List by Adam Cook Patron
Great Britain, Great Cinema
It is easy to forget how many great films and filmmakers Britain has produced over the years. Here are my personal favourites (in no order) which I will add to over time.
I have limited the list to films set in Britain and Ireland (with a couple of exceptions).
Oh,I noticed you included two versions of Hamlet,which one do you prefer?
Any special recommendations here which might have been ignored?
I like both versions of Hamlet very much. The Olivier version is perhaps the better film but I think I prefer Brannagh's interpretation slightly more.
Recommending ignored films is slightly tricky as I don't know how familiar you are with British cinema. However, I think Obsession, The Offence, Last Resort, 10 Rillington Place, Overlord and Wings of Fame deserve much wider recognition.
Do you know there is also a Russian version of Hamlet which is also quite well-known? I like Brannagh's version more,I was blown away by some very theatrical and tense scenes.
Thanks for all the recommendations,I have seen none of them.
No love for any of these? Once, London River, Tyrannosaur, Jane Eyre, Billy Elliot, Goodbye Mr. Chips, The Damned United, The Girl in the Cafe, In the Loop, An Education, 39 Steps (England & Scotland), 84 Charing Cross Road, Sleuth, To Sir With Love, Pygmalion, The Browning Version, Frenzy, Howard's End, Remains of the Day
@Lise: Thanks for the suggestions. I had forgotten about Sleuth (original of course), Once and Frenzy. The others are films I personally don't think are great (In the Loop would probably be on here if it weren't for the fact it was predominantly set in America).
@Phil: Nice list. I nearly put The Shout on my list too.
Where's Kind Hearts & Coronets, also Human Traffic with a tip top Danny "pwoper nawty" Dyer performance (i wont hear a word against him in that film)
Kind Hearts & Coronets is on the eighth row (far right). I hated Human Traffic so that's why it's not on the list.
Apologies, mobile browsing fail there. As for Human Traffic, i would say target demographic comes in to play.
I was 17-18 when Human Traffic came out and just getting into the club scene myself so I guess you could say I was the target demographic (or close enough at least). I still hated the film though. ;)
@adam, i've got 10 years you on you (sadly), for me was a joyous retrospective of the clubbing scene from 10 years prior to it's release. Carl Cox was in it, who i saw on the upper deck of hastings pier (downstairs was rat pack who were apparently searching for a rizla), anyway, i digress, he was with Sasha & Digweed, but unlike them, he operated 3 decks, which was some achievement with a cigarette in one hand and drink in the other :)
Great list! Being Irish I would highlight that 'Once' is a completely Irish film: actor/director/writer/funding. But there are plenty of films on here that I must catch up with.
A fair point and in a sign of goodwill between our two countries I have removed it from the list. ;-)
@Adam lol! We won't go to war over it. Sometimes it can get very blurry; for instance 'In Bruges' could easily be categorized as British but most of the creative principals are Irish, but I would be okay with it being classified as British.
Film ownership is always one of those tricky areas - is it where most of the creative talent comes from? Or the money? Even the location can play a factor at times.
Great Calls on Fish Tank and The Haunting. Four possible gaps: Gangster No. 1, Layer Cake, Bunny Lake is Missing, An Education
Good suggestion of Bunny Lake is Missing but I personally consider the other films to be merely decent.
What about The Spy Who Came In From The Cold,Zulu and the excellent ,Shallow Grave,Snatch, Lock Stock and Layer Cake.
Shallow Grave is already on there but I'm not a huge fan of Snatch, Lock Stock or Layer Cake (although I don't mind any of them). However, I have just added Zulu and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold as they certainly deserve a mention.