Tribute paid the fantastically-talented Christopher Plummer

Tribute paid the fantastically-talented Christopher Plummer

One of the finest actors in the history of entertainment is a Canadian, Christopher Plummer, star of stage, radio, television, and movies. By his own count, Plummer has appeared in over one hundred films, so let’s take a look at a few of them.

Plummer’s third movie was ‘The Fall of the Roman Empire’, 1964, directed by Anthony Mann. This epic also starred Sophia Loren, Stephen Boyd, Alec Guinness, James Mason, and Omar Sharif – great cast!

The movie did poorly at the box office, but critics (and one young lad in Grande Prairie) thought it was excellent.

Plummer’s next film was his greatest success and the largest grossing film in history: ‘The Sound of Music’! This blockbuster came out in 1965 and starred Julie Andrews and several adorable child stars.

The strength of Plummer’s acting was vital for this film with his talent unifying and framing the whole production. The movie was based on the real life von Trapp family during the 1930s and the lead-up to World War II, but was not totally accurate – so who cares! It’s great!!

In 1965, Plummer appeared in a movie which I just saw for the first time earlier this month: ‘Inside Daisy Clover’ with Robert Redford, Natalie Wood, and Roddy McDowall.

This had another great cast, but was a box office failure. Seeing it now, I can see why – perhaps a little ahead of its time. It’s still an engrossing drama and worth watching. Plummer is excellent in it, even though he is a bit of a villain!

We jump ahead to ‘The Night of the Generals’, 1967, with Peter O’Toole, Omar Sharif, and Donald Pleasence. This is a crime mystery linking the 1960s with World War II in Berlin, and has Plummer appearing as Field Marshall Erwin Rommel. There are great performances by all this fine cast.

Plummer appeared in ‘The Battle of Britain’ in 1969 with a huge, stellar cast. The movie was an account of the air war between Britain and Germany in 1940. For a quick film account of this piece of history, or just to enjoy the acting and scenes of aerial combat, this is a fabulous film!

Plummer plays Canadian fighter pilot Squadron Leader Colin Harvey, and you can notice his ‘Canada’ shoulder flashes.

Plummer played Arthur Wellesley, First Duke of Wellington, in 1970’s ‘Waterloo’. Plummer and his co-star, Rod Steiger, are excellent. The film is reasonably accurate and quite colourful.

1975 saw the great film, ‘The Man Who Would Be King’ with Sean Connery and Michael Caine. The movie was based on the short story by Rudyard Kipling, and it is the role of Kipling that Plummer plays.

One of my favourite films, it has engrossing characters, beautiful photography, and a compelling story. Plummer’s role is small but vital. Definitely a must-see movie!

In 1979, Plummer appeared in ‘Murder by Decree’, a story of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson on the trail of Jack the Ripper. The film has a good cast: David Hemmings, Susan Clark, Anthony Quayle, and Donald Sutherland.

It is a bit of a different approach to the Holmes versions, but it is well worth viewing.

Plummer often played villains, and did a great job of it!

A notable example of this would be ‘Dreamscape’, 1984, with Dennis Quaid, Max von Sydow, and Kate Capshaw. A scientific research project is taken over by a shadowy villain and that villain is Plummer, and he is very effective. Still a decent film though the special effects are hopelessly crude compared to today’s.

In 1983, Plummer had a role in what is probably the best mini-series ever, ‘The Thorn Birds’, along with a stellar cast. This mini-series is now available for sale, so you can see the whole production.

Unfortunately, a few of Plummer’s roles/movies were just so bad even his talent could not save them.

An example of this might be 1968’s ‘The High Commissioner’ with Rod Taylor, also a good actor, but a film not worth remembering.

There are lots of films to remember, including 12 Monkeys, Hanover Street, Wolf, Delores Claiborne, The Lake House, A Beautiful Mind, Cold Creek Manor, Alexander, National Treasure, On Golden Pond, and on and on!

This is just a brief synopsis of Plummer and his films. It does not do this great actor the justice he deserves!