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Noel Coward

The original ambassador for 'cool Brittania', Noel Coward redefined what it meant to be 'English' in the early 20th Century. On-stage from the age of six, he would become a master of many trades including playwright, actor, director, composer and producer. An early play 'The Vortex' (1924) with references to drug abuse and homosexuality made him a sensation on both sides of the Atlantic, and a whole generation of social wannabes hung on his every quip. Though it was common knowledge, Coward was not open about his own homosexuality, preferring to remain glamourously ambiguous. Famous for his wit and style, Coward was well-travelled and even served secretly for British Intelligence during World War II.; he was knighted in 1970 and died peacefully, following a stroke, in his beloved Jamaica, on March 26, 1973. "Having to read a footnote resembles having to go downstairs to answer the door while in the midst of making love." - Noel Coward

Brief Encounter (1945)

8.1/10
Director: David Lean
Starring: Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway

A masterpiece from Britain's post-war cinema, this extraordinary romantic drama stars Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson, both giving impeccable performa... Read more

Easy Virtue (2008)

6.7/10
Director: Stephan Elliott
Starring: Jessica Biel, Ben Barnes, Kristin Scott Thomas, Colin Firth, Katherine Parkinson...

An entertaining adaptation of Noel Coward's play, set in 1929 and starring Jessica Biel as the brash American divorcee who shocks the prim English fam... Read more

Blithe Spirit (1945)

7.2/10
Director: David Lean
Starring: Constance Cummings, Kay Hammond, Rex Harrison, Margaret Rutherford

David Lean adapts Noel Coward once again ('This Happy Breed', 'Brief Encounter') with excellent results. Rex Harrison is an author writing a book on... Read more

In Which We Serve (1942)

7.3/10
Director: David Lean, Noel Coward
Starring: Noel Coward, Bernard Miles, John Mills, Richard Attenborough, Celia Johnson, Kay...

A magnificent documentary-like war drama produced, co-directed, written by, and starring Noel Coward as the captain of a crew of brave, young soldiers... Read more

The Noel Coward Collection: Volume 1 (1968)

Director: John Gorrie, Philip Saville, Tony Smith, Philip Dudley, Cecilia Brereton
Starring: Margaret Leighton, Richard Warwick, Penelope Keith, Paul Eddington, Patricia Hod...

Noel Coward was a true Renaissance man; a celebrated, playwright, composer, author, and actor. To quote the title of one of his biographies, he had "a... Read more

Brief Encounter (1974)

5.2/10
Director: Alan Bridges
Starring: Sophia Loren, Richard Burton, Rosemary Leach, Anne Firbank, Jack Kelly

This remake of the 1945 British masterpiece stars Sophia Loren as a bored married woman who embarks upon a brief romantic fling with an equally marrie... Read more

Brief Encounter ( Blu-ray ) (1945)

8.1/10
Director: David Lean
Starring: Celia Johnson, Stanley Holloway, Trevor Howard

A masterpiece from Britain's post-war cinema, this extraordinary romantic drama stars Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson, both giving impeccable performa... Read more

This Happy Breed (1944)

7.3/10
Director: David Lean
Starring: Robert Newton, Celia Johnson, John Mills, Kay Walsh

This fine understated drama looks at a typical British household and how it is affected by the events of those years between World Wars I and II. Base... Read more

The Noel Coward Collection: Volume 2 (1968)

Director: Gavin Millar, Jack Gold, John Glenister, Sydney Lotterby, Mike Vardy, Paul Annett, Cedric Messina, Rick Gardner, Alan Strachan, Alan Dossor
Starring: Joan Collins, Julian Fellowes, Donald Sinden, Ian Richardson, Susannah York, Tom...

Noel Coward was among the most innovative and influential figures to emerge from the theatrical world during the 20th century. A playwright, director,... Read more