A Very Long Guide to Famous Film-star Voices in Cartoon Movies

This is a guide to every major animated feature to feature famous
movie-star voices, and thus it’s also in effect a list of practically every
major animated feature since the 1980’s. In the old days big name actors
rarely went near cartoons, and there were voice artists who specialised in
bringing to life cartoon characters; people like Sterling Holloway, who
played Mr. Stork in Dumbo (1941), Kaa in The Jungle Book (1967) and
Winnie the Pooh in several films, or Phil Harris, who played J. Thomas
O'Malley in The Aristocats (1970) and Baloo in The Jungle Book (1967).
These days, however,  it’s almost taken for granted that any animated
features will be crammed with voices we all recognise. Here’s a guide
to who’s been in what. Films are listed by year and then alphabetically.

Fantasia (US,1940)

Walt Disney

Lady and the Tramp (US,1955)

Peggy Lee

One Hundred and One Dalmatians (US,1961)

Rod Taylor 

The Jungle Book (US,1967)

George Sanders

The Fox and the Hound (US,1981)

Mickey Rooney

Kurt Russell

The Secret of NIMH (US,1982)

Derek Jacobi

Dom DeLuise

Laputa: Castle in the Sky (Jap, 1986) (English version)

Anna Paquin

James Van Der Beek

Mark Hamill

Oliver & Company (US,1988)

Billy Joel

Cheech Marin

Dom DeLuise

Bette Midler

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (US,1988)

Kathleen Turner

Kiki's Delivery Service (Jap,1989) (English version)

Kirsten Dunst

Debbie Reynolds

Janeane Garofalo

The Little Mermaid (US,1989)

Tim Curry

Mark Hamill

The Rescuers Down Under (US,1990)

John Candy

George C. Scott

Beauty and the Beast (US,1991)

Angela Lansbury

Aladdin (US,1992)

Robin Williams

The Lion King (US,1994)

Rowan Atkinson
Matthew Broderick
Nathan Lane
Whoopi Goldberg
Jeremy Irons
James Earl Jones
Cheech Marin

Pocahontas (US,1995)

Mel Gibson

Christian Bale

Linda Hunt

Billy Connolly

Toy Story (US,1995)

Tom Hanks

Tim Allen

Don Rickles

John Ratzenberger

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (US,1996)

Tom Hulce

Demi Moore

Kevin Kline

James and the Giant Peach (US,1996)

Simon Callow

Richard Dreyfuss

Joanna Lumley

Pete Postlethwaite

Susan Sarandon

David Thewlis

Space Jam (US,1996)

Danny De Vito

Hercules (US,1997)

Danny DeVito

James Woods

Rip Torn

Samantha Eggar

Hal Holbrook

Amanda Plummer

Charlton Heston

Princess Mononoke (Jap, 1997) (English version)

Gillian Anderson

Billy Crudup

Claire Danes

Minnie Driver

Jada Pinkett Smith

Billy Bob Thornton

Antz (US,1998)

Woody Allen

Dan Aykroyd

Anne Bancroft

Danny Glover

Gene Hackman

Jennifer Lopez

John Mahoney

Paul Mazursky

Sylvester Stallone

Sharon Stone

Christopher Walken

A Bug's Life (US,1998)

Kevin Spacey

Denis Leary

Madeline Kahn

John Ratzenberger

Roddy McDowall

John Lasseter

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (US,1998)

Matthew Broderick
Nathan Lane
Neve Campbell
James Earl Jones

Mulan (US,1998)

Ming-Na Wen

Eddie Murphy

The Prince of Egypt (US,1998)

Val Kilmer

Ralph Fiennes

Michelle Pfeiffer

Sandra Bullock

Jeff Goldblum

Danny Glover

Patrick Stewart

Helen Mirren

Steve Martin

Martin Short

Ofra Haza

Mel Brooks

The Rugrats Movie (US,1998)

Whoopi Goldberg

Tim Curry

Laurie Anderson

Beck

Iggy Pop

Lenny Kravitz

Patti Smith

Small Soldiers (US,1998)

Tommy Lee Jones

Frank Langella

Ernest Borgnine

Bruce Dern

George Kennedy

Christopher Guest

Sarah Michelle Gellar

Christina Ricci

The Iron Giant (US,1999)

Jennifer Aniston

Harry Connick Jr.

