Entertainment
The Best James Mason Movies
List Rules
Vote 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?"Ranked by
1Judy Garland, James Mason, Jack Carson- Released: 1954
- Directed by: George Cukor
Hollywood actor Norman Maine (James Mason) is a celebrity whose star is on the wane, but when he meets aspiring actress Esther Blodgett (Judy Garland), he is inspired to help her, and soon the two ...more
2James Mason, Shelley Winters, Sue Lyon- Released: 1962
- Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
With a screenplay penned by the author himself, Stanley Kubrick brings Vladimir Nabokov's controversial tale of forbidden love to the screen. Humbert Humbert (James Mason) is a European professor who ...more![Odd Man Out]()
3James Mason, Robert Newton, Kathleen Ryan- Released: 1947
- Directed by: Carol Reed
A wounded fugitive's dark odyssey through the streets of Belfast. Following a "fundraising" robbery which goes horribly wrong, the badly injured, abandoned, and increasingly delirious IRA leader ...more![Journey to the Center of the Earth]()
4Pat Boone, James Mason, Arlene Dahl- Released: 1959
- Directed by: Henry Levin
A geologist (James Mason) and his assistant (Pat Boone) set off on an expedition to the center of the earth. Following directions found in an inscription hidden in volcanic rock, the explorers travel ...more![The Boys from Brazil]()
5Gregory Peck, Laurence Olivier, James Mason- Released: 1978
- Directed by: Franklin J. Schaffner
Dr. Josef Mengele (Gregory Peck) clones Hitler 95 times, and hopes to raise the resulting boys in Brazil, giving them childhoods identical to Hitler's. His ultimate plan is to create a band of Nazi ...more![Georgy Girl]()
6James Mason, Lynn Redgrave, Alan Bates- Released: 1966
- Directed by: Silvio Narizzano
Georgina (Lynn Redgrave) is a carefree and childlike 22-year-old who finds more joy in her relationships with children than with the adults in her life. Her parents' employer, James Leamington (James ...more![North by Northwest]()
7Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason- Released: 1959
- Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
This classic suspense film finds New York City ad executive Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) pursued by ruthless spy Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) after Thornhill is mistaken for a government agent. ...more![Julius Caesar]()
8Marlon Brando, James Mason, John Gielgud- Released: 1953
- Directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Brutus (James Mason) is convinced by a scheming band of Roman senators, led by Caius Cassius (John Gielgud), that his dear friend Julius Caesar (Louis Calhern) intends to dissolve the republic and ...more![20,000 Leagues Under the Sea]()
9Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas- Released: 1954
- Directed by: Richard Fleischer
In 1866, Professor Pierre M. Aronnax (Paul Lukas) and his assistant Conseil (Peter Lorre), stranded in San Francisco by reports of a giant sea monster attacking ships in the Pacific Ocean, are ...more![Bigger Than Life]()
10James Mason, Barbara Rush, Walter Matthau- Released: 1956
- Directed by: Nicholas Ray
After schoolteacher Ed Avery (James Mason) faints and is hospitalized, doctors diagnose him with a fatal arterial illness and tell him he has a few months to live. Ed agrees to an experimental ...more![5 Fingers]()
11James Mason, Danielle Darrieux, Michael Rennie- Released: 1952
- Directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Known as "Cicero" to his Nazi handlers, mercenary spy Ulysses Diello (James Mason) poses as valet to Sir Frederic (Walter Hampden), the British ambassador to Turkey. Learning that widowed Countess ...more![Pandora and the Flying Dutchman]()
12James Mason, Ava Gardner, Nigel Patrick- Released: 1951
- Directed by: Albert Lewin
Fishermen in 1930s Spain find the bodies of a 17th-century Dutch sea captain (James Mason) and a woman (Ava Gardner) willing to die for him.![The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel]()
13Jessica Tandy, Cedric Hardwicke, Leo G. Carroll- Released: 1951
- 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![The Shooting Party]()
14James Mason, Edward Fox, John Gielgud- Released: 1984
- Directed by: Alan Bridges
In the fall of 1913, Sir Randolph Nettleby (James Mason) invites a group of friends to join him for a weekend of pheasant hunting at his estate. His guests include the callous Lord Gilbert Hartlip ...more![Evil Under the Sun]()
15Peter Ustinov, Colin Blakely, Jane Birkin- Released: 1982
- Directed by: Guy Hamilton
Agatha Christie's Belgian sleuth, Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov), solves the murder of an actress at a Balkan resort.![The Fall of the Roman Empire]()
16Sophia Loren, Alec Guinness, Stephen Boyd- Released: 1964
- Directed by: Anthony Mann
Toward the end of his reign, Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Alec Guinness) intends to hand over his throne to the steadfast soldier Livius (Stephen Boyd). Before he can enact his intentions, a ...more![The Desert Rats]()
17Richard Burton, James Mason, Robert Newton- Released: 1953
- Directed by: Robert Wise
In North Africa, German Field Marshal Rommel (James Mason) and his troops have successfully fended off British forces, and now intend to take Tobruk, an important port city. A ramshackle group of ...more![The Verdict]()
18Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, James Mason- Released: 1982
- Directed by: Sidney Lumet
A boozing lawyer (Paul Newman) takes on a law-firm dean (James Mason), the Archdiocese of Boston and the system in general.![The Reckless Moment]()
19James Mason, Joan Bennett, Geraldine Brooks- Released: 1949
- Directed by: Max Ophuls
While fighting with girlfriend Bea Harper (Geraldine Brooks), Ted Darby (Shepperd Strudwick) takes a spill that leads to his death. Desperate to keep her daughter out of jail, Bea's mother, Lucia ...more![The Man in Grey]()
20Margaret Lockwood, James Mason, Phyllis Calvert- Released: 1943
- Directed by: Leslie Arliss
Desirous of an heir, the remote and cruel Lord Rohan (James Mason) marries pretty young Clarissa Marr (Phyllis Calvert). Soon after, Clarissa discovers old school friend Hesther Shaw (Margaret ...more![The Deadly Affair]()
21James Mason, Simone Signoret, Maximilian Schell- Released: 1966
- Directed by: Sidney Lumet
English secret agent Charles Dobbs (James Mason) is shocked to discover that a government official whom he knew has committed suicide. Suspicious circumstances soon point to the death being a murder, ...more![The Wicked Lady]()
22Margaret Lockwood, James Mason, Patricia Roc- Released: 1946
- Directed by: Leslie Arliss
In 17th-century England, Barbara Worth (Margaret Lockwood) lives a privileged yet humdrum life as the wife of well-heeled landowner Sir Ralph Skelton (Griffith Jones). To stave off boredom, Barbara ...more![The Seventh Veil]()
23James Mason, Ann Todd, Herbert Lom- Released: 1945
- Directed by: Compton Bennett
After attempting suicide, Francesca Cunningham (Ann Todd) hires Dr. Larsen (Herbert Lom) who, using hypnotism, delves into her subconscious in search of answers. Francesca recounts several failed ...more![Cross of Iron]()
24James Coburn, Maximilian Schell, James Mason- Released: 1977
- Directed by: Sam Peckinpah
During World War II, Cpl. Rolf Steiner (James Coburn) is a well-respected member of the German military and a recipient of the Iron Cross, Germany's highest military honor. Envious of Steiner's ...more![Murder by Decree]()
25Christopher Plummer, James Mason, Donald Sutherland- Released: 1979
- Directed by: Bob Clark
After learning of mass murderer Jack the Ripper's gruesome reign of terror, private detective Sherlock Holmes (Christopher Plummer) decides to investigate. The police are no help, withholding ...more
