Alvin Rakoff is a Canadian television, stage, and film director, who has spent the bulk of his career in England and directed more than 100 television plays, as well as a dozen feature films and numerous stage productions.
Biography from TMDB.
- February 18, 1927 (99)
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Director, also producer
- 6 on MovieCove · 56 credits in all
What are Alvin Rakoff's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Self.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 5
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 0 · Dark 3
Grounded 3 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0
Gentle 1 · Charged 3 · Intense 2
A split, not a type: Steady 3 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 1
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 1
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet4
- Ambiguous1
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 Alvin Rakoff's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Alvin Rakoff'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
56 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
A Dance to the Music of Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
A Haunting Harmony (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Sam Saturday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Gas and Candles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
The Best of Friends (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
The Play on One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Paradise Postponed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
The First Olympics: Athens 1896 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
A Voyage Round My Father(1982)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
A Talent for Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Fireworks for Elspeth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Mr. Halpern and Mr. Johnson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Number 10 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
All for Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
The Breadwinner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
The Quiet Days of Mrs. Stafford (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Dirty Tricks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Death Ship(1980)
Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films
City on Fire(1979)
Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films
King Solomon's Treasure(1979)
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
Romeo and Juliet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
The BBC Television Shakespeare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
The Kitchen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
BBC2 Play of the Week (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Three Dangerous Ladies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
The Dame of Sark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Killers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Shades of Greene (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Husband to Mrs. Fitzherbert (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Private Affairs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Mrs. Amworth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Churchill's People (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
The Adventures Of Don Quixote (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
The Sextet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Stage 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Say Hello to Yesterday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Hoffman(1970)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Crossplot(1969)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
ITV Saturday Night Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
ITV Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Call Me Daddy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
BBC Play of the Month (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
The Comedy Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Theatre 625 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Heart to Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
The Saint (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Studio 4 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
An einem Freitag um halb zwölf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
The Ransom of Red Chief (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
The Treasure of San Teresa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Passport to Shame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Armchair Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
ITV Play of the Week (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Sunday Night Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Hudson's Bay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 56 titles, 55 of them dated from 1950 to 1997.
Biggest box office
City on Fire (1979)
Highest rated
Hoffman (1970)
Most popular right now
Death Ship (1980)
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 Alvin Rakoff's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 18th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 26th percentile for acclaim.
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
3 of their 6 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Panned1
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the atmosphere 59/100 and the pacing 36/100 in their films, across 5 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.
Who does Alvin Rakoff work with?
People who share at least 2 of Alvin Rakoff's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Larry Nesis shares the most, 3.
Writers
- David P. LewisShared titles: Death Ship (1980), City on Fire (1979)See all 2 shared titles with David P. Lewis
- Jack HillShared titles: Death Ship (1980), City on Fire (1979)See all 2 shared titles with Jack Hill
Cinematographers
- René VerzierShared titles: Death Ship (1980), City on Fire (1979)See all 2 shared titles with René Verzier
Producers
- Larry NesisShared titles: Death Ship (1980), City on Fire (1979), King Solomon's Treasure (1979)See all 3 shared titles with Larry Nesis
- Harold GreenbergShared titles: Death Ship (1980), City on Fire (1979)See all 2 shared titles with Harold Greenberg