Alexander Mackendrick (September 8, 1912 – December 22, 1993) was an American-born Scottish film director and screenwriter. He directed nine feature films between 1949 and 1967, before retiring from filmmaking to become an influential professor at the California Institute of the Arts. Born to Scottish immigrant parents in Boston, he was raised in Glasgow from the age of 6. He began making television commercials before moving into post-production editing and directing films, most notably for Ealing Studios where his films include Whisky Galore! (1949), The Man in the White Suit (1951) - which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay, The Maggie (1954), and The Ladykillers (1955). In 1957, Mackendrick directed his first American film Sweet Smell of Success, which was a critical and commercial success. However, his directing career declined throughout the following decade, and he was fired or replaced from several projects, owing in part to his perfectionist approach to filmmaking. Mackendrick retired from directing in the late 1960's after completing A High Wind in Jamaica (1965) and Don't Make Waves (1967), becoming the founding Dean (and later a Professor) of the CalArts School of Film/Video.
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Biography from TMDB.
- September 8, 1912
- December 22, 1993 (aged 81)
- Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Writer, director and actor
- 12 on MovieCove · 27 credits in all
What are Alexander Mackendrick's films like?
Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Power.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 2 · Wry 0 · Earnest 9
Light 7 · Serious 2 · Dark 2
A split, not a type: Grounded 6 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 0
A split, not a type: Gentle 6 · Charged 5 · Intense 0
Steady 7 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 4
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 7 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 2
Resolved 9 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet6
- Tragic2
- 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 Alexander Mackendrick's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Alexander Mackendrick'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
27 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Logan(2017)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
3:10 to Yuma(2007)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Mackendrick on Film (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Typically British: A Personal History of British Cinema (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Made In Ealing: The Story of Ealing Studios (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Don't Make Waves(1967)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
A High Wind in Jamaica(1965)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Sammy Going South (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
The Defenders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
The Devil's Disciple(1959)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Fanfare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Sweet Smell of Success(1957)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
The Ladykillers(1955)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
High and Dry(1954)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Mandy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Dance Hall (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
The Blue Lamp(1950)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Whisky Galore!(1949)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Saraband(1948)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
Robinson Charley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
Abu and the Poisoned Well (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)
Abu's Dungeon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)
Contraries (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)
Love on the Range (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)
South Sea Sweethearts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
Midnight Menace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)
Career shape
A full career of 25 titles from 1937 to 2017.
Biggest box office
The Ladykillers (1955)
Highest rated
Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
Most popular right now
Don't Make Waves (1967)
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 Alexander Mackendrick's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 81st percentile, the median of all 12; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 71st percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up8
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th1
Shape of the crowd
None of their 12 titles divides audiences: 7 are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved4
- Crowd Pleaser7
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the dialogue 67/100 and the plot and story 61/100 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.
Who does Alexander Mackendrick work with?
People who share at least 2 of Alexander Mackendrick's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Michael Balcon shares the most, 6.
Directors
- Basil DeardenShared titles: The Blue Lamp (1950), Saraband (1948)See all 2 shared titles with Basil Dearden
Writers
- John DightonShared titles: The Devil's Disciple (1959), The Man in the White Suit (1951), Saraband (1948)See all 3 shared titles with John Dighton
- William RoseShared titles: The Ladykillers (1955), High and Dry (1954)See all 2 shared titles with William Rose
- Angus MacPhailShared titles: Whisky Galore! (1949), Saraband (1948)See all 2 shared titles with Angus MacPhail
Actors
- Burt LancasterShared titles: Mackendrick: The Man Who Walked Away (1986), The Devil's Disciple (1959), Sweet Smell of Success (1957)See all 3 shared titles with Burt Lancaster
- Joan GreenwoodShared titles: The Man in the White Suit (1951), Whisky Galore! (1949), Saraband (1948)See all 3 shared titles with Joan Greenwood
- Gordon JacksonShared titles: Mackendrick: The Man Who Walked Away (1986), Whisky Galore! (1949)See all 2 shared titles with Gordon Jackson
- James CoburnShared titles: Mackendrick: The Man Who Walked Away (1986), A High Wind in Jamaica (1965)See all 2 shared titles with James Coburn
Cinematographers and editors
- Douglas SlocombeShared titles: A High Wind in Jamaica (1965), The Man in the White Suit (1951), Saraband (1948)See all 3 shared titles with Douglas Slocombe
- Gordon DinesShared titles: High and Dry (1954), The Blue Lamp (1950)See all 2 shared titles with Gordon Dines
- Peter TannerShared titles: High and Dry (1954), The Blue Lamp (1950)See all 2 shared titles with Peter Tanner
Producers
- Michael BalconShared titles: The Ladykillers (1955), High and Dry (1954), The Man in the White Suit (1951), The Blue Lamp (1950), Whisky Galore! (1949), Saraband (1948)See all 6 shared titles with Michael Balcon
- James HillShared titles: Mackendrick: The Man Who Walked Away (1986), The Devil's Disciple (1959), Sweet Smell of Success (1957)See all 3 shared titles with James Hill
- Michael RelphShared titles: Mackendrick: The Man Who Walked Away (1986), The Blue Lamp (1950), Saraband (1948)See all 3 shared titles with Michael Relph
- Harold HechtShared titles: The Devil's Disciple (1959), Sweet Smell of Success (1957)See all 2 shared titles with Harold Hecht
Mixed roles
- Charles CrichtonShared titles: Mackendrick: The Man Who Walked Away (1986), Whisky Galore! (1949)See all 2 shared titles with Charles Crichton
- Michael TrumanShared titles: High and Dry (1954), Saraband (1948)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Truman