TOP 10 BRITISH MOVIES MADE DURING THE REIGN OF HER GRACIOUS MAJESTY,
When Colin Welland famously shouted "The British are coming!" at the Oscars,
he had a point. We were coming. Then again, we'd already been there, often
dominating at the box office and the Academy Awards. We're good at films, we
are. So here's a Royal Jubilee-celebrating Top 10 British movies of the
Queen's 50 years on the throne. Read, argue, enjoy... |
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THE LADYKILLERS (1955)
Ealing comedy was perhaps Britain's finest contribution to world cinema, and
this is its peak, as slightly psychotic Alec Guinness and his gang of
absolutely useless bank robbers get foiled by an old dear. Witty, weird and
dark as hell. More... |
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THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
More Guinness, this time as a CO in Burma who decides to show the Japanese
what for by boosting their war effort better than they can. Complex and
heartfelt, epic and claustrophobic, another masterpiece from David Lean, the
world's greatest director. Many would say his Lawrence Of Arabia was even
better. More... |
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THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980)
Sure, director David "Twins Peaks" Lynch is pretty damned American. But this
is a truly English tale, acted out by the finest British thespians, and shot
by Freddie Francis, the Brit genius who made such wonders as Room At The Top
and The Innocents. Fantastically emotional, and beautifully shot in black and
white, too. More... |
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THE REMAINS OF THE DAY (1993)
You couldn't get away without mentioning Merchant/Ivory and this is arguably
their best. Butler Anthony Hopkins is too painfully repressed to find love
with Emma Thompson, and then wonders if he should have spent his life serving
a Nazi sympathiser and traitor. Stiff upper lips have seldom quivered so
movingly. More... |
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ALFIE (1966)
Michael Caine will only moan if we don't put him in, so here's his
breakthrough performance, as a Cockney Lothario with a twinkle in his eye,
blithely telling us all about his exploits with the birds. Riding the
coat-tails of the Beatles, Stones and Kinks, Alfie was the epitome of Brit
cool. As indeed were Caine's other Sixties hits, Get Carter and The Ipcress
File. More... |
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MONTY PYTHON'S LIFE OF BRIAN (1979)
Hugely controversial on release, and banned from many British cinemas, this
became one of the nation's favourite and most-often-quoted movies. Verbose
terrorists, women in fake beards, unspeakably dull preachers, ex-lepers,
accidental crucifixions, there all there. Plus a final song that, quite
naturally, became an anthem for all long-suffering football fans. More... |
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DON'T LOOK NOW (1973)
Notorious for the sex scenes involving Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland,
but this was one of the most intelligent films ever made. The couple's child
is drowned - can they let her go, or will they find her again in a
frighteningly disorientating Venice? So thought-provoking, so terrifying. More... |
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FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL (1994)
Written by Richard "Blackadder" Curtis and featuring killer comic
performances from the likes of Hugh Grant, Simon Callow and Kristin Scott
Thomas, this was the biggest Brit hit ever, leading on to another monster in
Notting Hill. More... |
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ROOM AT THE TOP (1958)
The Angry Young Men and kitchen sink dramas of the late Fifties and early
Sixties made Britain the undisputed home of social realism. This is perhaps
the best example - beastly Laurence Harvey destroys his love for money, up in
the grimmer-than-grim North. More... |
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THE WICKER MAN (1975)
She probably doesn't approve, but her Majesty's reign has seen we Brits
produce some of the great horror films of all time; Quatermass And The Pit,
The Devil Rides Out, the aforementioned The Innocents, Hammer hits like Curse
Of Frankenstein and Dracula, Prince Of Darkness, what about Theatre Of Blood,
Vincent Price's glorious apotheosis? And The Wicker Man out-shone them all -
copper Ewar Woowar getting turned on, freaked out and burned up by happy
pagans. Amazing. More... |
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PAGE TOOL BOX |
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