I have see a few films starring O’Toole including “My favorite Year” and “Lawrence of Arabia”.
I was watching vintage highlights of these UK actors’ guest appearances on American late shows in the 80s and 90s and they were so charming. I can’t recall seeing Richard Harris or Richard Burton in any film ever. I remember seeing Peter Finch in Network.
Are there any films that you like these actors best in?
Try a man called horse for richard harris
The Molly Maguires has recently been on TalkingPictures channel; no doubt it’ll be reshown soon.
Richard Burton: The Medusa Touch.
Peter O’Toole: Unforgiven (The Clint Eastwood film); works well alongside Gene Hackman, almost as though there was real tension between them.
Scratch that: it was Richard Harris in Unforgiven 
One of my favorite movies is ‘Caligula’, in which Peter O’Toole plays Tiberius. Of course, ‘Caligula’ is infamous for one of its edits which incorporated hardcore pornography into it, meaning no respectable critic would ever give it a positive review (it was lambasted as one of the worst films of all time when it came out but has since become critically acclaimed), but looking past that it’s a fantastic period drama with impeccable acting (Malcolm McDowell, John Gielgud, Helen Mirren, etc.). It’s still a pretty graphic film - it’s based on Caligula, for Pete’s sake - but it’s worth checking out if it interests anyone.
It says a lot about my questionable taste in film when one of the first films I remembered Richard Harris in was the 1988 Italian action film ‘Strike Commando 2’, largely because I’m a big fan of the director, Italian schlockmeister Bruno Mattei. It’s not nearly as “good” as the first one, but it’s always fun watching respected actors slumming it in low-budget B-movies for a quick paycheck. Harris did the same for the 1977 ‘Jaws’ rip-off ‘Orca’.
Likewise, I remember Richard Burton’s starring role in ‘The Exorcist II: The Heretic’, which is a disaster of a film but at least has magnificent cinematography. I’d skip that one and just go straight to the superior ‘The Exorcist III’ with George C. Scott.
if it was it’d be a miracle he died in 2013!
O’tool good watches, Zulu Dawn, Becket, the lion in winter. under Milk wood
Burton - Cleopatra, where Eagles dare, 1984, Becket (with o’toole), The Wild Geese, Equus (very unusual film for burton), Under milk Wood (O’toole as well - and if you can get the narrated version of under milk wood and the original musical version of war of the worlds he narrates both and is fantastic). Anne of a 1000 days. Zulu (narration), the Longest day. Look back in anger
Harris, - Cry, the beloved country (wortha watch regardless of who’s in it), A man, called horse, triumphs of a man called horse, return of a man called horse, unforgiven, patriot games, The Wild geese (With burton), Camelot, Hawaii, The heroes of Telemark, the molly maguires, Major dundee, the guns of navarone.
that lot should keep you busy for a while.
Zulu Dawn was the Prequel to Zulu and is worth a watch for the lead up to the defense of the mission in Zulu.
Of the three man called horse films. A man called horse is the best of the bunch.
If you read the roman histories or even I, claudius and Claudius the God, you will get some idea of just how bad Caligula (lilttle boots) was. it’s hardly surprising that the film showed a heavy slant to pornography as Caligula was basiclly mad, preferred men to women, made his horse a senator, enjoued torture, rape and murder, fought battles against the roman gods, awarded himself tributes and was generally an all round bar stewrad!
‘Caligula’ has one of the most fascinating behind-the-scenes histories in cinema. Of course any movie made about Caligula is bound to be extraordinarily graphic, but the director, writer and producer each had different ideas of how to approach and depict it. Ultimately, the producer won out, but the producer was Bob Guccione of Penthouse magazine, who inserted hardcore sex scenes into the final cut of the film against the wishes of the director and writer (who both disavowed the film). It’s such a bizarre mix of Shakespearean acting, lavish set design and porno. Of course there are numerous cuts of the film without the sex scenes (and apparently some new re-edits in the future), and although there’s still plenty of objectionable content, the film DOES have artistic merit…but those porno scenes definitely tarnished its reputation.
Peter O’toole, The Night of the Generals