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Alan Bates

Alan Bates

What members say | Filmography | Watch online (3)

Alan Bates - what members say


  • A Kind Of Loving
  • A Kind Of Loving review by A customer from Hertfordshire
    Rated - 4 stars Some things don't change 5 June 2004
    ... then. The filming is crisp and the acting superb. Look out for the scene where Alan Bates runs and skips down slippery cobbled roads and steps and ask yourself if a Dire...  
  • Gosford Park
  • Gosford Park review by from Cheltenham
    Rated - 4 stars A fine period piece 25 November 2007
    ...g and the supporting cast transport you into the day of class and servitude. Alan Bates' performance is filled with a very plausible 'stiff upper lip' attitude and the...  
  • The Caretaker
  • The Caretaker review by from london
    Rated - 5 stars Three hander 26 February 2004
    ...wn into relief somewhat, by Robert Shaw’s beautifully played silent turmoil and Alan Bates’ finely tuned, manic sarcasm. It looks kitchen sink, but is so subtly stylised ...  

Alan Bates - filmography


  • Spartacus on DVD (2004)
    Starring: Goran Visnjic,  Alan Bates,  Angus Macfadyen
    Director: Robert Dornhelm
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    This television production stars Goran Visnjic (ER) as the titular gladiator in this television adaptation of the same 1951 Howard Fast novel that spawned Stanley Kubrick's 1960 film classic. While living out his life as a slave the deserts of Egypt, Spartacus is bought by a trainer of gladiators ..read more »
    Rate this: 2.5 stars out of 5 50% from 3,259 members
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  • Bertie And Elizabeth (2002)
    Starring: James Wilby,  Juliet Aubrey,  Alan Bates
    Director: Giles Foster
    Certificate: Certificate: PG
    A portrayal of the life of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, focusing on her courtship with the future George VI, the abdication crisis, the birth of their daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret and the war years finally leading to Bertie's early death in 1952.
    Rate this: 3 stars out of 5 61% from 227 members
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  • The Sum Of All Fears on DVD (2002)
    Starring: Ben Affleck,  Morgan Freeman,  Liev Schreiber
    Director: Phil Alden Robinson
    Certificate: Certificate: 12
    Watch now: £2.49
    In this high-intensity drama, based on the novel by Tom Clancy, Ben Affleck stars as Jack Ryan, the CIA agent from Clancy's THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, PATRIOT GAMES, and CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER. Here, Ryan is dealing with a terrifying new problem: a nuclear weapon has fallen into the hands of ..read more »
    Rate this: 3 stars out of 5 63% from 11,643 members
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  • Evelyn on DVD (2002)
    Starring: Pierce Brosnan,  Julianna Margulies,  Aidan Quinn
    Director: Bruce Beresford
    Certificate: Certificate: PG
    Set in Dublin in 1953, Desmond Doyle is struggling to find steady work and is faced with raising his three children alone after his wife walks out on him. The Irish Church steps in and places the children in separate Catholic orphanages. Desmond works hard to pay off his debts in order for his ..read more »
    Rate this: 3 stars out of 5 64% from 4,500 members
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  • Gosford Park on DVD (2001)
    Starring: Michael Gambon,  Stephen Fry,  Richard E. Grant
    Director: Robert Altman
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    In GOSFORD PARK, Robert Altman explores the English class system and master-servant relations via his preferred modus operandi of multiple characters and intertwining storylines, which he achieved so brilliantly in NASHVILLE. Featuring an all-star British ensemble cast, the film recalls both THE ..read more »
    Rate this: 3 stars out of 5 64% from 14,507 members
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  • Arabian Nights on DVD (2000)
    Starring: John Leguizamo,  Rufus Sewell,  Jason Scott Lee
    Director: Steve Barron
    Certificate: Certificate: PG
    A cold-blooded Sultan (Scott) enacts a declaration to avenge his unfaithful wife by beheading the women of his empire. However, the beautiful and clever Scheherezade (Avital) is one woman with a plan to save the people of her beloved kingdom. She tantalizes the Sultan with courageous tales of ..read more »
    Rate this: 3 stars out of 5 61% from 385 members
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  • Nicholas' Gift on DVD (1998)
    Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis,  Alan Bates,  Gene Wexler
    Director: Robert Markowitz
    Certificate: Certificate: PG
    It's 1994, and Californian couple Reg and Maggie Green (Alan Bates and Jamie Lee Curtis) have taken their children Nicholas and Eleanor on vacation to Italy. A blissful time for the family turns tragic when, on a dark Sicilian road, Reg tries to flee a gang of carjackers. Gunfire ensues, hitting ..read more »
    Rate this: 3 stars out of 5 60% from 125 members
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  • Oliver's Travels (1995)
    Starring: Alan Bates,  Bill Paterson,  Miles Anderson
    Director: Giles Foster
    Certificate: Certificate: TBC
    Oliver, a university lecturer with an obsession for anagrams and crosswords, has been a question-setter for "Mastermind". When made redundant by the new Vice-Chancellor of the New University (his former Polytechnic) in a general restructuring of the university, Oliver decides to use his new-found ..read more »
    Rate this: 2.5 stars out of 5 45% from 8 members
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  • Silent Tongue on DVD (1994)
    Starring: Richard Harris,  Sheila Tousey,  Alan Bates
    Director: Sam Shepard
    Certificate: Certificate: 12
    Silent Tongue was the last River Phoenix film to be released - a year after his premature death - and has never been out before on UK DVD. Written and directed by Pulitzer Prize winner Sam Shepard, the film is a haunting Western about a plainsman who will do anything to help his son get over the ..read more »
    Rate this: 2 stars out of 5 43% from 563 members
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  • Hamlet on DVD (1990)
    Starring: Mel Gibson,  Glenn Close,  Alan Bates
    Director: Franco Zeffirelli
    Certificate: Certificate: PG
    Acclaimed director Franco Zeffirelli teamed with Mel Gibson for this energetic, earthy adaptation of the classic Shakespeare tragedy. From study abroad, the young Prince of Denmark returns home to find his mother has married his uncle, and his father's ghost is urging him to action; but what action?..read more »
    Rate this: 3.5 stars out of 5 65% from 1,134 member
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  • A Voyage Round My Father (1983)
    Starring: Laurence Olivier,  Alan Bates,  Jane Asher
    Director: Alvin Rakoff
    Certificate: Certificate: PG
    A successful lawyer struck with blindness in middle age continues his battles in the courtroom with the assistance of his family. As his son deals with bitter memories of their relationship, he also seeks his father's respect and love and in the process learns to love in return.
    Rate this: 3.5 stars out of 5 66% from 178 members
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  • The Return of the Soldier (1982)
    Starring: Julie Christie,  Glenda Jackson,  Ann-Margret
    Director: Alan Bridges
    Certificate: Certificate: TBC
    Captain Chris Baldry has suffered the injuries of many during the war, lost in a state of young love he struggles through the overpowering presence of all of the women in his life. Trapped in his past with his true love, his present wife, cousin and woman of his dreams all compete to bring him back ..read more »
    Rate this: 2 stars out of 5 30% from 3 members
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  • Quartet on DVD (1981)
    Starring: Alan Bates,  Maggie Smith,  Isabelle Adjani
    Director: James Ivory
    Certificate: Certificate: 18
    Director James Ivory brings the bohemian Paris neighbourhood of Montparnasse in the 1920s to life in this film based on the novel by Jean Rhys. Isabelle Adjani stars as Marya Zelli, a beautiful young wife who finds herself destitute after her art dealer husband is sent to prison for theft. A rich ..read more »
    Rate this: 2.5 stars out of 5 48% from 373 members
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  • The Rose on DVD (1979)
    Starring: Bette Midler,  Alan Bates,  Frederic Forrest
    Director: Mark Rydell
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    In this authentic, entertaining, and tragic film, Bette Midler plays Rose, a talented but exhausted, alcoholic rock star whose entire life is controlled by her cutthroat manager, Rudge (Alan Bates). Taking a bleak look at the downside of the music industry, THE ROSE chronicles the precipitous fall ..read more »
    Rate this: 3 stars out of 5 62% from 825 members
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  • The Shout (1978)
    Starring: Alan Bates,  Susannah York,  John Hurt
    Director: Jerzy Skolimowski
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
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    Unfortunately this title is currently unavailable for rental. We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause. A macabre tale about a man who claims he has the power to kill using a horrifying 'death shout'. A composer and his wife agree to letting the man stay, since the husband wishes ..read more »
