Stanley Baker - A Worthy Talent.
by alexanderdavies-99382 | created - 17 Feb 2019 | updated - 4 months ago | PublicAn underrated Welsh actor who is every bit as talented as Richard Burton. From the late 50s until the mid 60s, Stanley Baker was one of the biggest film stars in Britain. He represented an unconventional kind of leading man and he made for interesting viewing. The actor worked alongside some of the most talented directors, Joseph Losey and Cy Endfield among them. He was almost forgotten until several years ago, thanks to DVD, blu ray and the internet. Today, Stanley Baker's work can continue to be enjoyed.
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1. Hell Drivers (1957)
Approved | 91 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A rookie trucker tries to expose his boss' rackets.
Director: Cy Endfield | Stars: Stanley Baker, Herbert Lom, Peggy Cummins, Patrick McGoohan
Votes: 4,055
Baker's first film in the lead and what a classic!
2. Zulu (1964)
Not Rated | 138 min | Drama, History, War
Outnumbered British soldiers do battle with Zulu warriors at Rorke's Drift.
Director: Cy Endfield | Stars: Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth
Votes: 42,766
Historically inaccurate but a masterpiece of filmmaking.
3. Hell Is a City (1960)
93 min | Crime, Thriller
In Britain, a Manchester police inspector becomes obsessed with capturing a criminal who escapes from prison.
Director: Val Guest | Stars: Stanley Baker, John Crawford, Donald Pleasence, Maxine Audley
Votes: 1,385
Tough and gritty.
4. The Concrete Jungle (1960)
TV-14 | 86 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
In the UK, after pulling a racetrack robbery, repeat offender Johnny Bannion hides the loot in a farmer's field but the police and the local mob come looking for Johnny and the money.
Director: Joseph Losey | Stars: Stanley Baker, Sam Wanamaker, Grégoire Aslan, Margit Saad
Votes: 1,764
Occasionally pretentious but still watchable. Excellent cast.
5. A Prize of Arms (1962)
Not Rated | 105 min | Crime, Drama
A criminal gang sets out to pull off the heist of a large army payroll.
Director: Cliff Owen | Stars: Stanley Baker, Helmut Schmid, Tom Bell, John Phillips
Votes: 414
Seems improvised and shapeless but a good film.
6. Yesterday's Enemy (1959)
Approved | 95 min | Drama, War
In World War II, during the Japanese invasion of Burma, the lost remnant of a British Army Brigade HQ, led by the ruthless Captain Alan Langford, escapes through the jungle toward the British lines.
Director: Val Guest | Stars: Stanley Baker, Guy Rolfe, Leo McKern, Gordon Jackson
Votes: 1,309
This film generates a bit of suspense, in spite of the restricted scale.
7. The Man Who Finally Died (1963)
100 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A mysterious call summons Joe Newman to Bavaria in search of the father he believed dead for 20 years.
Director: Quentin Lawrence | Stars: Stanley Baker, Peter Cushing, Georgina Ward, Mai Zetterling
Votes: 624
A waste of everyone's time.
8. Violent Playground (1958)
108 min | Drama, Crime
The struggle between a Liverpool Juvenile Liaison officer and a dangerous young pyromaniac.
Director: Basil Dearden | Stars: Stanley Baker, Anne Heywood, David McCallum, Peter Cushing
Votes: 842
A great one, deserves to be better known.
9. Innocent Bystanders (1972)
PG | 111 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
Experienced British spy must retrieve a defecting Soviet scientist from Turkey. When a pretty female innocent bystander gets kidnapped by mistake by his enemies, he feels responsible and decides to help her as well.
Director: Peter Collinson | Stars: Stanley Baker, Geraldine Chaplin, Donald Pleasence, Dana Andrews
Votes: 343 | Gross: $0.31M
Tough and gritty, a world away from 007.
10. Robbery (1967)
110 min | Crime, Drama
A group of British criminals plan the robbery of the Royal Mail train on the Glasgow-London route.
Director: Peter Yates | Stars: Stanley Baker, Joanna Pettet, James Booth, Frank Finlay
Votes: 2,042
11. Sea Fury (1958)
84 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Off the Spanish coast, two tug-boat captains are caught in a violent feud over a woman but their rivalry is set aside when a sinking freighter carrying explosives must be salvaged and towed to port.
Director: Cy Endfield | Stars: Stanley Baker, Victor McLaglen, Luciana Paluzzi, Grégoire Aslan
Votes: 234
12. The Last Grenade (1970)
M | 94 min | Drama, War
Two soldiers of fortune, Harry Grigsby and Kip Thompson, used to be the best of friends when they fought side by side in the Congo. But now Kip has changed sides and Grigsby does not ... See full summary »
Director: Gordon Flemyng | Stars: Stanley Baker, Alex Cord, Honor Blackman, Richard Attenborough
Votes: 241 | Gross: $0.04M
13. Sands of the Kalahari (1965)
Approved | 119 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
After a small aircraft crashes in the Kalahari Desert, one of the seven passengers decides that his survival chances would increase if he eliminates the other men in the group.
Director: Cy Endfield | Stars: Stanley Baker, Stuart Whitman, Susannah York, Harry Andrews
Votes: 1,498
A flop upon initial release, this film is worth seeing.
14. Jet Storm (1959)
88 min | Thriller
Sir Richard Attenborough plays Ernest Tilley, a man who lost his daughter in a hit-and-run accident. He tracks down the man responsible for the accident and boards the same plane, ... See full summary »
Director: Cy Endfield | Stars: Richard Attenborough, Stanley Baker, Hermione Baddeley, Bernard Braden
Votes: 526
15. Chance Meeting (1959)
95 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
In 1950s London, Dutch painter Jan Van Rooyen has an affair with a rich married Frenchwoman who is supposedly murdered, resulting in Van Rooyen becoming Scotland Yard's prime suspect.
Director: Joseph Losey | Stars: Hardy Krüger, Stanley Baker, Micheline Presle, John Van Eyssen
Votes: 905
16. In the French Style (1963)
105 min | Drama, Romance
A young American art student must decide whether to stay in Paris with her boyfriend or go back to the U.S. when her wealthy father arrives to bring her back.
Director: Robert Parrish | Stars: Jean Seberg, Stanley Baker, Philippe Forquet, Addison Powell
Votes: 344
17. Accident (1967)
Not Rated | 105 min | Drama
At Oxford, Austrian student Anna von Graz (Jacqueline Sassard) is dating fellow student William (Michael York), whom she plans to marry, but she ends up involved with two unhappily married Oxford professors instead.
Director: Joseph Losey | Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Stanley Baker, Jacqueline Sassard, Michael York
Votes: 4,986
18. The Angry Hills (1959)
Approved | 105 min | Drama, War, Thriller
In 1941, the Greek resistance entrusts an American journalist with a secret Greek double-agent list that must reach London and not fall into German hands.
Director: Robert Aldrich | Stars: Robert Mitchum, Stanley Baker, Elisabeth Müller, Gia Scala
Votes: 1,144
19. Eva (1962)
Not Rated | 107 min | Drama, Romance
A raw Welsh novelist in Venice is humiliated by a money-loving Frenchwoman who erotically ensnares him.
Director: Joseph Losey | Stars: Jeanne Moreau, Stanley Baker, Virna Lisi, James Villiers
Votes: 2,054
20. Child in the House (1956)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama
Young Elizabeth is left with her relatives, a married couple, while her mother is in the hospital. The friendly husband likes her, but the wife hates kids. One day her father, an often-absent crook on the lam, visits her in secret.
Director: Cy Endfield | Stars: Phyllis Calvert, Eric Portman, Stanley Baker, Mandy Miller
Votes: 215
21. Checkpoint (1956)
Not Rated | 86 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After killing a few Italian cops during a burglary, a thief hired by a British car racing company must flee to Switzerland disguised as a race car driver during a rally.
Director: Ralph Thomas | Stars: Anthony Steel, Odile Versois, Stanley Baker, James Robertson Justice
Votes: 307
22. The Good Die Young (1954)
Approved | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
In London, three otherwise law-abiding good men and their unscrupulous leader are about to commit a serious crime, but for different reasons.
Director: Lewis Gilbert | Stars: Laurence Harvey, Gloria Grahame, Richard Basehart, Joan Collins
Votes: 1,509
23. Perfect Friday (1970)
R | 94 min | Comedy, Crime
The deputy manager of a London bank has worked out a way to rob the branch of £200,000. When he becomes involved with the attractive Lady Dorset he decides to go ahead with his plan. He ... See full summary »
Director: Peter Hall | Stars: Ursula Andress, Stanley Baker, David Warner, Patience Collier
Votes: 1,168 | Gross: $0.50M
24. A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971)
Not Rated | 95 min | Mystery, Thriller
The potentially unhinged daughter of a British politician is accused of killing her hedonistic neighbor after she witnesses the murder in a dream.
Director: Lucio Fulci | Stars: Florinda Bolkan, Stanley Baker, Jean Sorel, Silvia Monti
Votes: 5,794
25. The Guns of Navarone (1961)
Not Rated | 158 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A team of Allied saboteurs is assigned an impossible mission: infiltrate an impregnable Nazi-held Greek island and destroy the two enormous long-range field guns that prevent the rescue of 2,000 trapped British soldiers.
Director: J. Lee Thompson | Stars: David Niven, Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn, Anthony Quayle
Votes: 55,423 | Gross: $28.90M
26. Zorro (I) (1975)
G | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
In the New World, a new Spanish governor finds the province of Nueva Aragón under the iron fist of the corrupt Colonel Huerta and vows to bring justice under the guise of a masked avenger.
Director: Duccio Tessari | Stars: Alain Delon, Stanley Baker, Ottavia Piccolo, Moustache
Votes: 4,267
27. The Games (1970)
G | 100 min | Drama, Sport
Four marathon runners (one from England, one from the U.S., a Czechoslovakian, and an Australian Aborigine) prepare to run in the Olympic games. The film follows each one and shows what their motivations are for running in the games.
Director: Michael Winner | Stars: Michael Crawford, Stanley Baker, Ryan O'Neal, Charles Aznavour
Votes: 506
28. The Cruel Sea (1953)
Approved | 126 min | Drama, War
The World War II adventures of a British convoy escort ship and its officers.
Director: Charles Frend | Stars: Jack Hawkins, Donald Sinden, John Stratton, Denholm Elliott
Votes: 5,411
29. Richard III (1955)
Not Rated | 161 min | Biography, Drama, History
Shakespeare's powerful tale of the wicked deformed King and his conquests, both on the battlefield and in the boudoir.
Director: Laurence Olivier | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Cedric Hardwicke, Nicholas Hannen, Ralph Richardson
Votes: 5,229
30. The Girl with a Pistol (1968)
M | 103 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A Sicilian woman "dishonored" by her lover goes to England with a pistol intending to murder him.
Director: Mario Monicelli | Stars: Monica Vitti, Stanley Baker, Corin Redgrave, Anthony Booth
Votes: 1,727
31. Alexander the Great (1956)
Not Rated | 141 min | Biography, Drama, History
The life and military conquests of Alexander III of Macedon (July 20/21, 356 - June 10/11, 323 B.C.), commonly known as Alexander the Great.
Director: Robert Rossen | Stars: Richard Burton, Fredric March, Claire Bloom, Barry Jones
Votes: 4,120
32. Helen of Troy (1956)
Approved | 118 min | Drama, History, Romance
The Iliad's story of the Trojan war, told from the Trojan viewpoint.
Directors: Robert Wise, Raoul Walsh | Stars: Stanley Baker, Rossana Podestà, Brigitte Bardot, Jacques Sernas
Votes: 2,508 | Gross: $6.98M
33. Hell Below Zero (1954)
Approved | 90 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The captain of an Antarctic whaling ship falls overboard in mysterious circumstances and his daughter, aided by a sympathetic American, decides to investigate the accident.
Director: Mark Robson | Stars: Alan Ladd, Joan Tetzel, Basil Sydney, Stanley Baker
Votes: 548
34. Paratrooper (1953)
Approved | 88 min | Drama, War
In 1940, an American claiming to be Canadian volunteers for the British Army's paratroop school.
Director: Terence Young | Stars: Alan Ladd, Leo Genn, Susan Stephen, Harry Andrews
Votes: 802 | Gross: $5.19M
35. Lilli Marlene (1950)
74 min | Drama, Musical, Mystery
A French singer is captured by the Germans and made to broadcast for them.
Director: Arthur Crabtree | Stars: Lisa Daniely, Hugh McDermott, Richard Murdoch, Leslie Dwyer
Votes: 153
36. Where's Jack? (1969)
G | 120 min | Adventure, Biography, Crime
The adventures and the exploits of notorious English thief and prison-breaker Jack Sheppard in 1720s London.
Director: James Clavell | Stars: Tommy Steele, Stanley Baker, Alan Badel, Dudley Foster
Votes: 197
37. Dingaka (1964)
98 min | Drama, Action
A film about an African tribesman seeking revenge against the people who murdered his daughter. His crusade leads him to commit murder himself, and to trial before a court.
Director: Jamie Uys | Stars: Stanley Baker, Juliet Prowse, Ken Gampu, Alfred Jabulani
Votes: 103
38. Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951)
Not Rated | 117 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
During the Napoleonic wars, a British Navy Captain has adventures in Central American waters.
Director: Raoul Walsh | Stars: Gregory Peck, Virginia Mayo, Robert Beatty, Moultrie Kelsall
Votes: 7,514
39. Sodom and Gomorrah (1962)
G | 154 min | Adventure, Drama, History
Sex, torture, and betrayal in Biblical Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot, leader of the Hebrews, believes that his people can co-exist with the Sodomites--a disastrous decision.
Directors: Robert Aldrich, Sergio Leone | Stars: Stewart Granger, Pier Angeli, Stanley Baker, Rossana Podestà
Votes: 2,189 | Gross: $5.45M
40. Drama 61-67 (1961–1967)
60 min | Drama
Stars: Brian Haines, Robert Cartland, Alister Williamson, Joe Ritchie
Votes: 30
41. Armchair Theatre (1956–1974)
60 min | Drama
This show was a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by Associated British Corporation, and from mid-1968 by Thames Television.
Stars: Harry H. Corbett, Paul Whitsun-Jones, Billie Whitelaw, Neil McCallum
Votes: 246
42. BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950–1959)
Drama
Series of television plays performed live.
Stars: Richard Caldicot, George Woodbridge, Robert Brown, Michael Brennan
Votes: 179
43. How Green Was My Valley (1975–1976)
310 min | Drama
The mini-series is set in South Wales during the reign of Queen Victoria. It tells the story of the Morgans, a respectable mining family of the South Wales Valleys, through the eyes of one of the sons, Huw Morgan.
Stars: Stanley Baker, Siân Phillips, Nerys Hughes, Keith Drinkel
Votes: 157
44. BBC Sunday-Night Play (1960–1963)
60 min | Drama
BBC Sunday-Night Play is the anthology drama series which replaced Sunday Night Theatre in 1960.
Stars: Brian Rix, Joby Blanshard, Cyril Luckham, John Bennett
Votes: 131
45. ITV Saturday Night Theatre (1969–1974)
78 min | Drama
Anthology series of dramatic works.
Stars: Michael Balfour, Madoline Thomas, Diane Cilento, Jim Dale
Votes: 98
46. Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1963–1967)
60 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
Legendary entertainer Bob Hope hosted, and occasionally starred in, one of the last major anthology series on network television, featuring many of Hollywood's top names, including quite a few who didn't do much television otherwise
Stars: Bob Hope, Jack Weston, Jack Kelly, John Francis
Votes: 239
47. ITV Play of the Week (1955–1974)
90 min | Comedy, Drama
An anthology series from the U.K., from 1955 to 1974, producing about five hundred ninety-minute episodes from Granada Television.
Stars: Derek Francis, Alfred Burke, Arthur Hewlett, Esther Lawrence
Votes: 93
48. Who Killed Lamb? (1974 TV Movie)
65 min | Mystery, Thriller
A popular member of the Oxford community is killed, and nobody can think why, so a police inspector is called in from Scotland Yard, and discovers they may be more to the victim than met anyone's eye.
Director: David Cunliffe | Stars: Stanley Baker, Denis Lill, David Swift, Derek Francis
Votes: 98
49. The Rossiter Case (1951)
75 min | Drama, Mystery
A husband cheats on his disabled wife--who has been paralyzed in a car accident--with her sister. When the sister is murdered he is accused of the crime, but it turns out that he may not be the killer after all.
Director: Francis Searle | Stars: Helen Shingler, Clement McCallin, Sheila Burrell, Frederick Leister
Votes: 63
50. Something in the City (1950)
76 min | Comedy
Mr Ningle has been living a lie for seven years. Every day, he journeys in and changes into the disguise of his alter ego: an artist who sells paintings on the sidewalk in Trafalgar Square.
Director: Maclean Rogers | Stars: Richard Hearne, Garry Marsh, Ellen Pollock, Betty Sinclair
Votes: 98
51. Whispering Smith vs. Scotland Yard (1952)
Passed | 77 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
US sleuth Whispering Smith arrives in London on vacation, but soon becomes embroiled in a murder case.
Director: Francis Searle | Stars: Richard Carlson, Greta Gynt, Rona Anderson, Herbert Lom
Votes: 120
52. Cloudburst (1951)
Approved | 83 min | Film-Noir, Mystery
A Canadian World War II veteran working for the British Foreign Office scours England for the killer who murdered his wife.
Director: Francis Searle | Stars: Robert Preston, Elizabeth Sellars, Colin Tapley, Sheila Burrell
Votes: 720
53. BBC Play of the Month (1965–1983)
120 min | Drama
Monthly anthology series featuring televised versions of plays.
Stars: Charles Gray, Eric Porter, Jeremy Brett, Lally Bowers
Votes: 178
54. Welsh Greats (2008– )
30 min | Documentary, Biography
Stars: Philip Madoc, Siân Phillips, Peter Stead, Eddie Butler
55. The Making of 'Zulu':...and Snappeth the Spear in Sunder (2002 Video)
25 min | Documentary, Short
The second part of the Making of Zulu
Directors: Matthew Field, Lancelot Narayan | Stars: Lancelot Narayan, Stanley Baker, James Booth, Richard Burton
Votes: 18
56. The Making of 'Zulu': Roll of Honour (2002 Video)
25 min | Documentary, Short
The first part of 'The Making of Zulu'
Directors: Matthew Field, Lancelot Narayan | Stars: Stanley Baker, James Booth, Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Michael Caine
Votes: 20
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