Vin Diesel

The King and I (US,1999)

Miranda Richardson

Tarzan (US,1999)

Minnie Driver

Glenn Close

Brian Blessed

Nigel Hawthorne

Toy Story 2 (US,1999)

Tom Hanks

Tim Allen

Joan Cusack

Kelsey Grammer

Don Rickles

John Ratzenberger

John Lasseter

Chicken Run (2000)

Mel Gibson

Phil Daniels

Jane Horrocks

Miranda Richardson

Julia Sawalha

Timothy Spall

Imelda Staunton

Dinosaur (US,2000)

Alfre Woodard

Ossie Davis

Joan Plowright

The Emperor's New Groove (US,2000)

John Goodman

Eartha Kitt

Rugrats in Paris: The Movie - Rugrats II (US,2000)

Debbie Reynolds

Susan Sarandon

John Lithgow

Tim Curry

The Tigger Movie (US,2000)

John Hurt

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (US,2001)

Michael J. Fox

James Garner

John Mahoney

Leonard Nimoy 

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (US,2001)

Ming-Na Wen

Alec Baldwin

Ving Rhames

Steve Buscemi

Donald Sutherland

James Woods

Jean Simmons

Monsters, Inc. (US,2001)

John Goodman

Billy Crystal

Steve Buscemi

James Coburn

John Ratzenberger

Frank Oz

Shrek (US,2001)

Mike Myers

Eddie Murphy

Cameron Diaz

John Lithgow

Vincent Cassel 

The Cat Returns (Jap, 02) (English version)

Tim Curry

Elliott Gould

Ice Age (US,2002)

John Leguizamo

Denis Leary

Jack Black

Cedric the Entertainer 

Brother Bear (US,2003)

Joaquin Phoenix

Finding Nemo (US,2003)

Albert Brooks

Ellen DeGeneres

Willem Dafoe

Geoffrey Rush

Barry Humphries

John Ratzenberger 

Kaena - The Prophecy (Fr, 2003) (English version)

Kirsten Dunst

Anjelica Huston

Richard Harris

Rugrats Go Wild! (US,2003)

Tim Curry

Bruce Willis 

Home on the Range (US,2004)

Roseanne

Steve Buscemi

Judi Dench

Cuba Gooding Jr.

Randy Quaid 

Garfield (US,2004)

Bill Murray (as Garfield)

Howl's Moving Castle (Jap, 04) (English version)

Lauren Bacall

Christian Bale

Billy Crystal

Jean Simmons 

The Incredibles (US,2004)

Craig T. Nelson

Holly Hunter

Samuel L. Jackson

John Ratzenberger

The Polar Express (US,2004)

Tom Hanks

Shark Tale (US,2004)

Will Smith

Robert De Niro

Renée Zellweger

Jack Black

Angelina Jolie

Martin Scorsese

Peter Falk

Christina Aguilera

Shrek 2 (US,2004)

Mike Myers

Eddie Murphy

Cameron Diaz

Julie Andrews

Antonio Banderas

John Cleese

Rupert Everett

Jennifer Saunders

Larry King

Joan Rivers

Chicken Little (US, 2005)

Zach Braff

Garry Marshall

Joan Cusack

Steve Zahn

Amy Sedaris

Patrick Stewart

Madagascar (US,2005)

Ben Stiller

Chris Rock

David Schwimmer

Jada Pinkett Smith

Sacha Baron Cohen

Cedric the Entertainer 

Robots (US,2005)

Halle Berry

Jim Broadbent

Mel Brooks

Paul Giamatti

Dan Hedaya

James Earl Jones

Greg Kinnear

Jay Leno

Ewan McGregor

Stanley Tucci

Dianne Wiest

Robin Williams

Paula Abdul 

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (US, 2005)

Johnny Depp

Helena Bonham Carter

Emily Watson

Tracey Ullman

Joanna Lumley

Albert Finney

Richard E. Grant

Christopher Lee

Jane Horrocks

Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (UK, 2005)

Ralph Fiennes

Helena Bonham Carter

Cars (US, 2006)

Owen Wilson

Paul Newman

Tony Shalhoub

Cheech Marin

George Carlin

Michael Keaton

John Ratzenberger

Curious George (US, 2006)

Will Ferrell

Drew Barrymore

Dick Van Dyke

David Cross

Joan Plowright

Flushed Away (US, 2006)

Hugh Jackman

Kate Winslet

Ian McKellen

Jean Reno

Andy Serkis

Bill Nighy

Happy Feet (US, 2006)

Elijah Wood

Robin Williams

Brittany Murphy

Hugh Jackman

Nicole Kidman

Hugo Weaving

Ice Age: The Meltdown (US, 2006)

John Leguizamo

Denis Leary

Queen Latifah

Jay Leno

Seann William Scott

Will Arnett

Monster House (US, 2006)

Steve Buscemi

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Jon Heder

Kathleen Turner

Open Season (US, 2006)

Martin Lawrence

Ashton Kutcher

Gary Sinise

Jon Favreau

Jane Krakowski

Billy Connolly

A Scanner Darkly (US, 2006)

Keanu Reeves

Robert Downey, Jr.

Woody Harrelson

Winona Ryder

Bee Movie (US, 2007)

Jerry Seinfeld

Renée Zellweger

Matthew Broderick

Chris Rock

Kathy Bates

Barry Levinson

John Goodman

Rip Torn

Oprah Winfrey

Larry King

Ray Liotta

Sting

Beowulf (US, 2007)

Ray Winstone

Crispin Glover

Angelina Jolie

Anthony Hopkins

Robin Wright Penn

John Malkovich

Brendan Gleeson

Alison Lohman

Meet the Robinsons (US, 2007)

Angela Bassett

Tom Selleck

Persepolis (2007) (English version)

Gena Rowlands

Sean Penn

Iggy Pop

Ratatouille (US, 2007)

Brad Bird

Brian Dennehy

Ian Holm

Janeane Garofalo

John Ratzenberger

Peter O'Toole

Will Arnett

Shrek the Third (US, 2007)

Mike Myers

Cameron Diaz

Eddie Murphy

Antonio Banderas

Julie Andrews

John Cleese

Rupert Everett

Eric Idle

Justin Timberlake

Larry King

Amy Poehler

Ian McShane

Regis Philbin

Seth Rogen

Simon Callow

John Lithgow

John Krasinski

The Simpsons Movie (US, 2007)

Hank Azaria

Albert Brooks

Bolt (US, 2008)

John Travolta

Miley Cyrus

Malcolm McDowell

Kung Fu Panda (US, 2008)

Jack Black

Dustin Hoffman

Angelina Jolie

Jackie Chan

Ian McShane

Lucy Liu

Seth Rogen

David Cross

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (US, 2008)

Ben Stiller

Chris Rock

David Schwimmer

Jada Pinkett Smith

Sacha Baron Cohen

Cedric the Entertainer

Bernie Mac

Alec Baldwin

Ponyo (Jap, 2008)(English Version)

Cate Blanchett

Cloris Leachman

Liam Neeson

Lily Tomlin

Matt Damon

Tina Fey

WALL-E (US, 2008)

John Ratzenberger

Sigourney Weaver

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (US, 2009)

Bill Hader

Anna Faris

Neil Patrick Harris

James Caan

Mr. T

Coraline (US, 2009)

Dakota Fanning

Teri Hatcher

Jennifer Saunders

Dawn French

Ian McShane

Fantastic Mr. Fox (US, 2009)

George Clooney

Meryl Streep

Jason Schwartzman

Bill Murray

Willem Dafoe

Owen Wilson

Michael Gambon

Jarvis Cocker

Brian Cox

Adrien Brody

Wes Anderson

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (US, 2009)

Queen Latifah

Denis Leary

John Leguizamo

Seann William Scott

Simon Pegg

Bill Hader

Jane Lynch

Kristen Wiig

Monsters vs. Aliens (US, 2009)

Amy Poehler

Ed Helms

Hugh Laurie

Jeffrey Tambor

John Krasinski

Kiefer Sutherland

Paul Rudd

Rainn Wilson

Reese Witherspoon

Renée Zellweger

Seth Rogen

Stephen Colbert

Will Arnett

The Princess and the Frog (US, 2009)

John Goodman

Oprah Winfrey

Terrence Howard

Up (US, 2009)

Christopher Plummer

Delroy Lindo

John Ratzenberger

Despicable Me (US, 2010)

Steve Carell

Jason Segel

Russell Brand

Will Arnett

Kristen Wiig

Julie Andrews

How to Train Your Dragon (US, 2010)

Gerard Butler

Craig Ferguson

America Ferrera

Jonah Hill

Kristen Wiig

David Tennant

Megamind (US, 2010)

Will Ferrell

Tina Fey

Jonah Hill

David Cross

Brad Pitt

J. K. Simmons

Ben Stiller

Justin Theroux

Tangled (US, 2010)

Mandy Moore

Ron Perlman

Jeffrey Tambor

Richard Kiel

Toy Story 3 (US, 2010)

Tom Hanks

Tim Allen

Joan Cusack

Ned Beatty

Don Rickles

Michael Keaton

Wallace Shawn

John Ratzenberger

Timothy Dalton

Whoopi Goldberg

R. Lee Ermey

The Adventures of Tintin (Us, 2011)

Jamie Bell

Andy Serkis

Daniel Craig

Simon Pegg

Cars 2 (US, 2011)

Owen Wilson

Michael Caine

Emily Mortimer

Jason Isaacs

Eddie Izzard

John Turturro

Joe Mantegna

Tony Shalhoub

John Ratzenberger

John Lasseter

Franco Nero

Vanessa Redgrave

Cheech Marin

Happy Feet  2 (US, 2011)

Elijah Wood

Robin Williams

Hank Azaria

Brad Pitt

Matt Damon

Pink

Common

Hugo Weaving

Anthony LaPaglia

Kung Fu Panda 2 (US, 2011)

Jack Black

Angelina Jolie

Gary Oldman

Dustin Hoffman

Jackie Chan

Seth Rogen

Lucy Liu

David Cross

Michelle Yeoh

Dennis Haysbert

Jean-Claude Van Damme

Mars Needs Moms (US, 2011)

Joan Cusack

Puss in Boots (US, 2011)

Antonio Banderas

Salma Hayek

Zach Galifianakis

Billy Bob Thornton

Amy Sedaris

Guillermo del Toro

Rango (US, 2011)

Johnny Depp

Abigail Breslin

Alfred Molina

Bill Nighy

Harry Dean Stanton

Ray Winstone

Timothy Olyphant

Ned Beatty

Gore Verbinski

Rio (US, 2011)

Jesse Eisenberg

Anne Hathaway

Jamie Foxx

Leslie Mann

The Smurfs (US, 2011)

Jonathan Winters

Katy Perry

Alan Cumming

100 Notable Real Life Film Families

Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia Coppola, Jason Schwartzman & Nicholas Cage

This is a list of families where more than one member has done significant work in film. I've included only the members of the clan famous for their movie work; sometimes there are other relatives who have also worked in lesser-known films, or who are famous for other reasons.

