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Lindsay Anderson

Lindsay Anderson

Director and actor, also producer and editor · Died August 30, 1994, aged 71 · Bangalore, India

Lindsay Gordon Anderson (17 April 1923 – 30 August 1994) was an English director and film critic, best known for his association with the Free Cinema movement and the British New Wave. He is most widely remembered for his 1968 film if...., which won the Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lindsay Anderson, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 17, 1923
Died
August 30, 1994 (aged 71)
From
Bangalore, India
Works as
Director and actor, also producer and editor
Titles
11 on MovieCove · 49 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 5% in 30 days

What are Lindsay Anderson's films like?

Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Society.

Genres

Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 77th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Power
29%
Society
20%
Bonds
19%
Self
19%
Survival
8%
Morality
3%
Ideas
2%
Class3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 10 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 3 · Dark 5

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 6 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 5 · Intense 3

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 5 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 3

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 2

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 4 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 3

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 3

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 4 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
5
Melancholic
6
Absurd
4
Contemplative
4
Warm
2
Other
8

How their films linger

Thought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Lindsay Anderson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 11 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Lindsay Anderson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

49 credits, 11 with a MovieCove page; 11 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Words in Progress (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Actor

  • D.W. Griffith: Father of Film (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Narrator

  • Is That All There Is? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director · Writer · as Self

  • John Ford (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Writer · as presenter

  • Omnibus: John Ford, Part One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Writer · as Presenter

  • Blame It on the Bellboy(1992)

    as Mr. Marshall (voice)

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Prisoner of Honor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as War Minister

  • Harold Lloyd: The Third Genius (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    as Narrator

  • Glory! Glory! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Director

  • The Whales of August(1987)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Wham! in China: Foreign Skies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Director

  • Free Cinema, 1956 - ? An Essay on Film by Lindsay Anderson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Director

  • Britannia Hospital(1982)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Chariots of Fire(1981)

    as Master of Caius

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Look Back in Anger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Director

  • The Old Crowd (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Director

  • In Celebration(1975)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • O Lucky Man!(1973)

    Director · Producer · as Director

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Director

  • Play for Today (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Hetty King: Performer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    as Narrator

  • If....(1968)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Inadmissible Evidence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    as Barrister

  • Red, White, and Zero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Director

  • Abel Gance: The Charm of Dynamite (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • The Singing Lesson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Director

  • The White Bus(1967)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Martyrs of Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as Man in traffic police booth (uncredited)

  • The Threatening Sky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    as Narrator (UK)

  • BBC Play of the Month (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 1 episode · as Holz

  • This Sporting Life(1963)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • March to Aldermaston (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Director

  • John Ford at the NFT (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Actor

  • Every Day Except Christmas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Director · Writer

  • Together(1956)

    Supervising Editor

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Adventures of Robin Hood(1955)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Foot and Mouth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Director · Writer · as Narrator (voice)

  • £20 per ton (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Director

  • Green and Pleasant Land (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Director · Script

  • Henry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Trunk Conveyor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Director · as Narrator

  • Thursday's Children (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Director · Writer

  • The Pleasure Garden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Production Manager · as Michael-Angelico

  • O Dreamland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Director · Writer

  • Wakefield Express (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Director · Writer

  • Three Installations (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Director · as Narrator

  • Idlers That Work (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Director · as Narrator

  • Meet the Pioneers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Director · Editor · as Narrator (voice)

  • The Last Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Narrator

Career shape

A full career of 49 titles, 48 of them dated from 1948 to 2004.

Biggest box office

Chariots of Fire (1981)

$59M worldwide

Highest rated

WHAM! 10 Days in China (2026)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

Chariots of Fire (1981)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting23 of 49: 14 only acting, 9 with another roleDirecting31 of 49: 16 only directing, 15 with another role · typical Midcredits score79thWriting9 of 49: 0 only writing, 9 with another roleProducing3 of 49: 0 only producing, 3 with another roleEditing2 of 49: 1 only editing, 1 with another roleOther crew2 of 49: 0 only other crew, 2 with another role

49 titles, 18 with more than one role — directing and acting overlap on 6 of them.

By decade

1940s2 · 2 acting · 2 crew1950s15 · 5 acting · 14 crew1960s10 · 5 acting · 5 crew1970s6 · 2 acting · 5 crew1980s8 · 2 acting · 6 crew1990s6 · 5 acting · 3 crew2000s1 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Lindsay Anderson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 79th percentile, the median of all 10; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 77th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

85thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

74thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 11 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th1

Shape of the crowd

None of their 11 titles divides audiences: 5 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Mixed3

Most loved · director

This Sporting Life (1963)

Midcredits 92nd · 81% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 78/100 and the pacing 41/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Lindsay Anderson's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 72 · intenseMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 50 · moderateMedian of all films: 32
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 58 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Lindsay Anderson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Lindsay Anderson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; David Sherwin shares the most, 3.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers