The 49 Best British films of all time (?)

Hi Sniper, happy xmas :-)

I'm slightly surprised to see Gladiator included, as despite Ridley's helming, most people would regard it as a Hollywood movie.  And if not, then most of his movies would be straight in there for me !

As you say, many exclusions spring to mind.  One I saw again recently was The Shooting Party, and another would have to be Ice Cold In Alex.  Several more of course, once the thinking cap is on....

Also, is it saying Barry Lyndon is best ??  Odd choice.....

That's an old list (from 2013) but it's not a bad one, and it is heartening to see Michael Powell and Emeric Pressberger being acknowledged with so many entries. Personally I would drop Gladiator (impressive, but not a great film, and a bit Hollywood) and the overrated Four Weddings and Remains of the Day.

The French in particular have always been a bit sniffy about our cinema, but looking at that list, that's a filmic culture to be very proud of. And in Michael Powell and Hitchcock (although in the second half of his career he was really a Hollywood, as opposed to British) director we have artists who are up there with the greats, like Dreyer, Welles, Renoir and Ozu.

I find it odd that Hitchcock's 1929 Blackmail (a bit creaky now, but a very innovative film in its day) is omitted, as is Michael Powell's first great film Edge of The World (1936) and his 1960 dark masterpiece Peeping Tom, and P&P's A Canterbury Tale, The Small Back Room and Tales of Hoffmann.

There is also the awe-inspiring 1940 Technicolor spectacle The Thief of Baghdad (directed by Michael Powell [yep, him again], Tim Whelan and Ludwig Berger), Chris Petit's Radio On (1979), and Mike Leigh's delightful Life Is Sweet.

And finally, I can't believe Withnail and I wasn't there!

Another one that should be on that list is John Boorman's distinctly potty, but visually stunning, Arthurian epic Excalibur. The same director deserves a mensh for his superb childhood memoir Hope & Glory.

Excalibur, excellent film

Potty indeed. I mostly loved the score but yes, visually stunning to be sure. Agree about Withnail being unfairly absent and Four Weddings being overestimated but I think The Remains of the Day is an excellent film. . I love Gladiator, but so what, is it a great film? Possibly. I've always thought Ridley Scott's first feature film The Duelists is his best. I also like his Kingdom of Heaven and even  A Good year (unfairly dismissed as a bit of fluff but it is what it is - a romantic comedy - and it should be judged as such). It is actually a very polished piece of work. And what about Alien? Actually what a makes a film a British film? 

Hi Karlos, Thank you. Merry Christmas to you too. I like The Shooting Party (some memorable lines as I recall) and Ice Cold in Alex.  

Hi, a few Michael Caine films there, but the highly enjoyable and in parts ad libbed, The Italian Job is missing with its great cast... Very evocative of an era, and of course Alfie with it critiques of 60's attitudes to women..

Yes, good call on Alfie S-i-S - great soundtrack, good script and superb acting from an excellent cast. The breaking of the fourth wall is handled well also.

For such a bleak film (the abortion scene is still really harrowing) it was surprisingly successful at the box-office.

I disagree with you though that it's a "critique of 1960s attitudes to women" - it's a morality tale of sorts; and the attitudes demonstrated by Alfie and the other men in the film are not uniquely 1960s. Such attitudes still abound today, sadly, and what is perhaps even worse is that so many women seem to accept or even embrace them.

Kevin, I think you are right about it being more about morality, but to me an interesting part of the film/screen play is that it occurs when attitudes to women and what was deemed as appropriate was changing, ie the 60s. (Not to say as you quite rightly poit out, some still hold those views, but hopefully not mainstream anymore). The other poignant aspect to me, is that the man was assumed to be in control and the women subservient, however in the end he was shown to have no control outside his lonely limited world  and emotionally the loser.

i agree about the abortion scene, very upsetting, even by today's 'standards'

Simon

Kevin, thanks for the cue for the music. Just been streaming via Qobuz, I fogot how great the score was. Sadly the initial track from the film score music, Alfie's Theme is excempt from lossless streaming for some reason, but the rest are on there.

Simon

Withnail & I is a great call, above.  Lord knows how that didn't spring to mind immediately.  A classic in every sense, and probably the funniest film I've ever seen.

Another monumental oversight is The Wicker Man......

I agree Simon. It is a tribute to both the script and the quality of Michael Caine's acting that we feel sympathy for Alfie, who is a pretty repellent, utterly self-centred character. When he is abandoned for a younger man by the Shelley Winters character, it is clear that he has not learned his lesson, and that he will likely carry on as before, thus condemning himself to a lonely, unfulfilled old age. And quite naturally, we feel sorry for him.

Good call!

