Cliff Richard At The Movies - The Full Cliff Richard Filmography
Why not take a Summer Holiday with Cliff Richard and The Shadows and check out the other great film moments with Cliff Richard at the movies.
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Are you ready for a whistles-stop tour of Cliff Richard at the movies? Well, jump on board and enjoy the Cliff and The Shadows experience.
An accomplished singer, songwriter and actor Cliff Richard is renowned for his string of hit singles and albums, but he has also made a considerable impact with his films. From the iconic rock classic 'Summer Holiday' to the enduring classic 'The Young Ones', Cliff Richard's films remain some of the most popular British Pop films of all time.
In 1959, 'Serious Charge' marked the start of Richard's film career as well as his collaboration with James Bond director Terence Young. Despite not being a musical in nature, this powerful drama managed to incorporate three Cliff Richard songs and was followed by 'Expresso Bongo', a comedy about the music business and the early days of Rock & Roll. From there, Richard starred in many successful movies such as 'Wonderful Life,' 'Summer Holiday', and ‘The Young Ones’ which have all endured over time due to their catchy tunes, comical plots and charm.
These films are often referred to as "the golden age" of British pop music films as they provided a much-needed escape from reality during turbulent times in Britain’s history. Cliff Richard's films appeal to audiences both young and old due to his well-groomed boy-next-door persona. As ‘60s British romantic comedies go, there are few more involving than the Cliff Richard oeuvre – so don't miss out on these timeless masterpieces!
Serious Charge (1959)
'Serious Charge' tells the story of an unmarried vicar (Anthony Quayle) accused of a moral crime, and how he faces the consequences of this accusation within post-war British society. It's an intriguing morality tale that deals with themes such as teenage pregnancy, delinquency and hypocrisy, set against the backdrop of Britain’s changing culture.
The film is notable for featuring Britain’s brightest Rock’n’Roll star, Cliff Richard in a supporting role as Curly alongside an uncredited Jess Conrad. Amazingly it unleashed Cliff’s big hit ‘Living Doll’ on the public for the first time. The film is a real snapshot in time and still appeals to ‘retro’ audiences today.
Cliff Richard's Film Collection - The Young Ones / Summer Holiday / Wonderful Life / Take Me High
Four classic re-mastered Cliff Richard films spanning the '60s and '70s are collected in this 4-disc set:
THE YOUNG ONES: Nicky and his friends find their youth club threatened by a property tycoon who intends to buy it and tear it down. Determined not to be beaten, they sing and dance to raise money to save the club.
SUMMER HOLIDAY: Borrowing a double decker bus for a mobile home, four young mechanics search for fun in the sun from London to Athens. Bachelor Boy Cliff Richard dons his dancing shoes and brings a beat to the beach in the breeziest Summer Holiday on record!
WONDERFUL LIFE: Cliff Richard and The Shadows are hired to star in a movie shot amid the lush tropical scenery of the Canary Islands. A sunny seaside spectacular, filled with romance, excitement and high spirits - not to mention a dozen musical numbers.
TAKE ME HIGH: Cliff Richard, in his last film-starring role to date, plays Tim Matthews, an ambitious young financier who gets the shock of his life when he's assigned a new posting in Birmingham a far cry from the New York job he was promised! Making the most of things he lives on the canal in a converted barge, but he manages to put his foot right in it when he meets the pretty Sarah and refuses her a loan!
Cliff Richard's Film Collection - The Young Ones / Summer Holiday / Wonderful Life / Take Me High
Four classic re-mastered Cliff Richard films spanning the '60s and '70s are collected in this 4-disc set:
THE YOUNG ONES: Nicky and his friends find their youth club threatened by a property tycoon who intends to buy it and tear it down. Determined not to be beaten, they sing and dance to raise money to save the club.
SUMMER HOLIDAY: Borrowing a double decker bus for a mobile home, four young mechanics search for fun in the sun from London to Athens. Bachelor Boy Cliff Richard dons his dancing shoes and brings a beat to the beach in the breeziest Summer Holiday on record!
WONDERFUL LIFE: Cliff Richard and The Shadows are hired to star in a movie shot amid the lush tropical scenery of the Canary Islands. A sunny seaside spectacular, filled with romance, excitement and high spirits - not to mention a dozen musical numbers.
TAKE ME HIGH: Cliff Richard, in his last film-starring role to date, plays Tim Matthews, an ambitious young financier who gets the shock of his life when he's assigned a new posting in Birmingham a far cry from the New York job he was promised! Making the most of things he lives on the canal in a converted barge, but he manages to put his foot right in it when he meets the pretty Sarah and refuses her a loan!
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join us on FacebookExpresso Bongo (1960)
Released in 1960, 'Expresso Bongo' was Cliff Richard's second starring feature film, and it quickly became a hit success. Based on the play by Wolf Mankowitz, 'Expresso Bongo' follows the lives of two characters, Bongo Herbert(Cliff Richard) music-loving teenager and Johnny Jackson (Laurence Harvey) money loving sleaze agent, who search for fame and fortune in the cutthroat music industry.
The story follows Bongo as he finds stardom with his catchy rendition of an old jazz number while dealing with shady managers and prying eyes from rival pop stars. However, it's not all glamour and glitz; the film also touches upon some weighty subjects such as racism, sexism, and classism that remain relevant today.
Cliff Richard gives a promising debut performance as the ambitious Bongo Herbert in this unforgettable musical classic that’s sure to be enjoyed by generations to come. With music composed by Norrie Paramor, 'Expresso Bongo' truly is a British timeless classic that has stood the test of time. So sit back and experience this exciting tale about chasing dreams through London’s vibrant music scene!
The Young Ones (1961)
In 1961, Cliff Richard starred in the classic British musical The Young Ones — and it's easy to see why it remains one of his most loved films. It is a fun, light-hearted story about young love and teen antics and features some of Richard's best performances.
The film tells the story of a bunch of teenagers and their attempts to save their favourite Youth Club from the brutish landlord played impeccably by the wonderful Robert Morley. Obviously, things don’t go to plan and a certain kind of teenage mayhem ensues. There are great supporting performances from Richard O’Sullivan, Melvyn Hayes and Carole Gray alongside the brilliant Shadows of course.
The Young Ones also features some of Richard's best-known songs including “The Young Ones”, “When The Girl In Your Arms Is The Girl In Your Heart” and “Lessons In Love”. These timeless classics are sure to make you tap your feet along with the characters on screen!
So if you're looking for a delightful musical romp filled with romance, comedy and great tunes then look no further than The Young Ones. It's a classic piece of British cinema that will bring back plenty of wonderful memories for Cliff Richard fans everywhere!
The Dreamer: An Autobiography (Hardcover)
Early evening on Saturday 13th September, 1958, Cliff Richard and The Drifters appeared on ITV's pop show Oh Boy!, electrifying living rooms across the nation with their now legendary performance of 'Move It'. Overnight, the 17-year-old Elvis fan with big dreams became a real-life teen idol, and Britain had their first rock 'n' roll star. A new chapter had started in the history of music...
The Dreamer: An Autobiography (Hardcover)
Early evening on Saturday 13th September, 1958, Cliff Richard and The Drifters appeared on ITV's pop show Oh Boy!, electrifying living rooms across the nation with their now legendary performance of 'Move It'. Overnight, the 17-year-old Elvis fan with big dreams became a real-life teen idol, and Britain had their first rock 'n' roll star. A new chapter had started in the history of music...
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join us on FacebookSummer Holiday (1963)
Summer Holiday is a classic British musical that has been enthralling audiences for decades. Directed by Peter Yates in 1963, the film follows Don (Cliff Richard) and his fellow Londoners as they take an impromptu road trip to Paris in a double-decker bus. Along the way, they meet oddball characters, find themselves getting into all sorts of zany situations, and ultimately learn important lessons about friendship and staying true to oneself.
The cast of Summer Holiday features some of Britain's finest young actors such as Melvyn Hayes and Una Stubbs. Together with more experienced thespians like Ron Moody, they bring a delightful energy to the screen that is sure to put a smile on your face!
The musical numbers are also memorable – with popular tunes like “Summer Holiday”, “Bachelor Boy”, and “The Next Time” (all reaching the number one spot) stuck in your head long after you leave the theatre. Alongside The Shadows ‘Foottapper’, another number-one hit, this mammoth 16-song soundtrack ensured Summer Holiday would be a smash hit. The film was the second most popular film in the UK in 1963, just behind James Bond’s ‘From Russia With Love’.
If you're looking for an old-fashioned good time then Summer Holiday is just what you need. Not only does this charming movie provide plenty of laughs but it also includes heartfelt moments that make it even more special. So why not break out the popcorn and enjoy this classic piece of British cinema?
Wonderful Life (1964)
The Wonderful Life is the last one in the Golden Quintet of Cliff Ricard films starting with Expresso Bongo. The film is perhaps the most bizarre of them all and seems to throw all logical narrative out the window. However, in an era when The Beatles were making Help and The Monkees were entertaining TV audiences, this was par for the course.
As with Summer Holiday, the supporting cast is almost identical featuring Una Stubbs, Melvyn Hayes, Richard O’Sullivan and of course The Shadows. Emmy award winner Susan Hampshire plays opposite Cliff as the love interest giving a modicum of gravitas to this unlikely romp.
The film is however jammed full of songs, which after all is all your average Cliff Richard fan wanted from these films. Top of the Pile was ‘On The Beach’, Theme For Young Lovers’ and ‘Wonderful Life’. The soundtrack reached number 2 in the UK charts in 1963.
Cliff Richard - The Great 80 Tour [DVD] [2021]
Britain's 'Ultimate Pop Star', Sir Cliff Richard, invites you to be part of the most spectacular party of the year, as he celebrates his 80th birthday. After more than a year away from the stage due to the Covid pandemic, he celebrated his return to live music by performing a selection of his greatest hits, some from his latest album, and a few long-forgotten album tracks.
Cliff Richard - The Great 80 Tour [DVD] [2021]
Britain's 'Ultimate Pop Star', Sir Cliff Richard, invites you to be part of the most spectacular party of the year, as he celebrates his 80th birthday. After more than a year away from the stage due to the Covid pandemic, he celebrated his return to live music by performing a selection of his greatest hits, some from his latest album, and a few long-forgotten album tracks.
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join us on FacebookFinders Keepers (1966)
A dequiffed Cliff Richard finds himself playing the role of ‘Cliff’ alongside the Shadows in this Sidney Hayers-directed mid-'60s calamity. The storyline sees Cliff and The Shadows land in an out-of-the-way Spanish town to put on a concert. Strangely the town has been deserted due to a bomb! Yes at this point the film appears to take an even more strange turn as the boys decide to find the bomb and save the town. A sort of atomic-aged musical Magnificent Seven.
Bizarrely, this film is based on a real-life instance whereby a US bomber lost 3 of its thermonuclear bombs. The Palomares Incident sadly did not require Cliff and The Shadows to clear it up.
Robert Morley, the cinematic heavyweight in the film was quizzed regarding his participation. Morley is said to have commented, “For £10,000 I would walk naked down Horse Guards Parade.”
The film’s strapline should be a warning to you all, 'The beat is the wildest! The blast is the craziest!... and the fun is where you find it!'
Two A Penny (1968)
This Billy Graham morality tale sees a shift in Cliff Richard’s ‘happy-go-lucky’ stories. The film showcases late ‘60s London with Cliff playing against type. If nothing else the film is an interesting period piece and a moment in time for Cliff Ricard on his road to Damascus.
Unfortunately, The Shadows are discarded and Cliff Richard’s usual golden soundtrack does not emerge from this offering. Perhaps it was never meant to and the film's message of redemption was more important. Either way, the film failed to reach the dizzy heights of his previous films.
Take Me High (1973)
Cliff’s final big screen venture saw a more upbeat film however not quite what the audience wanted. No more sunshine, haystacks and double-decker buses instead of Birmingham, grey skies and Brum burgers.
This is one for Cliff's die-hard fans only.
What is your favourite Cliff Richard performance? We would love to hear in the comments section below.
Cliff Richard: Sing-Along Collection (The Young Ones / Summer Holiday / Wonderful Life) [DVD]
Trio of films from Cliff Richard's early career in the 1960s.
'Summer Holiday' (1962) is a piece of musical 1960s optimism in which four London Transport workers head off on a European holiday in a red double decker bus.
Susan Hampshire and Una Stubbs co-star in 'Wonderful Life' (1964), in which Cliff Richard and his band are stranded in the Canary Islands and get work on a movie, secretly making their own version of the film after hours.
Cliff Richard plays the son of a millionaire in 'The Young Ones' (1961). Cliff and his friends put on a show to raise money to buy their youth club before Cliff's dad can get his hands on it.
Cliff Richard: Sing-Along Collection (The Young Ones / Summer Holiday / Wonderful Life) [DVD]
Trio of films from Cliff Richard's early career in the 1960s.
'Summer Holiday' (1962) is a piece of musical 1960s optimism in which four London Transport workers head off on a European holiday in a red double decker bus.
Susan Hampshire and Una Stubbs co-star in 'Wonderful Life' (1964), in which Cliff Richard and his band are stranded in the Canary Islands and get work on a movie, secretly making their own version of the film after hours.
Cliff Richard plays the son of a millionaire in 'The Young Ones' (1961). Cliff and his friends put on a show to raise money to buy their youth club before Cliff's dad can get his hands on it.
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