Critic Shelf
Home
Discover
Sign in
Your rating
Tap a star, half steps count

Cause Célèbre

Aug 23, 1987 · 1h 49m
No ratings yet
Drama
Romance
TV Movie

PLOT

When the ailing husband of an adulterous wife is discovered bludgeoned to death and suspicions fall on the older woman's young lover, the newly widowed woman claims that it was she who was solely responsible for the death despite evidence that points to the contrary in this dramatic account of true-life 1935 trial that shocked all of England. Though notable evidence and strong suspicion suggests that the murder may have been of crime of passion perpetrated by the jealous lover only half her age, Alma Rattenbury (Helen Mirren) confesses to the murder of her husband and is soon brought to trial. Despite the fact that Alma is already being deemed guilty by the general public for her adulterous indiscretion alone, her lawyer, star attorney T.J. O'Connor (David Suchet), remains convinced that his client will eventually be cleared of all charges.

REVIEWS

View reviews

CAST

Helen Mirren
Alma Rattenbury
Harry Andrews
Francis Rattenbury
David Suchet
T.J. O'Connor
David Morrissey
George Bowman
Norma West
Irene Riggs
Oliver Ford Davies
J.D. Casswell
Clive Swift
P.P. Croom Johnson
Geoffrey Bayldon
Mr. Justice Humphreys
Directed by John Gorrie

DETAILS

Status
Released
Original language
EN
Budget
—
Revenue
—
Production
ITV, Anglia Television
Country
GB

SIMILAR TITLES

Boys Don't Cry
1999
Braveheart
1995
Hotel Rwanda
2004
Amadeus
1984
Capote
2005
The Vizconde Massacre: God, Help Us!
1993
Critic Shelf
Rate what you watch, show it on shelves, and compare taste with anyone. Film and TV data from TMDB.
ACCOUNT
Sign in
Create account
Delete account
COMPANY
About
Contact
Privacy
Terms
This product uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.
© 2026 Critic Shelf
WATCH · RATE · COMPARE