Richard Attenborough’s guest appearances on film.

Ricjhard Attenborough as Albert Blossom

Doctor Doolittle, USA 1967

Doctor Doolittle is a vetinarian who can talk to animals. To help Doolittle earn money for his expedition, a friend sends him a rare pushmi-pullyu, which is a creature that looks like a llama with a head on each end of its body and that likes to dance. Doolittle takes the pushmi-pullyu to a nearby circus run by Albert Blossom, and it becomes the star attraction. Richard Attenborough plays the circus owner Albert Blossom with with a stand-out musical performance rendering ‘I’ve Never Seen Anthing Like It’ as a

“rumbustious piece of circus capering…” (Monthly Film Bulletin February 1958.

In de Luxe and Todd AO, running time 152 minutes; distributed in both 35mm and 70mm prints.

The Magic Christian, Britain 1969

This is a Peter Sellers vehicle and he plays Sir Guy Grand, an exocentric billionaire, who lavished money on elaborate practical jokes. One of these is to sabotage the Oxford / Cambridge boat race by bribing the Oxford coach to deliberately ram the Cambridge boat. Richard Attenborough plays the coach and [mercifully] is only seen in long shot with his back to the camera and most of the dialogue

In Technicolor, 1.85:1 and running time 92 minutes

David Copperfield, Britain 1969

A TV movie produced by C20th Fox Television: it had has a limited release in cinemas in Britain: and was  screened in Britain on ITV. Richard Attenborough plays Mr Tungay who is assistant and caretaker to  Mr Creakle, headmaster at the Salem House school.

In Technicolor and academy ratio, running time two hours

E=mc2 / Wavelength, Britain 1996

The title is a famous equation by Einstein and the plot concerns the professional and personal life of an oxford academic physicist. Richard Attenborough plays the Visitor. The film seems to only have had cinema screenings at a U.S festival and then gone to video.

In Technicolor, running time 94 minutes

Hamlet, Britain 1996

This is a full-length version of William Shakespeare’s play directed by Kenneth Branagh. There are numerous cameos in the film with Richard Attenborough playing the English Ambassador. He appears in the concluding sequence with just a few lines of dialogue; reporting on the death of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

In Technicolor and Panavision Super 70, released in both 70mm at 2.20:1 and 35mm at 2.39.1, running time 242 minutes with a shorter release version in some territories

Richard Attenborough as the English Ambassador

The Lost World Jurassic Park, USA 1997

This is the first sequel to the original Jurassic Park.  The action  takes place on a second Island where the prehistoric animals now survive. Richard Attenborough reprises his role as John Hammond. At the start of the film he is seen with Dr. Ian Malcom  [Jeff Goldblum again], deplaning the threat posed to the animals by plans for a new theme park on the U.S. mainland. After Malcom, with help, has thwarted the evolving disaster we see Hammond again on the television, happily explanting the island with be an animal sanctuary. Not  a patch on the original despite Steven Spielberg again directing.

In De Luxe and released in 185:1, running time 129 minutes; English dialogue with some Spanish.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Britain 1999

The film version reduces the running time from two hours to 76 minutes. The setting is a London school which opens cut into imagined locations. The songs are passable but the choreography and dances are not. The sets and costumes are over-the-top an often banal. The cast appear to be performing as if for a stage pantomime, excepting a the London school children in the performance. Richard Attenborough appears first as the head teacher of the school and gain at the end. In between he is Jacob, the patriarch and father of Joseph. He appears in five sequences, reciting in recitative in several: joining in a dance in one; and leading a chorus at the finale. The best that can be said of his performance is that it is less over-the-top than the rest of the performers. It only enjoyed limited cinema screenings and was mainly distributed on  video; a sign of its quality or lack of it.

In colour and realesed in 1.55:1 [an odd ratio], runing times between 70 and 80 minutes.

The Railway Children, Britain 2000

This is a TV version by Carlton television. It fails to equal or surpass the popular film version from 1970; though Jenny Aguter re-appears, this time as the mother, Richard Attenborough plays the Old Gentleman who is first seen waving back at the children from a the rear carriage of the a passing train. Later, when mother is ill, he responds to  Bobbie’s letter (Jemina Rooper) with a hamper of food. He then turns out to be a director of the Rail Company and presents the children with their reward for averting a train crash. He then assists the Russian émigré, who stays with the family, in finding his wife an d reuniting them. And finally he is instrumental in the review of the treason charge against the children’s father who is them freed from, prison and reunited with the family. However, despite this important contribution to the resolution the Old gentleman is not seen at the finale. Attenborough imbues the role with the kindly bonhomie seen in earlier roles.

In colour and academy ratio, running time 108 minutes

Richard Attenborough also had a number of television appearances; an interesting one as a reporter interviewing Michael Balcon in a seemingly deserted Ealing Studio. And there are a number of studies and tributes, including one on the South Bank Show.