61 thoughts on “Richard Attenborough Movies”

1. Richard Attenborough, is the # 16 most connected actor of the 1970’s.

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2. HI STEVE:Thanks for the feedback. Always good to have YOUR thoughts down on paper.

   I will forgive you most things but whilst The Meg is no Olivier to put it in the same bracket as Sly is criminal Come on – let’s get real here!

   Do you think that Our Leader takes into consideration Brit classics that don’t feature Sir Maurice?

   DID YOU KNOW: That although a British film made in England and packed with Brits likee Donat and the young Sir Johnnie Mills at the British Division of MGM studios here The Library of Cogress has preserved 1939’s Goodbye Mr Cogerson as one of the 100 greatest AMERICAN films of all time – the cheek!

   As I don’t like war films Zulu would be one of my own least liked-Sir Maurice movies. I watched it when it was released way back in 1964 but have not bothered with it since. Sir M didn’t win me over until I saw his Harry Palmer in The Ipresee file one rainey afternoon in London the following year. I have watched that many times and it along with Educating Myrna are my tow Micklewhite faves.

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3. MORNING DEPARTURE 1946 – MORNING DEPARTURE [Operation Disaster] 1950

   1946 CAST LIST – 1950 CAST LIST
   STAMFORD Nigel Patrick/ ARMSTRONG John Mills
   OAKLEY John Stevens/ OAKLEY Peter Hammond
   McFEE Ronald Adam/ McFEE Andrew Crawford
   STOKER SNIPE Anthony Hudson/ STOKER SNIPE Richard Attenborough***
   JAMES Kenneth More/ JAMES Kenneth More
   TEABOY Maurice Micklewhite/ TEABOY Maurice Micklewhite
   MANSON Nigel Patrick in 1950 version

   ADDITIONAL TRIVIA

   1/*** Lord Dickie doesn’t seem to have been in 1946 TV movie according to those cast lists.

   2/The film version also has additional characters, due to the insertion of flashback scenes and scenes from the rescue operation on the surface.

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4. FOOTNOTE: There has been much confusion over the credits for Morning Departure [aka Operation Disaster] with many people seeming assuming [as certainly I did] that the 1946 TV movie and the 1950 cinema release were one and the same- ie a TV production being re-released on the big screen. They were though definitely two distinctly separate productions with seemingly only Kenneth More playing the same role in both of them unless Sir Maurice was in both versions as some sources suggest.

   However James Canon last year wrote a lengthy article based on a series of interviews with Caine/Micklewhite but James doesn’t mention the latter being in the 1946 version under either name.

   “Caine’s love of acting only grew from there [Acting School] as he gained some valuable experience in those drama classes. Alongside that, the future star had also taken his first steps in the world of work, trying his hand as a file clerk for London movie companies. Then, in 1950 his career took a very exciting turn.

   That year, Caine made his movie house debut in a film titled Morning Departure. And while it was only a small role, there would be many more opportunities to come in the future.”

   The two separate cast lists are set out in Part two for the purposes of comparison and the differences are striking. I may have started the ball rolling in creating the impression that the two versions were the same product. If so I sincerely apologize. “When I’m wrong I SAY I’m wrong.” [Jake Houseman Dirty Dancing 1987]

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5. TOP 20 GREATEST ALL-TIME BTITISH FILMS ACCORDING TO THE BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE

   1/The Third Man
   2/Brief Encounter
   3/Lawrence of Arabia
   4/The 39 Steps
   5/Great Expectations – my own 3rd favorite.
   6/Kind Hearts and Coronets
   7/Kes
   8/Don’t Look now
   9/The Red Shoes – did they belong to Laddie or The Duke
   10/Trainspotting
   11/Bridge on River Kwai
   12/If
   13/The Lady Killers
   14/Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
   15/Brighton Rock
   16/Get Carter
   17/The Lavender Hill Mob
   18/Olivier’s Henry V
   19/Chariots of Fire
   20/A Matter of Life and Death

   Dickie’s Ghandi is ranked 34 and his classic Brighton Rock 15 as of course shown above. Sir Maurice does exceptionally well in the list with 7 entries-

   16/Get Carter – As above
   31/Zulu
   33/Alfie
   36/The Italian Job [1969]
   59/The Ipcress File
   67/Mona Lisa
   84/Educating Myrna

   Sorry WORK HORSE Sir M’s Morning Departure didn’t make the cut; but would you believe it STEVE?: no 99 is Carry On Up the Khyber. Shows you what British Film Institute thinks of my tastes!

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   1. Hey Bob….good list….glad Michael Caine did so well on the list. Looks like his 1960s British movies are well thought of….Zulu would be my favorite of this group of films….good stuff.

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   2. Hi Bob, good list I have to admit, even the Americans should be impressed with those films. Will you ever forgive me for dismissing our great classics so easily and comparing them unfavorably with Rambo IV and The Meg?

      Looking at the list I do have an an all time favorite up there – Lawrence of Arabia, in my top 5 I would say. But Lawrence had an American producer and was made with American money.

      Which is my favorite totally British film? I dunno… difficult to say. Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes is a huge favorite, some of the early Hammers are up there too. I’ll have to think about it.

      Other big favorites from that list you posted – Zulu, Bridge on the River Kwai, Matter of Life and Death and The 39 Steps.

      I like The Third Man but it’s not a favorite, if Orson Welles wasn’t in it I doubt I’d be interested in it. But there was a guy on my forum who worshipped that film. Probably has the Anton Karras theme music as his ringtone.

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