The late actor, director, and entrepreneur, Richard Attenborough, was born on 29 August 1983 and passed away on 24 August 2014. Born in the city of Cambridge in England, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, which is where he was first introduced to filming. He volunteered to fly with the Film Unit and later became a sergeant, where he would record the missions from the rear gunner position as they flew over Europe with the RAF (Royal Air Force) Bomber Command. Not the most ideal way to enter acting, but at least he got first-hand experience! Attenborough is known mostly for the reprisal of his roles in movies like Jurassic Park and Miracle On 34th Street, where he worked with celebrities such as Elizabeth Perkins, James Remer, and Jeff Goldblum. While he was praised for his acting, he also wrote and directed a number of successful films. Here are eight of the highest-grossing film directed by Richard Attenborough.
8 Gandhi
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As the film suggests, Attenborough’s 1982 biographical film, Gandhi, is centered around the history-making life of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the nonviolent non-cooperative Indian independence movement. Attenborough directed and produced the film while American writer, John Briley, was the writer. In essence, the film is reminiscent of Spike Lee’s Malcolm X in regards to their shared themes of racial inequality and justice, except Gandhi was not subscribed to any particular religion and was opposed to any forms of violence. The film describes in detail his many arrests in the fight for equal rights for Indians in South Africa, which eventually, was granted by the government. This made him a national hero in India and inspired him to fight for India’s freedom from the British Empire. Gandhi’s character was played by Ben Kingsley, and the film received critical acclaim and financial success, grossing $127.76 million at the box office internationally.
7 A Bridge Too Far
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In case you may have missed it, Richard Attenborough has been around for quite a while – long before many of our modern directors and producers, which means he had a chance to collaborate with a few of Hollywood’s original A-Listing actors. He got a chance to do so in 1977 when he directed A Bridge Too Soon, an epic war film adapted from the 1974 novel of the same name by Cornelius Ryan which highlights the actual failed event of World War 2’s Operation Market Garden. The film centered around a British division of 35,000 men led by Major-General Roy Urquhart (Sean Connery) dropped in the Netherlands to fight against Hitler’s German troops. Other famous actors involved include Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, and Michael Caine. The film was profitable, grossing $50.8 million against a $25 million budget.
6 Cry Freedom
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It’s clear that Attenborough had a heart for justice and made it his duty to turn real-life events in history into timeless passion projects. One such passion project was his production of Cry Freedom, a 1987 apartheid drama based on the books written by journalist Donald Woods involving the South-African political-activist, Steve Biko, who was played by none other than Denzel Washington. The upheaval in South Africa was so bad at the time that the film was actually shot in parts of Zimbabwe and Kenya. The film follows Donald Woods (Kevin Kline) who, upon hearing of the demolition of a slum in the Cape Province of South Africa, goes to meet Biko, who is the leader of the Black Consciousness Movement. After seeing first-hand the deplorable conditions of blacks in South Africa due to government-imposed restrictions, Woods also joins the fight for justice. However, Biko is harassed and beaten by police, resulting in a severe brain injury that leads to his death. The gripping film grossed $25.9 million at the worldwide box office.
5 Shadowlands
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In 1993, the Doctor Dolittle actor directed the biographical drama film, Shadowlands, which covers the life is the world-famous poet, C.S. Lewis (Anthony Hopkins), and his relationship with an outspoken American poet named Joy Davidman Gresham. Lewis is an academic at Oxford University and is a successful author, having written a series of children’s books entitled The Chronicles of Narnia. Joy Gresham (Debra Winger), on the other hand, is on her way out of a troubled marriage with her son, Douglas (Joseph Mazzello). The two get married despite their difference in culture. However, Joy develops cancer and prepares to die, an event that tests Lewis’ beliefs and faith. The film was well-received, described by Roger Ebert as “intelligent, moving and beautifully acted.” It was also a box office success, grossing $28.8 million.
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4 In Love And War
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Released in 1996. the romantic drama, In Love and War, was another one of Attenborough’s directorial masterpieces. The film was based on the book, Hemingway In Love and War, written by Henry S. Villard and James Nagel. Set in Italy in 1918 during World War 1, a young man of 19 years old named Ernest Hemingway (Chris O’Donnell) volunteers to become an ambulance driver with the Red Cross to help the wounded soldiers in Italy. When he is shot in the foot while saving a friend on the battlefield, he is transported to a hospital where an American nurse named Agnes von Kurowsky (Sandra Bullock) tends to him. The two draw closer and, despite their age gap, develop strong feelings for each other, until Ernest reveals that he is being sent back to the United States and that they should write to each other regularly. In his absence, a doctor named Dr. Domenico Caracciolo proposes, but she denies him while still thinking of Ernest. She returns to the United States in search of Ernest, but he is angry because of the distance she created, and she goes away for good. In Love and War grossed $25.3 million globally.
3 Magic
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Romantic and biographical films aren’t the only genres that Attenborough can direct. While he was alive, he used his creative genius to produce a psychological thriller that would even give Hannibal Lecter the shakes! In 1978, the horror film, Magic, was released. When a young man named Charles “Corky” Withers (Anthony Hopkins) enhances his magic act by introducing himself as a ventriloquist with a wooden dummy named Fats, he started becoming a success. When his agent, Ben Greene (Burgess Meredith ) offers him his own television show, he declines. Greene thinks he is afraid of success, but Corky is afraid of his mental health, as he becomes less able to control his alter ego in Fats. He meets his crush, Peggy Ann Snow (Ann-Margret), who is married to his high-school Duke (Ed Lauter), but after a magic trick, they sleep together. This gets Fast jealous. Greene is concerned for Corky’s mental health but is killed by Fats when questioned. In the end, Fats kills Corky, and Peggy Ann is heard imitating Fats’ voice. The film went on to gross $23.8 million at the box office.
2 A Chorus Line
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In addition to being the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the British Academy of Film and Television (BAFTA), Attenborough also won two Academy Awards for Gandhi for Best Picture and Best Director. Still, one of his most iconic films is the 1985 musical drama film, A Chorus Line. After eliminating many dancers, Zach (Michael Douglas) must now judge the remaining sixteen, out of which only eight will be left. Of the group is former lead dancer Cassie (Alyson Reed) who has had a romantic history with Zach. In his search for the perfect set of dancers, he gets each one to open up about personal experiences, allowing their true characters to shine through as a performer. In the end, the eight best dancers are chosen, but Zach allows all the previous dancers to be on stage on stage for the “One” performance. The film grossed a total of $14.2 million at the box office.
1 Chaplin
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Attenborough’s least financially successful – and ironically one of his most legendary – pieces of work is the 1992 biographical film, Chaplin. By now, it’s understood that Richard is an independent thinker who enjoys things that are unorthodox – even a bit rebellious. The story of Charlie Chaplin (Robert Downey Jr.) takes the audience on a journey through Chaplin’s poverty-sticked neighborhood, the mental struggles with his mother, Hannah, and his quest to become a success in filmmaking. He is employed by Mack Sennett (Dan Aykroyd) but soon becomes his own manager and branches out. It’s not long before he is targeted by FBI Director, Jay Edgar Hoover, who suspects Charlie to have ties with communists. A few celebrities starring in this film are Marisa Tomei and Anthony Hopkins. Against $31 million, the film only grossed $9.28 million.
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Sources: rogerebert.com, theguardian.com, flickeringmyth.com
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