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Lewis Gilbert

Lewis Gilbert

Director, writer and producer · Died February 23, 2018, aged 97 · London, England, UK

Lewis Gilbert CBE (6 March 1920 – 23 February 2018) was an English film director, producer and screenwriter who directed more than 40 films across six decades; among them such varied titles as Cast a Dark Shadow (1955), Reach for the Sky (1956), Carve Her Name with Pride (1958), Sink the Bismarck! (1960), Alfie (1966), Educating Rita (1983) and Shirley Valentine (1989), as well as three James Bond films: You Only Live Twice (1967), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979). Description above from the Wikipedia article Lewis Gilbert, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 6, 1920
Died
February 23, 2018 (aged 97)
From
London, England, UK
Works as
Director, writer and producer
Titles
26 on MovieCove · 46 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 11% in 30 days

What are Lewis Gilbert's films like?

Across their 26 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Power.

Genres

Action7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 80th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 63rd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 55th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 63rd percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 84th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography 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
Morality
24%
Power
22%
Self
16%
Bonds
15%
Survival
12%
Society
9%
Ideas
3%
Self-worth5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this themePower3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 26 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 9 · Serious 6 · Dark 11

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 14 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 4

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

Gentle 3 · Charged 15 · Intense 8

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

Steady 9 · Shifting 14 · 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 14 · Some laughs 11 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 11 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 3

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 0

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

Easy watch 7 · Affecting 14 · Heavy 5

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

Resolved 22 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
18
Melancholic
10
Warm
7
Hopeful
7
Thrilling
5
Other
22

How their films linger

Bittersweet13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy9
  • Bittersweet12
  • Tragic4
  • 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 Lewis Gilbert's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 26 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Lewis Gilbert'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

46 credits, 26 with a MovieCove page; 15 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Before You Go (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director

  • Haunted(1995)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Stepping Out(1991)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Shirley Valentine(1989)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Not Quite Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Director · Producer

  • Educating Rita(1983)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Moonraker(1979)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Moonraker: 007 in Rio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Actor

  • The Spy Who Loved Me(1977)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Seven Nights in Japan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Director · Producer

  • Operation Daybreak(1975)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Paul and Michelle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

  • Friends(1971)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • The Adventurers(1970)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • You Only Live Twice(1967)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Alfie(1966)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The 7th Dawn(1964)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Damn the Defiant!(1962)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Greengage Summer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Director

  • Skywatch(1960)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Sink the Bismarck!(1960)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Ferry to Hong Kong(1959)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Whicker's World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • A Cry from the Streets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Director

  • Carve Her Name with Pride(1958)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Paradise Lagoon(1957)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Reach for the Sky(1956)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Cast a Dark Shadow(1955)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Harmony Lane (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Director

  • The Sea Shall Not Have Them(1954)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Good Die Young(1954)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Break to Freedom(1953)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Johnny on the Run(1953)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Cosh Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Director · Writer

  • Time, Gentlemen, Please! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Director

  • The Hundred Hour Hunt(1952)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • There Is Another Sun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Director

  • Scarlet Thread(1951)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Once a Sinner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Director

  • Marry Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Writer

  • The Little Ballerina (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Director

  • The Ten Year Plan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Director · Writer

  • Room for Two (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Actor

  • Over the Moon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Minor Role (uncredited)

  • The Price of a Song (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Margaret’s younger brother

  • Dick Turpin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Jem

Career shape

A full career of 46 titles from 1933 to 2002.

Biggest box office

Moonraker (1979)

$210M worldwide

Highest rated

Sink the Bismarck! (1960)

Midcredits 86th

Most popular right now

You Only Live Twice (1967)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting6 of 46: 6 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting39 of 46: 20 only directing, 19 with another role · typical Midcredits score68thWriting14 of 46: 1 only writing, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score61stProducing10 of 46: 0 only producing, 10 with another role · typical Midcredits score63rd

46 titles, 19 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 13 of them.

By decade

1930s3 · acting1940s4 · 1 acting · 3 crew1950s18 · 1 acting · 17 crew1960s7 · crew1970s8 · 1 acting · 7 crew1980s3 · crew1990s2 · crew2000s1 · 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 Lewis Gilbert's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 68th percentile, the median of all 26; across their 26 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 66th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 26

Approval · how many liked their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 26

Reach · how many have seen their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 26

Midcredits score across 26 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th9
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

20 of their 26 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser20
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · director, writer, producer

The Adventurers (1970)

60th percentile spread · 33% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Sink the Bismarck! (1960)

Midcredits 86th · 78% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 70/100 and the pacing 52/100 in their films, across 25 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 Lewis Gilbert's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles25–58 · median 50 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles31–54 · median 43 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles22–58 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles29–36 · median 30 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles21–52 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian 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 Lewis Gilbert work with?

People who share at least 2 of Lewis Gilbert's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Vernon Harris shares the most, 9.

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers