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James Bridges

James Bridges

Writer, director and producer · Died June 6, 1993, aged 57 · Paris, Arkansas, U.S.

James Bridges (February 3, 1936 – June 6, 1993) was an American screenwriter, film director, producer, and actor. He was a two-time Oscar nominee: once for Best Original Screenplay for The China Syndrome and once for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Paper Chase. Description above from the Wikipedia article James Bridges, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 3, 1936
Died
June 6, 1993 (aged 57)
From
Paris, Arkansas, U.S.
Works as
Writer, director and producer
Titles
15 on MovieCove · 24 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 39 days to Oct 28Down 17% in 30 days

What are James Bridges' films like?

Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Morality.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
37%
Morality
32%
Power
11%
Ideas
10%
Bonds
6%
Survival
4%
Obsession3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 10 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 6 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 1 · Charged 5 · Intense 4

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 1 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
10
Dread
3
Melancholic
4
Contemplative
4
Romantic
2
Other
2

How their films linger

Thought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet2
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous4

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 James Bridges' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for James Bridges' 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

24 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page.

  • White Hunter Black Heart(1990)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Bright Lights, Big City(1988)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Begging for Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Story

  • Perfect(1985)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Mike's Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Urban Cowboy(1980)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The China Syndrome(1979)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Paper Chase (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Show 1 episode · Creator · Writer

  • September 30, 1955(1977)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • The Paper Chase(1973)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Carola (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Teleplay

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

    Screenplay

  • When Michael Calls(1972)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • The Baby Maker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Director · Writer

  • Colossus: The Forbin Project(1970)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Faces(1968)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Appaloosa(1966)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Tarzan and Jane Regained... Sort of (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    as Lord of the Forest

  • The Alfred Hitchcock Hour(1962)

    Show 16 episodes · Writer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Joy Ride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Dirk

  • Shirley Temple's Storybook(1958)

    Show 1 episode · as Dolph

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows

  • Johnny Trouble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Ike

  • Invasion of the Saucer Men(1957)

    as Bobby

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Dragnet(1951)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

Career shape

A full career of 24 titles from 1951 to 1990.

Biggest box office

The China Syndrome (1979)

$52M worldwide

Highest rated

The China Syndrome (1979)

Midcredits 92nd

Film career

  • 1957Screen debut· Invasion of the Saucer Men

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting7 of 24: 7 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting8 of 24: 1 only directing, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score56thWriting16 of 24: 8 only writing, 8 with another role · typical Midcredits score65thProducing2 of 24: 0 only producing, 2 with another roleOther crew1 of 24: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

24 titles, 8 with more than one role — writing and directing overlap on 7 of them.

By decade

1950s5 · acting1960s4 · 2 acting · 2 crew1970s9 · crew1980s5 · crew1990s1 · crew

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 James Bridges' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 56th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 58th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

83rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 15 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 15 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · director, writer

September 30, 1955 (1977)

59th percentile spread · 17% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962)

Midcredits 97th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 56/100 and the plot and story 46/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

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 James Bridges' work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, 1 of the 5 categories sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 48 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles13–45 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 56 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 48 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 49 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does James Bridges work with?

People who share at least 2 of James Bridges' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Gordon Willis shares the most, 4.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers