lover and is about as different from Tonio as two people could be; while Tonio has the trim, athletic build of a dancer, Jack is a stocky guy who looks like he spends most of his day sitting down -- which he does, actually, as a counselor for HIV-positive patients. Jack becomes infatuated with Tonio and tries to win him over, although a healthier Tonio would never have given a second look to someone who lacks his obsession with the body. Indian Summer was written by Martin Sherman, best known for his play Bent; the film has also been shown under the title Alive and Kicking. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jason Flemyng, Dorothy Tutin, (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, Rovi
- Starring:
- Vanessa Redgrave, John Hurt, (more)
- 1985
Helen Hayes makes her second TV appearance as Agatha Christie's female sleuth Miss Marple in Murder with Mirrors. Marple has been summoned to the lavish country estate of her old friend Carrie Louise Serrocold (Bette Davis). Carrie's stepson has been killed, and she fears that his won't be the last corpse to befoul the estate. She's right, and the game is afoot for Miss Marple once more, with a full contingent of prime suspects (including John Mills, Leo McKern and Dorothy Tutin). Murder with Mirrors was filmed on location on a genuine 13th century British estate. If Helen Hayes seems more spirited than Bette Davis (eight years Helen's junior), it's because Bette was seriously ill prior to and during shooting. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Helen Hayes, Bette Davis, (more)
Shakespeare's tragedy, made for British television, is given a full-blooded rendition here with the great Laurence Olivier in the title role and a stellar cast to support him, in the tale of a king torn apart by the ambition and treachery within his family and by his own pride. ~ Mark Hockley, Rovi
- Starring:
- Laurence Olivier, Anna Calder-Marshall, (more)
This British Merchant-Ivory look-alike was adapted from a novel by Isabel Colgate. In the summer before World War I, British nobleman James Mason invites an assorted group of acquaintances for a weekend shooting party on his huge estate. Among the participants are longtime rivals Edward Fox and Rupert Frazer, Fox's occasionally unfaithful wife Cheryl Campbell, and staunch anti-hunting advocate John Gielgud. The film unfolds in a carefully calculated but seemingly spontaneous fashion, in the manner of its 1938 ancestor Rules of the Game. Also like the earlier film, The Shooting Party casts a jaundiced eye towards class consciousness--and ends with a sudden, senseless but not altogether unexpected tragedy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Edward Fox, Cheryl Campbell, (more)
- 1983
Made for British television, this is a series of plays which focuses on the more sensational aspects of the lives of several notable men who were at some time British Prime Minister, including among others, Lloyd George and Disraeli. ~ Mark Hockley, Rovi
- 1977
The true story of trailblazing British nurse Dorothy Pattison (1832-1878) was dramatized in this three-part miniseries. Hoping to marry the son of a local deacon, young "Dora" Pattison (Dorothy Tutin) was prohibited from doing so by her control-freak father, the village rector. As an alternative to personal happiness, Dora entered an Anglican convent called the Sisterhood of the Good Samaritan, spending the rest of her life in pursuit of the nursing profession, and determined to improve the lot of patients and caregivers everywhere. The plot thickened when, late in life, Sister Dora again suffered the pangs of love. Central to the drama were the heroine's courageous and tireless ministrations to the victims of the Pelsall Colliery Disaster of 1872. Adapted by eminent playwright Christopher Fry from a novel by Jo Manton, Sister Dora was originally broadcast by Yorkshire Television in 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1973
This British drama anthology was set in Vienna at the turn of the century, amongst the privileged (and slightly debauched) aristocracy. The six 50-minute episodes were adapted from three famous short stories by master ironist Arthur Schnitzler (whose works were still being adapted for films as late as 1999's Eyes Wide Shut). Individual titles included "A Confirmed Bachelor," "Spring Sonata," and "Mother and Son." Broadcast over the BBC beginning December 8, 1973, Vienna 1900 was seen in America nine years later, thanks to the miracle of cable television. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dorothy Tutin, Christopher Guard, (more)
- 1972
- R
Based on the book of the same name by H.S. Ede, eccentric director Ken Russell created this biographical drama of a great early 20th century artist who died tragically young. Henri Gaudier (Scott Anthony) is only 18 years old, a self-taught Parisian sculptor of enormous talent but prone to rash, exuberant behavior. Henri meets and begins a platonic but emotionally intense relationship with Sophie Brzeksa (Dorothy Tutin), a cultured Polish woman 20 years his senior. The relationship between Henri and Sophie remains inspired and impassioned, if not sexual, and her air of intelligent refinement positively impacts his life and work. Eventually, the couple moves to London, where Henri takes his partner's last name, and his star rises in the art world as the chief proponent of Vorticism, an offshoot of Cubism and Futurism. In real life, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska was a signer of the Vorticist Manifesto and a founder of The London School along with his patron, Ezra Pound, but his genius was not recognized until after his death. Gaudier-Brzeska was killed at the age of only 24 in WWI, a French Army hero who had been twice promoted for bravery. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dorothy Tutin, Scott Antony, (more)
This biography of Oliver Cromwell recalls the political and religious struggles of 17th century England. Cromwell (Richard Harris) is the Anglican religious fanatic who fights corruption and Catholicism with equal zeal, while King Charles (Alec Guinness) is the vacillating monarch who believes his crown gives him a direct pipeline to the wisdom of God. Also starring Robert Morley and Timothy Dalton, Cromwell won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design and was nominated for Best Original Score. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Harris, Alec Guinness, (more)
The Six Wives of Henry VIII is a six-part BBC presentation first telecast in England in early 1971. After a successful run in Canada, the production settled into a CBS network berth beginning August 1, 1971. Keith Michell stars as King Henry in each of the series' 90-minute installments, which trace the monarch's lives and loves from age 18 to his dotage. The six wives are played by Annette Crosbie (Catherine of Aragon), Dorothy Tutin (Anne Boleyn), Anne Stallybrass (Jane Seymour), Elvi Hale (Anne of Cleves), Angela Pleasence (Catherine Howard), and Rosalie Crutchley (Catherine Parr). Adapted for television by Rosemary Anne Sisson and narrated for its CBS run by Anthony Quayle, The Six Wives of Henry VIII scored a considerable ratings coup, and was rebroadcast on PBS' Masterpiece Theatre in 1972. That same year, Mitchell starred in a related theatrical-film effort, Henry VIII and His Six Wives. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Keith Michell
- 1958
Screenwriter T.E.B. Clarke, the writer of such fifties British comedies as The Lavender Hill Mob and Passport to Pimlico, dips his pen into a more stately inkwell in this stilted adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic novel A Tale of Two Cities. Dirk Bogarde takes the lead role of worn-down, drunken lawyer Sydney Carton, who finally wakes up from his stupor during the French Revolution to make the ultimate sacrifice for Lucie Manette (Dorothy Tutin), the love of his life. Also on hand are the evil tyrant Marquis St. Evermonde (Christopher Lee), the treacherous informer Barsad (Donald Pleasence), and the fanatical Madame Defarge (Rosalie Crutchley), who denounces Lucie and her husband Charles Darnay (Athene Seyler) to the tribunal. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dirk Bogarde, Dorothy Tutin, (more)
- 1953
Laurence Olivier makes his singing debut in this lively adaptation of John Gay's 18th century theatrical piece The Beggar's Opera. Olivier stars as Captain MacHeath, the leader of all bandits and cutthroats in England. MacHeath is in love with Polly Peachum (Dorothy Tutin), the daughter of beggar king Peachum (George Devine). He has also dallied with Lucy (Daphne Anderson), the offspring of corrupt constable (Stanley Holloway) Lockit. Since it is in the best interest for both Peachum and Lockit to rid the world of MacHeath, the two conspire to imprison and hang the scoundrel, but an unexpected turn of events rescues MacHeath from the executioner's noose. Adapted for the screen by Dennis Canaan and Christopher Fry, The Beggar's Opera manages to retain the raffish charm of the stage original while still being wholly cinematic in approach and execution. The same basic story was later retooled by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill as The Threepenny Opera. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Laurence Olivier, Stanley Holloway, (more)
- 1952
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Anthony Asquith's adaptation of Oscar Wilde's witty play of mistaken identities stars Michael Redgrave as rich bachelor Jack Worthing. Jack's friend is Algernon Moncrieft (Michael Denison), a poor bloke living on credit. Jack refers mysteriously to Algernon about his country retreat, which drives Algernon to distraction, trying to figure out where Jack goes on the weekends. Jack is also in love with Algernon's attractive cousin Gwendolen (Joan Greenwood). He also has a ward, Cecily Cardew (Dorothy Tutin), who lives at the country estate and studies with local spinster Miss Prism (Margaret Rutherford). When Algernon learns of Cecily, he arrives at the country home claiming to be Jack's brother Earnest, knowing Jack had previously regaled Cecily with tales of having to bail the fictitious Earnest out of scrapes so he could sneak out to the city. Having set her eyes on "Earnest" in the flesh after having heard countless tales of his intrigues, Cecily immediately falls in love with Earnest. Meanwhile, Jack comes back to the country dressed in black, determined to announce to the group the demise of the fictional Earnest. As a result, Jack is stupefied when he sees Earnest standing in front of him. Meanwhile, Algernon's aunt, Lady Bracknell (Edith Evans) refuses to grant permission for Jack and Gwendolen's engagement. However, when Lady Bracknell finds out that Algernon is in love with Cecily, she asks Jack for his blessing on their marriage. Of course, Jack won't give his blessing until Lady Bracknell gives her blessing to his proposed marriage to Gwendolen. All is at a standstill until Lady Bracknell recognizes Miss Prism as a governess from the past who holds secrets concerning both Jack and Algernon. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Redgrave, Edith Evans, (more)
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