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Clive Donner

Director and editor, also producer · Died September 6, 2010, aged 84 · London, England, UK

Clive Stanley Donner was a British film director who was a defining part of the British New Wave, directing films such as The Caretaker, Nothing But the Best, Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush and What's New Pussycat? He also directed television movies and commercials through the mid-1990s.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 21, 1926
Died
September 6, 2010 (aged 84)
From
London, England, UK
Works as
Director and editor, also producer
Titles
31 on MovieCove · 47 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 21% in 30 days

What are Clive Donner's films like?

Across their 28 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Drama10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 79th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 45th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 27th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action 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
Bonds
32%
Morality
27%
Self
13%
Survival
11%
Society
9%
Power
7%
Ideas
2%
Romantic love10 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 28 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 13 · Serious 6 · Dark 9

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 13 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 5

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

Gentle 7 · Charged 15 · Intense 6

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

A split, not a type: Steady 12 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 5

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 12 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 8

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

Slow burn 17 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 15 · Engaged 11 · Full focus 2

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

Resolved 25 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
15
Absurd
8
Melancholic
8
Joyful
6
Romantic
5
Other
27

How their films linger

Fun11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy13
  • Bittersweet9
  • Tragic3
  • 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 Clive Donner's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 31 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (12).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Clive Donner'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

47 credits, 31 with a MovieCove page.

  • Charlemagne, le prince à cheval (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 3 episodes · Director · Creator

  • Terror Stalks the Class Reunion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director

  • Love at First Sight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less(1990)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Stealing Heaven(1988)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Babes in Toyland(1986)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Dead Man's Folly(1986)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Arthur the King(1985)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • A Christmas Carol(1984)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • To Catch a King(1984)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Scarlet Pimpernel(1982)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Oliver Twist(1982)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen(1981)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • The Nude Bomb(1980)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • She Fell Among Thieves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director

  • The Thief of Baghdad(1978)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The Three Hostages (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Director

  • BBC2 Play of the Week (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Spectre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Director

  • Rogue Male(1976)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Old Dracula(1974)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Alfred the Great(1969)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush(1968)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Luv(1967)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • The Machine Stops (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Adaptation

  • Out of the Unknown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

  • What's New Pussycat(1965)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Nothing But the Best(1964)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Guest(1963)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Some People (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Director

  • The Sinister Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Director

  • Sir Francis Drake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

  • Marriage of Convenience (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Director

  • Danger Man(1960)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • Heart of a Child(1958)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Secret Place(1957)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • I Am a Camera(1955)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The Purple Plain(1954)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Man with a Million(1954)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Genevieve (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Editor

  • Meet Me Tonight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Editor

  • The Card (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Editor

  • A Christmas Carol(1951)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Pandora and the Flying Dutchman(1951)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Madeleine(1950)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Passionate Friends(1949)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Way Ahead(1944)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 47 titles from 1944 to 1994.

Biggest box office

The Nude Bomb (1980)

$15M worldwide

Highest rated

A Christmas Carol (1951)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

A Christmas Carol (1984)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing34 of 47: 32 only directing, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score50thWriting2 of 47: 2 only writing, 0 with another roleProducing1 of 47: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleEditing11 of 47: 11 only editing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score78thOther crew1 of 47: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1940s2 · crew1950s11 · crew1960s13 · crew1970s7 · crew1980s10 · crew1990s4 · 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 Clive Donner's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 61st percentile, the median of all 30; across their 28 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 56th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 28

Approval · how many liked their films

57thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 28

Reach · how many have seen their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 28

Midcredits score across 31 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th9
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

18 of their 31 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Universally Panned2
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser18
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · director

Babes in Toyland (1986)

71st percentile spread · 29% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · editor

A Christmas Carol (1951)

Midcredits 97th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 62/100 and the pacing 44/100 in their films, across 28 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 Clive Donner's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, every category sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Sex & Nudity5 titles14–47 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32

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 Clive Donner work with?

People who share at least 2 of Clive Donner's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Peter Tanner shares the most, 6.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers