Cause Célèbre

Aug 23, 1987

1h 49m

★ 6.0

Overview

When the ailing husband of an adulterous wife is discovered bludgeoned to death and suspicions fall on the older woman's young lover, the newly widowed woman claims that it was she who was solely responsible for the death despite evidence that points to the contrary in this dramatic account of true-life 1935 trial that shocked all of England. Though notable evidence and strong suspicion suggests that the murder may have been of crime of passion perpetrated by the jealous lover only half her age, Alma Rattenbury (Helen Mirren) confesses to the murder of her husband and is soon brought to trial. Despite the fact that Alma is already being deemed guilty by the general public for her adulterous indiscretion alone, her lawyer, star attorney T.J. O'Connor (David Suchet), remains convinced that his client will eventually be cleared of all charges.

Genres

Drama

Romance

TV Movie

Production Companies

ITV

Anglia Television

Cause Célèbre Trailers

Cast

Alma Rattenbury

Helen Mirren

Francis Rattenbury

Harry Andrews

T.J. O'Connor

David Suchet

George Bowman

David Morrissey

Irene Riggs

Norma West

J.D. Casswell

Oliver Ford Davies

P.P. Croom Johnson

Clive Swift

Mr. Justice Humphreys

Geoffrey Bayldon

Joan Webster

Gillian Martell

Constable Bagwell

Edmund Pegge

Inspector Carter

David Simeon

Christopher

Neil Jeffery

A small mountain community in Canada is devastated when a school bus accident leaves more than a dozen of its children dead. A big-city lawyer arrives to help the survivors' and victims' families prepare a class-action suit, but his efforts only seem to push the townspeople further apart. At the same time, one teenage survivor of the accident has to reckon with the loss of innocence brought about by a different kind of damage.

6.6

The Honeymoon Killers

Feb 4, 1970

Martha Beck, an obese nurse who is desperately lonely, joins a "correspondence club" and finds a romantic pen pal in Ray Fernandez. Martha falls hard for Ray, and is intent on sticking with him even when she discovers he's a con man who seduces lonely single women, kills them and then takes their money. She poses as Ray's sister and joins Ray on a wild killing spree, fueled by her lingering concern that Ray will leave her for one of his marks.

6.6

It's All Gone Pete Tong

Sep 12, 2004

Its All Gone Pete Tong is a comedy following the tragic life of the legendary Frankie Wilde. The story takes us through Frankie's life from being one of the best DJs alive, through a subsequent battle with a hearing disorder, culminating in his mysterious disappearance from the scene.

5.5

Believe: The Ultimate Battle

Jul 24, 2025

The son of a veteran named Agus was faced with the shadow of his father's absence, so he grew up to be an undisciplined child. Until the veteran died and made his son follow in his father's footsteps to enter the military world.

6.6

Joy

Dec 24, 2015

A story based on the life of a struggling Long Island single mom who became one of the country's most successful entrepreneurs.

7.6

Lilya 4-ever

Aug 23, 2002

In a struggling post-Soviet community, Lilya a teenage girl is abandoned when her mother moves to the United States with her boyfriend. Facing neglect and poverty, she meets Andrei, who offers her a job in Sweden, giving her hope for a better life — and a journey that will change everything.

7.3

Mutiny on the Bounty

Nov 22, 1935

Fletcher Christian successfully leads a revolt against the ruthless Captain Bligh on the HMS Bounty. However, Bligh returns one year later, hell bent on revenge.

0.0

Kemba

Nov 18, 2023

The film follows criminal justice reform advocate Kemba Smith, a woman charged as a co-conspirator to her college boyfriend's drug-trafficking crimes and sentenced to 24.5 years in federal prison with no opportunity for parole.

7.1

Lost on a Mountain in Maine

Nov 1, 2024

When twelve-year-old Donn Fendler gets tired of waiting for his father and brothers to join him on the summit of Maine's highest peak, he decides to find his own way back to camp. But Donn doesn't count on a fast-moving fog that obscures the path. He doesn't count on falling down an embankment that hides him from sight. And he doesn't count on taking a turn that leaves him alone to wander aimlessly for nearly two weeks in the empty mountain wilderness.

8.0

Little Girl Lost

Apr 25, 1988

This heart-wrenching story inspired by real events depicts the trials of the Brady family, who are trying desperately to adopt a helpless little girl they took in when she was in a foster care program. Clara and Tim Brady are in for the fight of their lives as they find that adopting Tella will not be so easy -- especially when social services puts her back into the care of her abusive father.

6.5

The Falcon and the Snowman

Jan 25, 1985

The true story of a disillusioned military contractor employee and his drug pusher childhood friend who became walk-in spies for the Soviet Union.

4.0

The King Maker

Oct 20, 2005

1547. Fernando de Gama, a young "Soldier of Fortune" from Portugal, set sail for the Orient in an effort to find a man who murdered his father and, with luck, like many of their compatriots, to make his fortune. A vicious storm in the Indian Ocean almost ended his plans when he was on the ship sank. The sole survivor, he was washed up on a tropical beach only to be captured by Arab slavers and taken to Ayutthaya in the kingdom of Siam, where he was offered for sale as a slave.

7.4

Irena's Vow

Apr 15, 2024

19 year old Irena Gut is promoted to housekeeper in the home of a highly respected Nazi officer in Poland when she finds out that the Jewish ghetto is about to be liquidated. Determined to help twelve Jewish workers, she decides to shelter them in the safest place she can think of – the basement of the German Major's house. Over the next eight months, Irena uses her wit, humour and immense courage to hide her friends as long as possible.

6.2

Torremolinos 73

Apr 29, 2003

Set in 1973 Spain, a struggling encyclopedia salesman and his wife take advantage of an offer to make adult films. The act turns him into an aspring legit filmmaker and her into an international sex symbol.

6.3

Left for Dead: The Ashley Reeves Story

Jun 12, 2021

17-year-old Ashley Reeves is left for dead in the woods following a brutal attack. After spending 30 horrific hours in the cold, gravely wounded, lying in the dirt, and paralyzed, the police find her alive.

7.0

Crab II

Jun 13, 1984

Commissioner Leon (Miguel Angel Landa) investigates the murder of a woman in a population near the capital. The woman was raped before death and the case is complicated when his brother becomes the prime suspect, since it is a priest (Eduardo Serrano). Because of the implications that inquiries might have, Leon is pressured to keep the event as a "crab" (Cangrejo, or a unsolvable case), but he decides to comply with the law.

7.0

Capote

Sep 30, 2005

A biopic of writer Truman Capote and his assignment for The New Yorker to write the non-fiction book "In Cold Blood".

8.3

Dead Poets Society

Jun 2, 1989

At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain of the stern headmaster.

7.4

Boys Don't Cry

Sep 2, 1999

A young transgender man explores his gender identity and searches for love in rural Nebraska.

6.2

Niki

Oct 9, 2024

French-American artist Niki de Saint-Phalle, from the age of 23, is a model and an aspiring actor who is married and has a two year old daughter. Together, they flee the U.S. during the oppressive McCarthy era and come to France, where they experience a short-lived euphoria. Soon, distant and frightening memories begin to emerge in Niki’s mind. Her vocation as an artist will be her salvation.