    Rate this: 3 stars out of 5 59% from 187 members
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  • Butley on DVD (1976)
    Starring: Alan Bates,  Jessica Tandy,  Georgina Hale
    Director: Harold Pinter
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    This adaptation of Simon Gray's BUTLEY was part of the American Film Theatre series, conceived in the 1970s by producer Ely Landau and meant to be shown theatrically just like a play, with tickets sold in advance. Alan Bates stars as Ben Butley, a bitter and repressed English literature professor ..read more »
    Rate this: 3 stars out of 5 57% from 240 members
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  • In Celebration on DVD (1975)
    Starring: Brian Cox,  Alan Bates,  Bill Owen
    Director: Lindsay Anderson
    Certificate: Certificate: PG
    Made as part of the 'American Film Theatre' in which plays were filmed and then shown at the cinema. This is the story of an English family and their gathering together for the parents' wedding anniversary. Three grown sons argue while Mum wanders about aimlessly and Dad waits for the next crisis.
    Rate this: 3 stars out of 5 62% from 134 members
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  • Royal Flash (1975)
    Starring: Malcolm McDowell,  Alan Bates,  Florinda Bolkan
    Director: Richard Lester
    Certificate: Certificate: TBC
    McDowell stars as Captain Harry Flashman, a cowardly rogue in 19th century Europe. His attempts at climbing the social ladder draw him into the devious plans of others and into the arms of a duchess (Bond beauty Britt Ekland). Things don't go as planned, and Flashman has to escape, traveling ..read more »
    Rate this: 3 stars out of 5 63% from 18 members
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  • A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1972)
    Starring: Alan Bates,  Janet Suzman,  Peter Bowles
    Director: Peter Medak
    Certificate: Certificate: TBC
    Alan Bates and Janet Suzman are Bri and Sheila, a teacher and his wife who have created a comic character for their mute, severely disabled daughter (the eponymous ‘Joe Egg’). The cracks in their marriage become apparent when uptight acquaintances (Peter Bowles and Sheila Gish) come to ..read more »
    Rate this: 3 stars out of 5 No ratings yet. Be the first.
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  • The Three Sisters on DVD (1970)
    Starring: Alan Bates,  Laurence Olivier,  Joan Plowright
    Director: Laurence Olivier
    Certificate: Certificate: U
    This adaptation of Anton Chekhov's THREE SISTERS was part of the American Film Theater series, conceived in the 1970s by producer Ely Landau, and meant to be shown theatrically just like a play, with tickets sold in advance. The play focuses on a trio of sisters who live far away from the big city ..read more »
    Rate this: 2.5 stars out of 5 52% from 72 members
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  • Women In Love on DVD (1969)
    Starring: Alan Bates,  Glenda Jackson,  Oliver Reed
    Director: Ken Russell
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    D.H. Lawrence's 1920 novel revolving around the torrid relationships between two sisters and the men in their lives is here well-adapted for the big screen by Ken Russell. Starring Jennie Linden as Ursula and Glenda Jackson in a galvanizing, Academy Award-winning performance as Gudrun. This is ..read more »
    Rate this: 3 stars out of 5 61% from 1,575 member
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  • A Kind Of Loving on DVD (1962)
    Starring: Alan Bates,  June Ritchie,  Thora Hird
    Director: John Schlesinger
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    Drama based on the novel by Stan Barstow which tells of a young draughtsman who is forced into marriage after making his girlfriend pregnant. Living with her dragon-like mother soon makes him realise that his marriage is just a fragile relationship based purely on sex.
    Rate this: 3.5 stars out of 5 72% from 1,050 member
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  • Prince And The Pauper on DVD
    Starring: Alan Bates,  Aidan Quinn,  Jonathan Timmins
    Director: Giles Foster
    Certificate: Certificate: PG
    This production beautifully adapts Mark Twain's 1881 novel to the screen. A magical story about two boys--one is a royal prince and the other is a poor, mistreated urchin--who switch social positions by merely exchanging clothes, THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER is both a fantastic adventure and a ..read more »
    Rate this: 3 stars out of 5 56% from 281 members
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Alan Bates - watch online


  • Hollywood North to Watch Now (2003)
    Starring: Matthew Modine,  Saul Rubinek,  Alan Bates
    Director: Peter O'Brian
    Certificate: Certificate: TBC (TBC)
    Watch now: Subscribe and watch this as part of an unlimited package.
    Run time: 89 minutes
    A producer buys the film rights of a famous Canadian novel known as "Latern Moon" and plans the production, but everything doesn't go according to plan when Hollywood gets involved and the documentary filmmaker catches the whole debacle of film.
    Rate this: 2.5 stars out of 5 50% from 2 members
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  • Sum of All Fears The to Watch Now (2002)
    Starring: Ben Affleck,  Morgan Freeman,  James Cromwell
    Director: Phil Alden Robinson
    Certificate: Certificate: 12 (TBC)
    Watch now: £2.49
    Run time: 124 minutes
    Ben Affleck is ready for action, commanding the role of CIA agent Jack Ryan in this thrilling adventure based on the Tom Clancy bestseller. America's Cold War fears are rekindled after the President of Russia dies and is succeeded by a man with a cryptic past. But East-West tensions erupt when the ..read more »
    Rate this: 3.5 stars out of 5 67% from 49 members
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  • The Shout to Watch Now (1978)
    Starring: Alan Bates,  Susannah York,  John Hurt
    Director: Jerzy Skolimowski
    Certificate: Certificate: 15 (TBC)
    Watch now: Subscribe and watch this as part of an unlimited package.
    Run time: 86 minutes
    A macabre tale about a man who believes he has the power to kill with a horrifying death shout. He tells his tale to a composer (John Hurt) who becomes obsessed with harnessing the man's strange powers.
    Rate this: 3.5 stars out of 5 69% from 14 members
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Alan Bates facts

5 most recent films

Never Apologize - 3.0 stars
Spartacus - 2.5 stars
The Statement - 2.5 stars
Bertie And Elizabeth - 3.0 stars
The Sum Of All Fears - 3.0 stars

5 highest-rated films

Whistle Down The Wind - 3.5 stars
A Kind Of Loving - 3.5 stars
Far From The Madding Crowd - 3.5 stars
Zorba The Greek - 3.5 stars
The Go-Between - 3.5 stars

5 lowest-rated films

A Day in the Death of Joe Egg - 3 stars
The Cherry Orchard - 2.0 stars
The Return of the Soldier - 2.0 stars
Oliver's Travels - 2.5 stars
Go-Between, The - BLU-RAY Version - 3.0 stars

Most frequent co-stars

Laurence Olivier - 5 times - show films
Julie Christie - 4 times - show films
Charlotte Rampling - 3 times - show films
Deborah Kara Unger - 3 times - show films
Joe Cobden - 3 times - show films

Most frequent directors

Peter O'Brian - 3 times - show films
Giles Foster - 3 times - show films
Jerzy Skolimowski - 2 times - show films
Joseph Losey - 2 times - show films
Phil Alden Robinson - 2 times - show films