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David Puttnam

David Puttnam

Producer, also actor · Born February 25, 1941 (85) · London, England, UK

David Terence Puttnam, Baron Puttnam, CBE, HonFRSA, HonFRPS, MRIA (born 25 February 1941) is a British-Irish film producer, educator, environmentalist and former member of the House of Lords. His productions include Chariots of Fire, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, The Mission, The Killing Fields, Local Hero, Midnight Express and Memphis Belle. In 1982, he received the BAFTA for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema, and in 2006 he was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Puttnam sat on the Labour benches in the House of Lords, although he was not principally a politician. In 2019 he was appointed chair to the select committee on democracy and digital technologies. The committee published its findings in its Digital Technology & the Resurrection of Trust report in June 2020. Description above from the Wikipedia article David Puttnam, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 25, 1941 (85)
From
London, England, UK
Works as
Producer, also actor
Titles
37 on MovieCove · 48 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 14% in 30 days

What are David Puttnam's films like?

Across their 38 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 58th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Biography8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 79th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Documentary7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 81st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 89th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure 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
Self
25%
Bonds
17%
Morality
14%
Society
14%
Survival
12%
Power
11%
Ideas
7%
Coming of age7 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love5 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 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 14 · Serious 6 · Dark 18

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 24 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 4

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 11 · Charged 12 · Intense 15

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

Steady 23 · Shifting 12 · 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 21 · Some laughs 12 · Funny 5

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

Slow burn 19 · Even-paced 18 · Relentless 1

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

A split, not a type: Casual 16 · Engaged 14 · Full focus 8

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

A split, not a type: Easy watch 16 · Affecting 8 · Heavy 14

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

Resolved 24 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 10

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
16
Warm
12
Melancholic
16
Contemplative
13
Hopeful
12
Other
33

How their films linger

Thought-provoking17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet19
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous11

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 David Puttnam's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 16 of their 37 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for David Puttnam'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

48 credits, 37 with a MovieCove page; 26 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • I am Chut Wutty(2015)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • My Life So Far(1999)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Confessional (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Producer

  • The Burning Season: The Chico Mendes Story(1994)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • War of the Buttons(1994)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Being Human(1994)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Garbo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Thanks

  • A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia(1992)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Meeting Venus(1991)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Without Warning: The James Brady Story(1991)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Josephine Baker Story(1991)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Memphis Belle(1990)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Swimming to Cambodia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Thanks

  • The Mission(1986)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Defense of the Realm(1985)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Mr. Love(1986)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Frog Prince(1985)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Winter Flight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Executive Producer

  • The Killing Fields(1984)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Arthur's Hallowed Ground (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Executive Producer

  • Cal(1984)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Sharma and Beyond (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Executive Producer

  • Those Glory Glory Days(1983)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Red Monarch(1983)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Secrets(1983)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Local Hero(1983)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Forever Young (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Producer

  • Experience Preferred... But Not Essential (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Executive Producer

  • Kipperbang(1982)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Chariots of Fire(1981)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Foxes(1980)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Midnight Express(1978)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Duellists(1977)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Bugsy Malone(1976)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • The Memory of Justice(1976)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Lisztomania(1975)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • James Dean: The First American Teenager(1975)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Brother Can You Spare a Dime(1975)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Stardust (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Producer

  • Mahler(1974)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Swastika(1973)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Final Programme(1973)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • That'll Be the Day(1973)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Pied Piper(1972)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Glastonbury Fayre(1975)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Bringing It All Back Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Producer

  • Melody(1971)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • World in Action (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

Career shape

A full career of 45 titles from 1963 to 1999.

Biggest box office

Chariots of Fire (1981)

$59M worldwide

Highest rated

The Killing Fields (1984)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

The Mission (1986)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 45: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleProducing42 of 45: 42 only producing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score69thOther crew2 of 45: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1960s1 · acting1970s15 · crew1980s18 · crew1990s11 · 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 David Puttnam's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 70th percentile, the median of all 37; across their 38 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 72nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

72ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 38

Approval · how many liked their films

73rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 38

Reach · how many have seen their films

57thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 38

Midcredits score across 37 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up18
  • 50th to 74th12
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

20 of their 37 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Divisive2
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser20
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · producer

I am Chut Wutty (2015)

99th percentile spread · 38% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

The Memory of Justice (1976)

Midcredits 97th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the acting 74/100 in their films, across 31 reviewed titles; fans 80, detractors 48. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

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 David Puttnam's work okay for kids?

Across up to 12 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles8–88 · median 56 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity12 titles15–63 · median 27 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles10–71 · median 35 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles22–64 · median 30 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense7 titles9–86 · 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 David Puttnam work with?

People who share at least 2 of David Puttnam's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Sanford Lieberson shares the most, 10.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers