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Malcolm Arnold

Malcolm Arnold

Composer · Died September 23, 2006, aged 84 · Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, UK

Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold CBE (21 October 1921 – 23 September 2006) was an English composer. His works feature music in many genres, including a cycle of nine symphonies, numerous concertos, concert works, chamber music, choral music and music for brass band and wind band. His style is tonal and rejoices in lively rhythms, brilliant orchestration, and an unabashed tunefulness. He wrote extensively for the theatre, with five ballets specially commissioned by the Royal Ballet, as well as two operas and a musical. He also produced scores for more than a hundred films, among these The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), for which he won an Oscar. Description above from the Wikipedia page Malcolm Arnold, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 21, 1921
Died
September 23, 2006 (aged 84)
From
Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, UK
Works as
Composer
Titles
39 on MovieCove · 78 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 Malcolm Arnold's films like?

Across their 39 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama18 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 50th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 75th 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
24%
Self
16%
Morality
16%
Survival
15%
Society
11%
Power
11%
Ideas
6%
Romantic love8 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival7 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity7 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty6 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception6 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 38 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 10 · Serious 12 · Dark 16

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

Grounded 27 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 5

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

Gentle 4 · Charged 22 · Intense 12

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

A split, not a type: Steady 20 · Shifting 15 · 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 24 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 7

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

Slow burn 18 · Even-paced 19 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 17 · Engaged 19 · Full focus 2

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

Easy watch 7 · Affecting 22 · Heavy 9

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

Resolved 29 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
27
Melancholic
17
Dread
8
Hopeful
10
Warm
7
Other
30

How their films linger

Hopeful14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy10
  • Bittersweet21
  • Tragic4
  • 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 Malcolm Arnold's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 39 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Malcolm Arnold'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

78 credits, 39 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Bridge on the River Kwai: An Appreciation by Filmmaker John Milius (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Composer

  • The Making of 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Composer

  • Hard Times(1977)

    Show 4 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows

  • Deep Purple: Concerto for Group and Orchestra (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Director · as Self - Conductor

  • The Reckoning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Composer

  • David Copperfield (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Composer

  • Divertimento (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Composer

  • The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery(1966)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Gypsy Girl(1966)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Heroes of Telemark(1965)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Thin Red Line(1964)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Chalk Garden(1964)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Espionage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 12 episodes · Composer

  • Nine Hours to Rama(1963)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Lion(1962)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The Inspector (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Composer · Conductor

  • On the Fiddle(1961)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Whistle Down the Wind(1961)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • No Love for Johnnie(1961)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Pure Hell of St. Trinian's(1960)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Tunes of Glory(1960)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Angry Silence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Composer

  • Suddenly, Last Summer(1959)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Solomon and Sheba(1959)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Blind Date (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Conductor

  • The Boy and the Bridge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Composer · Conductor

  • Coupe des Alpes: The Story of the 1958 Alpine Rally (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Composer

  • The Inn of the Sixth Happiness(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Roots of Heaven(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • The Key(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Dunkirk(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Rise and Fall of a Jungle Giant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Composer

  • Blue Murder at St. Trinian's(1957)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Bridge on the River Kwai(1957)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Island in the Sun(1957)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Hell in Korea(1956)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Port Afrique (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Composer

  • Trapeze(1956)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Wicked as They Come (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Composer

  • 1984(1956)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Tiger in the Smoke(1956)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Deep Blue Sea(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • A Prize of Gold(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • The Woman for Joe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Composer

  • Value for Money (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Composer

  • I Am a Camera(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The Constant Husband (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Composer

  • The Night My Number Came Up(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • War in the Air (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 15 episodes · Composer

  • The Belles of St. Trinian's(1954)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Beautiful Stranger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Composer · Music Director

  • The Sleeping Tiger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Composer

  • The Sea Shall Not Have Them(1954)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Hobson's Choice(1954)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Devil on Horseback (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Composer

  • 36 Hours (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Additional Music

  • Copenhagen: 'City of Towers' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Composer

  • The Captain's Paradise(1953)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Four Sided Triangle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Composer

  • Break to Freedom(1953)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Man of Africa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Composer

  • Powered Flight: The Story of the Century (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Composer

  • The Holly and the Ivy(1952)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

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

    Composer

  • It Started in Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Composer

  • The Sound Barrier(1952)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Stolen Face (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Composer

  • Wings of Danger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Composer

  • Home at Seven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Composer

  • Curtain Up(1952)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

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

    Composer

  • No Highway in the Sky(1951)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Your Witness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Composer

  • The Forbidden Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Composer

  • Badger's Green (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Composer

  • Dollars and Sense (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Composer

  • Mining Review (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Composer · Conductor

  • Queen o’ the Border (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Composer

Career shape

A full career of 74 titles from 1948 to 2000.

Biggest box office

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

$27M worldwide

Highest rated

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing1 of 74: 1 only directing, 0 with another roleMusic72 of 74: 66 only music, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score67thOther crew7 of 74: 1 only other crew, 6 with another role

74 titles, 6 with more than one role — music and other crew overlap on 6 of them.

By decade

1940s5 · crew1950s49 · crew1960s15 · crew1970s3 · crew2000s2 · 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 Malcolm Arnold's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 67th percentile, the median of all 38; across their 38 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 64th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

64thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 38

Approval · how many liked their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 38

Reach · how many have seen their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 38

Midcredits score across 39 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th20
  • 25th to 49th8

Shape of the crowd

None of their 39 titles divides audiences: 25 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Crowd Pleaser25
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed3

Most loved · composer

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 63/100 in their films, across 32 reviewed titles; fans 70, detractors 44. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.

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 Malcolm Arnold's work okay for kids?

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

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 17 · mildMedian of all films: 32
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 33

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

Who does Malcolm Arnold work with?

People who share at least 2 of Malcolm Arnold's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; George Cole shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles