From his breakthrough in the late 1940's to his re-emergence in the early 1990's, Attenborough has conjured up many memorable performances.
His triumphs as a director have been quite impressive also. With big hits such as A Bridge Too Far, Chorus Line, Chaplin and Gandhi where Attenborough won two Oscars for and the film eventually winning eight.
One film that I will give an honorable mention to that missed out on my top 10, is Guns At Batasi. This BAFTA award winning war drama sees a group of British soldiers caught up in the middle of a war between two African factions. It is quite a tense watch as Attenborough's character creates quite a presence and basically steals the show as he gives us the most memorable character in the entire film.
Out of his 65 films, I have only seen 17 of them. I will rank all of the ones I have seen and give a short review for each of my top 10:
16) And Then There Were None
15) Loot
14) Dunkirk
13) The Lost World: Jurassic Park
12) Miracle On 34th Street
11) Doctor Dolittle
10) Flight Of The Phoenix - Only recently seen this. A group of people crash land in the Arabian desert and they are looking for a way back into civilization.
As the men gradually lose their minds, that is where we see the film shine.
It has a star-studded cast list that include James Stewart, Ernest Borgnine, Hardy Kruger and of course Mr. Attenborough himself.
The script is good, acting is top-notch and the visuals make you feel you are there with him.
A great human survival story that the re-make could never capture.
9) I'm All Right Jack - An iconic British comedy about an aristocrat (played by Ian Carmeichel) in search of a career who gets caught up in a battle between his uncle and an aggressive labour union.
Attenborough plays a friend of the uncle who helps persuade Carmeichel's character to find a job.
His moments on screen are few, but they are valuable nonetheless.
8) The Angry Silence - I've only recently seen this and I found this very impactful viewing.
Out of his 65 films, I have only seen 17 of them. I will rank all of the ones I have seen and give a short review for each of my top 10:
16) And Then There Were None
15) Loot
14) Dunkirk
13) The Lost World: Jurassic Park
12) Miracle On 34th Street
11) Doctor Dolittle
As the men gradually lose their minds, that is where we see the film shine.
It has a star-studded cast list that include James Stewart, Ernest Borgnine, Hardy Kruger and of course Mr. Attenborough himself.
The script is good, acting is top-notch and the visuals make you feel you are there with him.
A great human survival story that the re-make could never capture.
Attenborough plays a friend of the uncle who helps persuade Carmeichel's character to find a job.
His moments on screen are few, but they are valuable nonetheless.
It sees Attenborough play a factory worker who goes against his colleagues during an unofficial strike.
It's themes are incredible relatable and timeless and the performances all over the board are very impressive.
7) The Magic Box - Bit of a hidden gem this one. This tells the story of William Friese-Greene, a luckless British inventor who claims to have invented the first movie camera.
Played wonderfully by Robert Donat, this is captivating biography drama. We see Lord Attenborough play a man called Jack Carter, the husband of Friese-Greene's ex-wife.
It is a solid performance that is part of a bigger picture with Donat taking centre stage.
6) The League Of Gentleman (1960) - A wonderful comedy heist full of the best of British acting at the time.
A bored war veteran decides to recruit a group of his old colleagues to perform a series of perfect bank robberies.
It is highly amusing and is certainly a good watch. Attenborough plays one of the disgraced colleagues and adds his own style to this enjoyable heist that took place years before the original Ocean's Eleven was released.
5) Elizabeth - A very well made period drama that depicts the early years of Queen Elizabeth I, played by Cate Blanchett.
With a star-studded cast list, Attenborough was given the role of Sir William Cecil, the Queen's chief advisor.
It may be a bit 'Hollywoodised', but is still great viewing and was well deserving of its Oscar.
4) Brighton Rock (1947) - The film that put Richard Attenborough on the map.
Playing the dangerous criminal Pinkie Brown, Attenborough's on-screen presence is something quite impressive. His performance really darkens the tone even more than intended and really feels ahead of its time.
After being ordered to murder someone, Brown makes sure that the police keep believing it to be suicide by eliminating all the witnesses.
3) 10 Rillington Place - Probably Attenborough's most chilling performance.
He plays John Christie, a middle-aged apartment manager who in secret kills his customers. However, Christie meets his toughest residents.
With John Hurt being a vital support, this film really surprised me and I will never forget this tense feature.
2) Jurassic Park - Directed by Steven Spielberg, this 90's classic sees Attenborough in his most well-known role.
He plays John Hammond, a man with a vision and has managed to bring creatures back to life after being extinct for 65 million years. However, his newly-built theme park does not go as planned.
1) The Great Escape - Many people's greatest war and British film of all-time and seen as a permanent fixture in Christmas TV viewings.
A group of soldiers in a prisoner of war camp plan for several hundred to escape the German camp in one night.
Attenborough plays Barlett, who frontiers the plan and sets events into motion.
One of the most enjoyable films that never fails on multiple viewings.
Played wonderfully by Robert Donat, this is captivating biography drama. We see Lord Attenborough play a man called Jack Carter, the husband of Friese-Greene's ex-wife.
It is a solid performance that is part of a bigger picture with Donat taking centre stage.
A bored war veteran decides to recruit a group of his old colleagues to perform a series of perfect bank robberies.
It is highly amusing and is certainly a good watch. Attenborough plays one of the disgraced colleagues and adds his own style to this enjoyable heist that took place years before the original Ocean's Eleven was released.
With a star-studded cast list, Attenborough was given the role of Sir William Cecil, the Queen's chief advisor.
It may be a bit 'Hollywoodised', but is still great viewing and was well deserving of its Oscar.
Playing the dangerous criminal Pinkie Brown, Attenborough's on-screen presence is something quite impressive. His performance really darkens the tone even more than intended and really feels ahead of its time.
After being ordered to murder someone, Brown makes sure that the police keep believing it to be suicide by eliminating all the witnesses.
He plays John Christie, a middle-aged apartment manager who in secret kills his customers. However, Christie meets his toughest residents.
With John Hurt being a vital support, this film really surprised me and I will never forget this tense feature.
He plays John Hammond, a man with a vision and has managed to bring creatures back to life after being extinct for 65 million years. However, his newly-built theme park does not go as planned.
A group of soldiers in a prisoner of war camp plan for several hundred to escape the German camp in one night.
Attenborough plays Barlett, who frontiers the plan and sets events into motion.
One of the most enjoyable films that never fails on multiple viewings.
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