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440 voters

The Best James Mason Movies

Updated September 23, 2019 4.8k votes 440 voters 30.9k views97 items

List RulesVote for your favorite movies, regardless of critic reviews or how big the role was.

List of the best James Mason movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. James Mason's highest grossing movies have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. The order of these top James Mason movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated James Mason movies will be at the top of the list. James Mason has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest James Mason movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining James Mason films to end the squabble once and for all.

If you think the best James Mason role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest James Mason performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.

This list below has a variety of films, like Hatter's Castle and A Dangerous Summer, in it.

"This list answers the questions, "What are the best James Mason movies?" and "What are the greatest James Mason roles of all time?"

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Cross of Iron
James Coburn, David Warner
Released: 1977
Released: 1977
Directed by: Sam Peckinpah
Directed by: Sam Peckinpah
Cross of Iron is a British-German 1977 film directed by Sam Peckinpah, featuring James Coburn, Maximilian Schell, James Mason and David Warner. The film is set on the Eastern Front in World War II... more
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2
107
13
Murder by Decree
Donald Sutherland, Christopher Plummer
Released: 1979
Released: 1979
Directed by: Bob Clark
Directed by: Bob Clark
This film is a 1979 British-Canadian mystery thriller film directed by Bob Clark. It features the Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who are embroiled... more
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102
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Evil Under the Sun
Maggie Smith, Diana Rigg
Released: 1982
Released: 1982
Directed by: Guy Hamilton
Directed by: Guy Hamilton
Evil Under the Sun is a 1982 British mystery film based on the 1941 novel of the same name by Agatha Christie.... more
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122
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The Desert Rats
Richard Burton, Robert Newton
Released: 1953
Released: 1953
Directed by: Robert Wise
Directed by: Robert Wise
The Desert Rats is a 1953 American war film about the World War II siege of Tobruk. It stars Richard Burton and was directed by Robert Wise.... more
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7
The Reckless Moment
Joan Bennett, Shepperd Strudwick
Released: 1949
Released: 1949
Directed by: Max Ophüls
Directed by: Max Ophüls
The Reckless Moment is a 1949 American film noir melodrama directed by Max Ophüls, produced by Walter Wanger, and released by Columbia Pictures with Burnett Guffey as cinematographer. Starring Joan... more
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90
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The Blue Max
Ursula Andress, George Peppard
Released: 1966
Released: 1966
Directed by: John Guillermin
Directed by: John Guillermin
The Blue Max is a 1966 British war film in DeLuxe Color and filmed in CinemaScope, about a German fighter pilot on the Western Front during World War I. It was directed by John Guillermin, stars... more
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Age of Consent
Helen Mirren, Frank Thring
Released: 1969
Released: 1969
Directed by: Michael Powell
Directed by: Michael Powell
Age of Consent is a 1969 Australian film which was the penultimate feature film directed by British director Michael Powell. The romantic comedy-drama stars James Mason, Helen Mirren in her first... more
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69
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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Kirk Douglas, Peter Lorre
Released: 1954
Released: 1954
Directed by: Richard Fleischer
Directed by: Richard Fleischer
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a 1954 American Technicolor adventure film starring Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas and Peter Lorre. It was the first CinemaScope science fiction film and was... more
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Odd Man Out
William Hartnell, Cyril Cusack
Released: 1947
Released: 1947
Directed by: Carol Reed
Directed by: Carol Reed
Odd Man Out is a 1947 British film noir set in an unnamed Northern Irish city. Directed by Carol Reed, it is based on the novel by F. L. Green and stars James Mason.... more
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48
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Hotel Reserve
Herbert Lom, Patricia Medina
Released: 1944
Released: 1944
Directed by: Lance Comfort, Mutz Greenbaum, Victor Hanbury
Directed by: Lance Comfort, Mutz Greenbaum, Victor Hanbury
Hotel Reserve is a 1944 spy film starring James Mason as an innocent man caught up in pre-Second World War espionage. It was based on Eric Ambler's novel Epitaph for a Spy. Unusually, it was both... more

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49
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Island in the Sun
Joan Collins, Dorothy Dandridge
Released: 1957
Released: 1957
Directed by: Robert Rossen
Directed by: Robert Rossen
Island in the Sun is a 1957 drama film produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and directed by Robert Rossen. It features an ensemble cast including James Mason, Harry Belafonte, Joan Fontaine, Joan Collins,... more
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47
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The Boys from Brazil
Laurence Olivier, Gregory Peck
Released: 1978
Released: 1978
Directed by: Franklin J. Schaffner
Directed by: Franklin J. Schaffner
The Boys from Brazil is a 1978 British-American thriller film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. It stars Gregory Peck and Laurence Olivier and features James Mason, Lilli Palmer, Uta Hagen and Steve... more
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East Side, West Side
Ava Gardner, Barbara Stanwyck
Released: 1949
Released: 1949
Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy
Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy
East Side, West Side is a 1949 melodramatic crime film, starring Barbara Stanwyck as a wronged wife and Ava Gardner in one of her earliest roles, along with James Mason and Van Heflin. Based on a... more
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44
10
5 Fingers
Michael Rennie, Danielle Darrieux
Released: 1952
Released: 1952
Directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
5 Fingers, known also as Five Fingers, is a 1952 American spy film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and produced by Otto Lang. The screenplay by Michael Wilson was based on the book Operation Cicero... more
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41
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The Fall of the Roman Empire
Sophia Loren, Omar Sharif
Released: 1964
Released: 1964
Directed by: Anthony Mann
Directed by: Anthony Mann
The Fall of the Roman Empire is a 1964 epic film starring Sophia Loren, Stephen Boyd, Alec Guinness, James Mason, Christopher Plummer, Mel Ferrer and Omar Sharif. It was directed by Anthony Mann and... more
More The Fall of the Roman Empire
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Madame Bovary
Jennifer Jones, Louis Jourdan
Released: 1949
Released: 1949
Directed by: Vincente Minnelli
Directed by: Vincente Minnelli
Madame Bovary is a 1949 film adaptation of the classic novel of the same name by Gustave Flaubert. It stars Jennifer Jones, James Mason, Van Heflin, Louis Jourdan, Alf Kjellin, Gene Lockhart, Frank... more
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38
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Bigger Than Life
Walter Matthau, Barbara Rush
Released: 1956
Released: 1956
Directed by: Nicholas Ray
Directed by: Nicholas Ray
Bigger Than Life is an American DeLuxe Color CinemaScope film made in 1956 directed by Nicholas Ray and starring James Mason, who also co-wrote and produced the film, about a school teacher and... more
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62
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A Star Is Born
Judy Garland, Amanda Blake
Released: 1954
Released: 1954
Directed by: George Cukor
Directed by: George Cukor
A Star Is Born is a 1954 American musical film written by Moss Hart, starring Judy Garland and James Mason, and directed by George Cukor. Hart's screenplay was an adaptation of the original 1937... more
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Journey to the Center of the Earth
Pat Boone, Bernard Herrmann
Released: 1959
Released: 1959
Directed by: Henry Levin
Directed by: Henry Levin
Journey to the Center of the Earth is a 1959 adventure film adapted by Charles Brackett from the novel of the same name by Jules Verne. Journey to the Center of the Earth was directed by Henry Levin.... more
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Lolita
Christopher Lee, Peter Sellers
Released: 1962
Released: 1962
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Lolita is a 1962 comedy-drama film directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel of the same title by Vladimir Nabokov, about a middle-aged man who becomes obsessed with a teenage girl. The film... more
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Heaven Can Wait
Deacon Jones, Warren Beatty
Released: 1978
Released: 1978
Directed by: Buck Henry, Warren Beatty
Directed by: Buck Henry, Warren Beatty
Heaven Can Wait is a 1978 American comedy film co-directed by Warren Beatty and Buck Henry. It is the second film adaptation of Harry Segall's stageplay of the same name, preceded by Here Comes Mr.... more
More Heaven Can Wait
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Georgy Girl
Charlotte Rampling, Lynn Redgrave
Released: 1966
Released: 1966
Directed by: Silvio Narizzano
Directed by: Silvio Narizzano
Georgy Girl is a 1966 British film based on a novel by Margaret Forster. The film was directed by Silvio Narizzano and starred Lynn Redgrave as Georgy, Charlotte Rampling, Alan Bates, and James... more
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North by Northwest
Cary Grant, Alfred Hitchcock
Released: 1959
Released: 1959
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
North by Northwest is a 1959 American spy thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. The screenplay was written by Ernest Lehman, who wanted... more
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Tiara Tahiti
John Mills, Herbert Lom
Released: 1962
Released: 1962
Directed by: Ted Kotcheff
Directed by: Ted Kotcheff
Tiara Tahiti is a 1962 comedy-drama film starring James Mason and John Mills and the directorial debut of Ted Kotcheff; it is based on the novel by Geoffrey Cotterell, who also adapted it for the... more
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64
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The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel
Jessica Tandy, Cedric Hardwicke
Released: 1951
Released: 1951
Directed by: Henry Hathaway
Directed by: Henry Hathaway
The Desert Fox is a 1951 biographical film about Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in the later stages of World War II. It stars James Mason in the title role, was directed by Henry Hathaway, and was based... more
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