I think John Boulting's 1947 version of Greene's Brighton Rock, with its brilliant performance by Richard Attenborough, is worthy of inclusion, as is Went The Day Well? and Tom Jones.

And of course, how can you leave out the most influential music film ever made, A Hard Day's Night?

Wrong Arm of the Law, Two Way Stretch, I'll Never Forget Whatsisname, Room at the Top, A Kind of Loving, A Taste of Honey, Alfie, Private Road, Bend it like Beckham, He who would be King, The Deadly Affair, The Spy who came in from the Cold, The Browning Version, The Knights Tale, Never Let Me Go are all films I'd happily see again.

I can't believe "This Is Spinal Tap" isn't included.

Karlos, I wouldn't get too concerned about films omitted from the list, I don't wish to sound ageist but it's only the personal opinion of a bloke in his eighties.

Quite a few P&P films, but three of those are outstanding due to the efforts of Jack Cardiff.

It's a decent list. Many other movies that could be considered candidates. I was perhaps most surprised to not see The Italian Job make it. But very pleased to see Local Hero make the list. I just loved that movie.

(And I just don't see how Gladiator is considered a British film. A Hollywood movie starring a Kiwi.)

I vote for that (even re-watched over Christmas).

I'd add "Get Carter".
I might have added 'Villain' (1971) but the invasion of the Falklands cancelled its broadcast the last time I might have caught it on TV.

I'd squeeze in John Borman's "Point Blank" - the relentlessness of 'Get Carter' with visual flair in place of visual realism.
OK - made in USA.

Not really Best material but "League of Gentlemen" (1959) is a perennial favourite of mine. (Possibly worth running through some of the films of Basil Dearden)

As is 'If ...' (1968) - possibly over personal as it was shot in the school where we shared athletics's practice and I later massacred the teaching staff as they exited Chapel on Founder's Day. 

The horror films of Peter Walker are interesting.

Repulsion (1965), The Servant (1963) and I'd like to again - Accident (1967), Deep End (1970) and 'The Party's Over' (1965).

Looking up Ollie to find 'The Party ..' reminded me of Alan Bates and the peculiar 'The Shout' (1978). And I might even include 'Straw Dogs' - depending on what a British film is..

Bad Timing (1980), Performance (1970), Walkabout (1971).

Went the day well, Passport to Pimlico, The Blue lamp,

Can't believe nobody's suggested "The Sound Of Music"

Other contenders are, "In Bruges", "Night Of The Demon" "Loneliness of the long distance runner" and "The Hunger"

Adam, 'Get Carter' was in there at number 16...

Good - I'm almost tempted to read the list.

Why has Mr Duck been retired?

Dear Adam, 

I knew that you would respond to this.                          .

I looked through the list, and found that I am a film ignoramus!

But I'd like to nominate the setting of JB Prreistley's play 

An Inspector Calls

With Alastair Sim.

And Imitation Games, as still to be see in cinemas. Both very English, and both gave me huge pleasure.

ATB from George

Entertaining Mr Sloane [1970]

Fantastically funny, only 4 character actors iirc, but an exceedingly good cast:

Adaptation of the risqué play by Joe Orton. Kath (Beryl Reid) and Ed (Harry Andrews) are a lonely middle-aged brother and sister who live together. When Kath meets Mr Sloane (Peter McEnery) in a cemetery and falls for his charms, she invites him to become a lodger. Before long, Ed has fallen for Sloane's charms also and hires him to be his chauffeur, taking an unwholesome interest in Sloane's tight leather uniform. While Kath and Ed rival for Sloane's affections, their invalid father becomes increasingly convinced that he has some connection to an old unsolved murder. Trapped between the three of them, Sloane makes a shocking decision which has unexpected results.

The film almost flopped completely initially,

but it's success was kindly rescued by Mrs Whitehouse who had it banned.

Highly recommended 

Debs

@ Fatcat

I wasn't actually "upset"  - it was more a startled realisation of Mr Norman's oversight  ;-)  But I have full respect for Barry, and always enjoyed his hosting of the movie review show back then.  And inevitably these matters are highly subjective.

Still there are fabulous suggestions above, which make a strong case for inclusion.  I particularly like your; "In Bruges", "Night Of The Demon", "Spinal Tap".....

And from others, "Walkabout" (the location possibly made me overlook this, in the context), and the adaption of "An Inspector Calls".

"Went the day well ?"  is a good suggestion too, which should also be in the parallel thread about war movies (possibly it is and I missed it).

Maybe 50 is just the wrong number ?   ;-)

Round here, that's fightin' talk... Cardiff deserves more praise than he gets for his contribution to The Red Shoes, AMOLAD and Black Narcissus, but the films are emphatically Powell and Pressberger's - they wrote, directed and produced them, the vision is theirs.