I've already done a separate list for brothers who are both directors and I’ll soon be doing another list for married couples. This one concentrates on other siblings, and cross-generational movie fame within a family.

1.   Affleck: Ben And Casey, brothers

2.   Andrews: The Andrews Sisters, LaVerne, Maxene and Patty

3.   Argento: Dario, father of Asia

4.   Arquette: Rosanna, Patricia and David, siblings

5.   Baldwin: Alec, Stephen and William, brothers

6.   Barrymore: John, Lionel and Ethel, siblings, and John’s grand-daughter, Drew

7.   Begley: Ed Begley, father of Ed Begley Jr

8.   Belushi: John And Jim, brothers

9.   Bergman: Ingmar, father of Daniel, also a director

10. Blier: Bernard, actor-father of the French director, Bertrand

11. Bottoms: Timothy And Sam, brothers

12. Bowie/Jones: David Bowie, father of Duncan Jones

13. Bridges: Lloyd, father of Jeff and Beau

14. Brolin: James, father of Josh (Josh's step-mum is Barbara Streisand)

15. Busey: Gary, father of Jake

16. Cagney: Jeanne (actress) and James, siblings

17. Carey: Harry Carey, father of Harry Carey Jr

18. Carradine: John, father of Keith And David

19. Bonham Carter/Asquith: Helena Bonham Carter, great-niece Of Anthony Asquith

20. Cassavetes: John, father of Nick

21. Clooney/Ferrer: George Clooney, nephew of Jose Ferrer and Rosemary Clooney (singer/star Of White Christmas)

22. Connery/Cilento: Jason Connery, son of Sean Connery And Diane Cilento

23. Coppola/Cage/Shire/Schwartzman: Francis Ford Coppola is a) father of Sofia b) son of Carmine, film composer and c) brother of Talia Shire, who is the mother of Jason Schwartzman. Nicholas Cage is a nephew of both Francis Ford Coppola and Talia Shire.

24. Culkin: Macauley, Kieran and Rory, brothers

25. Curtis/Leigh: Jamie Lee Curtis, daughter of Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis

26. Cusack: John And Joan, siblings

27. Cusack: Cyril, father of Sinead

28. Day Lewis/Balcon: Daniel Day Lewis, grandson of Michael Balcon

29. Delphy: Julie’s father Albert is a well-know actor in France who’s been in dozens of films since the 1970’s

30. De Havilland/Fontaine: Olivia De Havilland and Joan Fontaine (real name Joan De Havilland), sisters

31. Deneuve/Dorleac: Catherine Deneuve and Francois Dorleac, sisters

32. Dern/Ladd: Laura, daughter of Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd

33. Deschanel: Zooey and Emily, daughters of Caleb, cinematographer

34. Douglas: Kirk, father of Michael

35. Downey: Robert Downey, father of Robert Downey Jr

36. Fairbanks: Douglas Fairbanks, father of Douglas Fairbanks Jr

37. Fanning: Dakota and Elle, sisters

38. Farrow/O’Sullivan: Mia Farrow, daughter of John Farrow and Maureen O’Sullivan

39. Fiennes: Ralph, Joseph and Martha, siblings

40. Fisher/Reynolds: Carrie Fisher, daughter of Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds

41. Fitzgerald/Lindsay-Hogg: Geraldine Fitzgerald, mother of Michael Lindsay-Hogg (Lindsay-Hogg is also the biological son of Orson Welles: see Wikipedia for further details.)

42. Fonda: Henry, father of Jane and Peter, and grand-father to Peter’s daughter Bridget

43. Fox: James and Edward, brothers

44. Gainsbourg: Charlotte Gainsbourg, daughter of Serge

45. Gish: Dorothy And Lillian, Sisters

46. Griffith/Hedren: Tippi Hedren, mother of Melanie Griffith

47. Gyllenhaal: Maggie and Jake, siblings

48. Hanks: Colin, son of Tom

49. Hannah/Wexler: Daryl Hannah, step-niece of Haskell Wexler

50. Hayworth/Rogers: Ginger Rogers and Rita Hayworth, cousins

51. Hudson/Hawn: Goldie Hawn, mother of Kate Hudson

52. Huston: Walter, father of John, who was father of Anjelica And Danny (by different mothers)

53. Jason Leigh/Morrow: Jennifer Jason Leigh, daughter of Vic Morrow

54. Kiarostami: Abbas, father of Bahman, also a director

55. Kinski: Klaus, father of Nastassja

56. Ladd: Alan, father of Alan Ladd Jr (executive and producer)

57. Lee: Bill Lee, father of Spike, composer for many of his movies

58. Lee: Bruce, father of Brandon

59. Lynch: David, father of Jennifer, also a director

60. Macdonald/Pressburger: Kevin Macdonald, grandson of Emeric Pressburger

61. Maclaine/Beatty: Shirley MacLaine and Warren Beauty, siblings

62. Mankiewicz: Hermann (writer of Citizen Kane) and Joseph, Writer-Director, brothers

63. Marx: The Marx Brothers, Groucho,  Chico, Harpo and Zeppo

64. McLaglen: Andrew V, director son of Victor

65. Mills: John, father of Hayley

66. Minnelli: Liza, daughter of Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli

67. Newman: Alfred and his son Thomas, and Alfred’s nephew, Randy, all well-known film composers

68. Olsen: the Olsen Twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley, plus Elizabeth 

69. O'Neal: Ryan, father of Tatum

70. Ophuls: Max, father of Marcel

71. Paltrow/Danner: Gwyneth Paltrow, daughter of Blythe Danner

72. Patric/Gleason: Jason Patric, grandson of Jackie Gleason

73. Penn: Sean And Chris, brothers

74. Phoenix: River and Joaquin, brothers  

75. Quaid: Dennis and Randy, brothers

76. Redgrave/Richardson: Michael was father of Vanessa and Lynn. Vanessa married director Tony Richardson and they had two actress daughters, Natasha and Joely Richardson

77. Reed: Oliver, nephew of director Carol

78. Reiner: Rob, son of Carl 

79. Renoir: famous French director Jean had an actor brother Pierre, whose son Claude was a noted cinematographer

80. Roberts: Eric and Julia, siblings

81. Rossellini: Isabella Rosselini, daughter of Ingrid Bergman And Roberto Rossellini. (Also Renzo Rossellini scored many of his brother Roberto’s films)

82. Schell: Maximilian and Maria, siblings

83. Scott: Campbell, son of George C.

84. Shaffer: Anthony (Sleuth) And Peter (Amadeus)- Screenwriter twin brothers

85. Shaw: The famous Shaw Brothers Studio of Honk Kong was started by 6 brothers, most famous of whom was Sir Run Run Shaw.

86. Sheen/Estevez: Martin Sheen, father of Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen

87. Sinatra: Frank, father of Nancy (who acted in a few movies)

88. Smith: Will, father of Jaden

89. Sorvino: Mira, daughter of Paul

90. Stiller: Ben, son of Jerry

91. Surtees: Bruce, son of Robert (both cinematographers with major filmographies)

92. Sutherland: Donald, father of Keifer

93. Van Peebles:  Melvin, father of Mario

94. Voight/Jolie: Jon Voight, father of Angelie Jolie

95. Wahlberg: Donnie and Mark, brothers

96. Warner :  The Warner Brothers, Jack, Harry, Albert and Sam

97. Wayans: Damon, Marlon and Keenan Ivory, brothers

98. Weinstein: Harvey And Bob, brothers

99. Wilson: Luke And Owen, brothers

100. Zanuck: Richard D., Son of Darryl F.

20 Pairs of Brother Directors

Listed below are 20 pairs of brothers who have both directed feature films. I’ve given one notable film they’ve made: a single film if they usually work together, or one each if they don’t. Country of origin of the brothers is also given.

1.   Boulting The Boulting Brothers, John (I'm All Right Jack) and Roy (Carlton-Browne of the F.O) (UK)

2.   Coen The Coen Brothers, Joel and Ethan (No Country for Old Men) (US)

3.   Dardenne The Dardenne Brothers, Jean-Pierre and Luc (The Son) (Belgium)

4.   Farrelly The Farrelly Brothers, Peter and Bobby (There's Something About Mary) (US)

5.   Hughes The Hughes Brothers, Albert and Allen (Menace II Society) (US)

6.   Kaurismaki Mika Kaurismaki (L.A. Without a Map) and Aki Kaurismaki (Drifting Clouds) (Finland)

7.   Lumiere Auguste Lumiere and Louis Lumiere (Arrival of a Train at a Station) (France)

8.   Maysles Albert and David Maysles (Gimme Shelter) (US)

9.   McDonagh Martin McDonagh (In Bruges) and John Michael McDonagh (The Guard) (UK)

10. Pang Oxide Pang and Danny Pang (Bangkok Dangerous) (Hong Kong)

11. Pate Jonas Pate and Joshua Pate (Liar AKA Deceiver) (US)

12. Quay The Brothers Quay, Stephen and Timothy (The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes) (US)

13. Russo Anthony Russo and Joe Russo (Welcome To Collinwood) (US)

14. Scott Ridley Scott (Blade Runner) and Tony Scott (Enemy of the State) (UK)

15. Sheridan Jim Sheridan (In The Name Of The Father) and Peter Sheridan (Borstal Boy)  (Ireland)

16. Strause  Greg Strause and Colin Strause (Skyline) (US)

17. Taviani The Taviani Brothers, Paolo and Vittorio (Padre Padrone) (Italy)

18. Wachowski The Wachowski Brothers, Andy and Larry (The Matrix) (US)

19. Weitz Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz (About A Boy) (US)

20. Zucker David Zucker and Jerry Zucker (Airplane)  (usually co-direct with Jim Abrahams) (US)

40 Essential Film Noir 1940-1960

Defintions of film noir vary, but I’ve taken it to mean a black-and-white American crime drama from 1940-1960 with a bleak or anxious mood, a fatalistic hero or anti-hero, and very expressive high-contrast lighting. They are often derived from hardboiled crime fiction, and include a femme fatale and a complex structure involving flashbacks. The following films have most or all of these elements, and they are also a lot of fun to watch.

It’s often been claimed that film noir was a result of a certain cynical mood in post-war America, with returning soldiers traumatised by their war experiences, or anxious about how they could fit back into society, and about women’s new roles (hence the high proportion of double-crossing females in these films). On the other hand there’s no doubt  Double Indemnity (1944) and a few other films from before 1945 were indeed film noir.

1.         Act of Violence (Fred Zinnemann, 1949)

2.         The Asphalt Jungle (John Huston, 1950)

3.         The Big Clock (John Farrow, 1948)

4.         The Big Heat (Fritz Lang, 1953)

5.         The Big Sleep (Howard Hawks, 1946)

6.         The Blue Dahlia (George Marshall, 1946)

7.         Boomerang (Elia  Kazan, 1947)

8.         Brute Force (Jules Dassin, 1947)

9.         The Captive City (Robert Wise, 1952)

10.       Criss Cross (Robert Siodmak, 1949)

11.       D.O.A. (Rudolph Mate, 1950)

12.       Dark Passage (Delmer Daves, 1947)

13.       Dead Reckoning (John Cromwell, 1947)

14.       Detour (Edgar G.Ulmer, 1945)

15.       Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944)

