Perhaps most importantly, however, it’s about exactly what it claims to be: the inevitably symbiotic relationship between life and death, which are in the end all part and parcel of the same thing. Powell struck out on his own with this startling thriller about a serial-killing filmmaker (Boehm) who murders his subjects with a blade hidden in his tripod. Though no actor will ever top Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in the BBC series, Matthew Macfadyen gives him a run for his money in this surprisingly memorable 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen's beloved classic. Starring: Sarah Miles, David Hayman, Sebastian Rice-Edwards, Ian Bannen. Much though we all know how it ends, the scenes where we see the bomb in action are genuinely gripping. Pete Postlethwaite plays damaged father Tommy, whose brutal beatings are made more severe to the strains of Ella Fitzgerald’s Taking a Chance on Love. Outrage. When he seethes "I have no public school scruples about hitting girls" at the sly Helena (Claire Bloom), you know it's no empty threat. The problems he faces are immense: money, class (even if that's just a little overegged in the audition scene) and his town's complete lack of experience with boys who like ballet. It gained Oscar nominations and acclaim around the world We spoke to over 150 movie experts and writers to put together this definitive list of British films. ‘Consider Yourself’, ‘Got to Pick a Pocket or Two’ and the title song are all up there with the best in the musical genre. Taking inspiration from Arthurian legend but ladling in social commentary (or at least comedy), anachronistic touches and surreal interludes, this is perhaps the most quotable and quoted film on the entire list, and also deserves our thanks for saving the group after they had almost burnt out following three TV series and the underperforming And Now For Something Completely Different. An artist (Anthony Higgins) is commissioned to draw a 17th-century estate from 12 different angles at different times of the day for a modest stipend and 12 sexual favours from Mrs Herbert (Janet Suzman), the lady of the manor. There's not a kitchen sink in sight as Gilbert (Broadbent) and Sullivan (Corduner) collaborate to create their Japan-inspired comic opera The Mikado, surrounded by performers who each have their own neuroses and crises (and who, incidentally, do their own singing to boot). from Texas-based Knox Oil & Gas is despatched to a small Scottish And in most cases, they're right not to try. The film established Meadows in a league of his own when it comes to naturalistic, comic dialogue and wringing sensitive performances from young cast members. Anna May Wong gives an empowering performance as the dancer Shosho and her first appearance, dancing on the sideboard in the club’s scullery, feels as luminous and provocative today as it surely must have in the late 1920s. Far from the dyed-in-the-wool petrolhead you might expect, Asif Kapadia's knowledge of Formula 1 was fairly scant when he set to work on his mesmerising character study of Brazilian superstar Ayrton Senna. Another sparkling prize jewel in the already-gleaming crown of Ealing Studios, The Lavender Hill Mob is a quaintly British, lightly-satirical comedy among their very best. The final revelation of its consequences is devastating, no matter how inevitable it is. ALD, Director Alfred Hitchcock Cast Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Some argue that Hitchcock made his greatest works in the US, but the presence of four of his British films on our list suggests that not everybody holds that view – or at least that his earlier work is still held in very high regard. Specific focus is given to his fraught relationships with two of his models: Sean Bean’s muscular Ranuccio Thomasoni and Tilda Swinton’s Lena. Powell, Emeric Pressburger This This is contrasted with Alec Secareanu’s portrayal of the thoughtful Gheorghe, who exudes a gentle sensitivity. At times it plays like the most thespian game of I-spy in history. success and intrigued audiences with its clever plot twists. By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. But it also allowed Leigh to refine interests he had been exploring for years, such as the relationships between parents and kids, the love and antagonism of siblings and our awkward relationships to material wealth. The negative reaction to – and 20-year banning of – his exposure of the threat of nuclear war in ‘The War Game’ (1965) led him into self-imposed, globe-trotting exile and obscurity. cropping up, we're not sure where they got that idea. On paper, a comedy about radicalised British Muslims blowing themselves up during the London Marathon shouldn't be funny, but with Chris Morris at the helm, nothing can be taken for granted – not even gags about bomb construction or exploding crows. Starring: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Anil Kapoor. ), via that film's own sci-fi remake Outland, but the external threat (the arrival of 'help') is just the backdrop to Sam's own existential crisis. If you're a Bowie fan hunting for another film starring Ziggy Stardust, this is not the movie you're looking for. The focus of Jim Allen’s script on one group of militia allows for strong personalities with varying motivations and ideas to emerge, while the book-ending of the story with the discovery in the present of David’s letters by his granddaughter gives it a powerful immediacy. Davies rejects a linear narrative in favour of creating layers of emotion through a succession of detached scenes such as Bud’s attempts to get into a cinema and his presence at a drunken family sing-song. Choose your favourite British film of all time here, Best of British: your thoughts on the top 100 (1/3), Best of British: your thoughts on the top 100 (2/3), Best of British: your thoughts on the top 100 (3/3). Brought to the screen by the Holy Comedy Trinity that is Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright, it's a masterpiece, right up there with Evil Dead II as one of the finest horror/comedies ever made. Starring: Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook, Marius Goring. It’s a droll, Ealing-made World War II propaganda film that also happens to be a ridiculously taut suspense thriller about how the denizens of the fictional Bramley End put aside their differences and foil a Nazi plot to capture Britain, sometimes even sacrificing life and limb by diving on live grenades and going on ad hoc axe rampages. Though this beloved classic takes place during Christmas, the heartwarming film can really be viewed any day of the year. Lindsay Anderson’s feature debut is one of the strongest films to emerge from the kitchen-sink movement that swept across British filmmaking in the Sixties. Here, the dangerously inquisitive Robinson has been tasked with solving the ‘problem of England’ and takes that as his cue to circumnavigate these hallowed isles and pontificate to his heart’s content. Scripted by to Robert Bolt's screenplay, Freddie Young's cinematography, Phyllis Take that Ali G, you big corporate sell-out, you. Again focusing on poverty-stricken individuals trapped in the system, My Name Is Joe follows Peter Mullan's reformed, alcoholic nutter Joe who coaches the local football team in Glasgow's mean streets while trying to avoid the bottle and any bother. Seriously, if you don't well up a little when Jenny Agutter, looking through the steam, spots her father and cries, "Daddy, oh my daddy" we can only assume it's because you had your tear ducts surgically removed.