16.       Force of Evil (Abraham  Polonsky, 1948)

17.       Gilda (Charles Vidor, 1946)

18.       Gun Crazy (Joseph H. Lewis, 1950)

19.       The Killers (Robert Siodmak, 1946)

20.       Kiss Me Deadly (Robert Aldrich, 1955)

21.       Kiss of Death (Henry Hath¬away, 1947)

22.       The Lady from Shanghai (Orson Welles, 1948)

23.       The Lady in the Lake (Robert Montgomery, 1947)

24.       Laura (Otto Preminger, 1944)

25.       The Maltese Falcon (John Huston, 1941)

26.       Mildred Pierce (Michael Curtiz, 1945)

27.       Murder, My Sweet (Edward Dmytryk, 1944)

28.       The Naked City (Jules Dassin, 1948)

29.       Odds Against Tomorrow (Robert Wise, 1959)

30.       On Dangerous Ground (Nicholas Ray, 1952)

31.       Out of the Past (Jacques Tourneur, 1947)

32.       Panic In The Streets (Elia Kazan, 1950)

33.       Pickup on South Street (Samuel Fuller, 1953)

34.       The Postman Always Rings Twice (Tay Garnett, 1946)

35.       The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (Lewis Milestone, 1946)

36.       Stranger on the Third Floor (Boris Ingster, 1940)

37.       The Woman in the Window (Fritz Lang, 1944)

38.       They Live by Night (Nicholas Ray, 1949)

39.       This Gun for Hire (Frank Turtle, 1942)

40.       Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958)

10 Barbara Stanwyck Predicaments

It has been said that Barbara Stanwyck’s career in movies was notable for how often she played characters in difficult situations. I set out to find out if this was true…

1.   Stella Dallas (1937). Barbara’s a low class, single mum with a daughter who’s the focus of her life, but as the daughter grows up and Barbara tries to do the best for her she can, she realizes that the girl would stand a better chance of making headway in society if her vulgar mother wasn’t part of the picture....

2.   Remember the Night (1940). Kleptomamniac Barbara ends up in jail for shoplifting. The prosecuter takes pity on her because it’s Christmas, and they end up falling in love. This leaves them with a new problem, though: how do they deal with the upcoming trial?

3.   The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946). Having killed someone when she was a young girl and escaped the rap, Barbara becomes suspicious when the boy she loved at the time returns to town after many years. She mistakenly believes he’s out to blackmail her over the incident and this precipitate all kinds of high drama...

4.   The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947). Barbara starts a romance with Humphrey Bogart but he doesn’t tell her he's already married, or that he’s mentally ill. He poisons his wife, marries Stanwyck and soon her life is in danger too...

5.   The Other Love (1947) Concert pianist Barbara, who’s got a serious illness and is dying, lives it up with playboy Richard Conte in Monte Carlo, but at the same time her doctor David Niven is secretly in love with her.

6.   Sorry, Wrong Number (1948). Barbara overhears a murder plot on the phone, then realises she’s the intended victim....

7.   The File on Thelma Jordon (1950) Bad girl Barbara starts an affair with married assistant D.A. Wendell Corey and almost by accident finds herself falling in love with him. However, she realizes it will never work: she will forever belong in a lawless world....

8.   No Man of Her Own (1950) Pregnant, penniless Barbara gets dumped by her boyfriend and then takes on the identity of another pregnant woman, who was killed in a train crash and had a rich family of in-laws who’d never met her. These in-laws accept imposter Barbara and her newborn son into their family, but then that ex-boyfriend turns up and starts blackmailing her....

9.   Jeopardy (1953) Barbara’s on vacation on an isolated beach in Mexico with her husband when he gets his leg trapped. She has to take the car to get help but then, as luck would have it, an escaped criminal just happens to be wandering around and kidnaps her. Will she be able to get back to her husband before the tide comes in and drowns him?

10. Titanic (1953) Well, you can guess from the title what Barbara’s predicament is here....