22 best British films of all time

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Great classics, epoch-making comedies and provocative films, banned in many countries.

22. Dracula

• Great Britain, 1958.
• Horror.
• Duration: 82 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

Vampire hunter Jonathan Harker arrives at Count Dracula's estate disguised as a librarian. He tries to destroy the bloodsucker, but he turns out to be more cunning. However, this is not the end of Dracula's problems. Dr. Van Helsing is already looking for him.

The adaptation of the novel of the same name by Bram Stoker, in which Christopher Lee and Peter Kasching played, launched a whole series of pictures by the Hammer studio dedicated to vampires. It was in these films that Dracula first appeared not as a theatrical monster, but as a realistic and very dangerous villain. The image of Christopher Lee became canon, and a significant part of subsequent paintings about vampires refer to him.

21. The English Patient

• UK, USA, 1996.
• Drama, melodrama, military.
• Duration: 155 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 4.

During World War II, a small plane crashes in the Sahara. The burned pilot is transported to Italy, where he is looked after by a young nurse, despite the understanding that the "English patient" will not survive anyway. And before he dies, he tells his story to a new acquaintance.

The adaptation of the popular novel by Michael Ondaatje, which won the Booker Prize for it, became an Oscar winner. The film received 12 nominations and took away 10 awards, including Best Picture.

20. The Beatles: A Hard Day's Evening

• Great Britain, 1964.
• Comedy, musical.
• Duration: 87 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

The Beatles go to a concert in London. During the day, musicians have to flee from obsessive fans, Paul is forced to keep an eye on his grandfather, and John has to prove his identity. And right before the performance, Ringo disappears somewhere.

Of course, the list of English films cannot do without a picture of the most famous group of Foggy Albion. This musical comedy ironically tells about the everyday life of the stars, and at the same time introduces many songs of the album of the same name by The Beatles.

19.39 steps

• Great Britain, 1935.
• Thriller, detective.
• Duration: 84 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

Canadian Richard Henney meets the beautiful Annabella in London, who asks to protect her from her pursuers. Richard does not take the girl's words seriously, but at night she really dies. Now the hero has to prove his innocence and flee both from the police and from real killers.

Before moving to the United States, the famous Alfred Hitchcock shot several iconic films in his homeland, England. "39 Steps" was the first work of the director, in which he focused not on the believability of the plot, but on the emotional component. In addition, Hitchcock, with the help of a very fast editing for those times, showed an incredibly nervous atmosphere.

18.28 days later

• Great Britain, Spain, 2002.
• Horror, fantasy, drama.
• Duration: 113 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

While the courier Jim lay in a coma, the apocalypse began in the UK. Having come to his senses, the hero discovers that the country is engulfed in an epidemic: because of an unknown virus, people turn into mindless killers. Jim meets several other survivors and tries to get to the hideout.

Danny Boyle, one of the main contemporary British directors, has managed to revive the horror film genre that had died out by the beginning of the 21st century. In his picture, people, turning into zombies, do not change too much physically, but they become very aggressive. And besides, he showed that survivors can behave no less dangerous than monsters. So the director hinted at the increasing toxicity in modern society.

17. Goldfinger

• Great Britain, 1964.
• Action, adventure.
• Duration: 110 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 7.

Secret agent 007 must stop the wealthy Aurik Goldfinger, who plans to destroy the entire US gold reserve by detonating a radioactive bomb in the vault. The villain wants to destroy capitalist society and add value to his wealth.

A series of James Bond films starring Sean Connery began in 1962 with the film Doctor No. But the franchise reached its peak of popularity just with the release of Goldfinger. This part is still considered by many viewers and critics as the best story about 007.

16. Hamlet

• Great Britain, 1948.
• Drama.
• Duration: 154 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

After the death of the King of Denmark and the hasty wedding of Queen Gertrude with his brother, the ghost of his father comes to Prince Hamlet. He says that he was actually poisoned. Now the hero wants to take revenge on the villain.

William Shakespeare's Hamlet has been screened dozens of times. But the British film by Laurence Olivier, who personally played the main role, is still considered one of the most iconic and impressive versions. The proof is four Oscars. In particular, for "Best Film" and "Best Actor".

15. Great hopes

• Great Britain, 1946.
• Drama, detective, adventure.
• Duration: 118 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 8.

The life of a young orphan named Pip is not very pleasant. He is looked after by his sister, who often hits and insults his brother. But one day the hero brings food and a file to an escaped convict to free himself from the shackles. Pip does not even know that this act will affect his future life.

Surprisingly, David Lin was not the first to film the novel of the same name by Charles Dickens. Back in 1917, the painting of the same name by Robert Vignola was published in the USA. Yet it was the 1946 version that turned out to be the closest to the atmosphere of the book itself.

14. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

• UK, USA, 2004.
• Fantasy, adventure.
• Duration: 142 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 9.

In the third part of the franchise, already grown up Harry, Ron and Hermione are faced with a new problem - a criminal who escaped from Azkaban prison guarded by creepy Dementors. Everyone claims that Harry is now in mortal danger.

Of course, the entire Harry Potter series is important to British cinema. But it was in this part that the visionary Alfonso Cuarón took over as director, replacing the master of children's films, Chris Columbus. Therefore, "Prisoner of Azkaban" looks darker, but very exciting.

13. Brazil

• Great Britain, 1985.
• Drama, fantasy.
• Duration: 132 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 9.

Sam Lauri's life was calm and measured, until one day he met a girl whom he had constantly seen in a dream before and fell in love. The trouble is that his new acquaintance is being hunted by the staff of the information correction department.

Former Monty Python comedian Terry Gilliam has directed one of the most impressive dystopias ever. Interestingly, in the American box office, they tried to remount the film, adding an illogical happy ending to the plot. But the director defended his vision of the picture, which ended very gloomily.

12. Zombie named Sean

• UK, France, 2004.
• Comedy, horror.
• Duration: 100 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 9.

Sales assistant Sean is mired in a routine and is not interested in practically anything in life. He doesn't even immediately notice that his hometown has been invaded by zombies. However, it is Sean and his friends who will have to confront the monsters.

Prior to this film, director Edgar Wright and actor Simon Pegg had already worked together on the series Fucked Up, which delighted audiences with many pop culture references. Exactly the same techniques migrated to their first full-length work. Sean the Zombie surprises with a mix of classic horror moves, comedy scenes and expert editing. Later, Wright created an entire trilogy, Blood and Ice Cream, parodying various genres.

11. Short meeting

• Great Britain, 1945.
• Drama, melodrama.
• Duration: 86 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

Laura Jesson, a mother of two, and Dr. Alec Harvey meet at a train station cafe when a speck of a speck hits the heroine's eye. They fall in love instantly and start dating at the same place every week. But both heroes know that this love has no future.

David Lin filmed this magnificent melodrama right during the Second World War. To do this, they chose a convenient railway station, where you can quickly turn off the lights during the raids. And on May 8, the authors even had to stop work, as all the cameras were taken away to film the celebrations. The film turned out to be incredibly popular with viewers, and the station where the film is set has become a cult place for its fans.

10. Kind hearts and crowns

• Great Britain, 1949.
• Comedy, crime.
• Duration: 106 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

Luis Mazzini goes to jail for a murder he did not commit. And this is very ironic, because in fact he is guilty of the deaths of many other people, which he talks about in his memoirs.

The black comedy, dedicated to cynical murders for the sake of obtaining the title, caused many scandals, and it was even allowed into the American rental only when a more positive ending was added to the plot. And also in "Kind Hearts and Crowns" the famous Alec Guinness played eight roles at once. And one of them is female.

9. The King Speaks

• UK, USA, Australia, 2010.
• Drama, biography, historical.
• Duration: 118 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

Prince Albert is preparing to become the new king of Great Britain. But in order to look decent in front of the people, he needs to overcome fear and, most importantly, a strong nervous stuttering. For this, the hero turns to a very unusual speech therapist Lionel Logue for help.

Based on real events, Tom Hooper's picture became a real hit at the box office, having paid off dozens of times. And at the same time, she shone at all film awards, having received four Oscars with 12 nominations and seven BAFTAs with 13 nominations.

8. Stairway to Heaven

• Great Britain, 1946.
• Melodrama, fantasy, comedy.
• Duration: 104 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 1.

During World War II, British pilot Peter Carter miraculously survives the crash and immediately meets the American radio operator June. But in heaven they think that all this is a mistake and the hero should have died. For the right to stay with his beloved, Peter will have to fight in court.

The painting uses an unusual move to show the contrast of the real and celestial worlds: part of the action is presented in color, and the other is black and white. Interestingly, this touching picture actually had a purely political overtones. The British government wanted to slightly strengthen relations with the United States, and therefore ordered the filming of a love story between representatives of the two peoples.

7. Brian's Life by Monty Python

• Great Britain, 1979.
• Comedy.
• Duration: 94 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 1.

It so happened that Brian was born exactly on the same day and hour as Jesus, and even in a neighboring house. And then the Magi got a little confused and brought gifts to the wrong child. And now everyone considers Brian the Messiah, and he fails to dissuade his followers.

The crazy absurd humor of the Monty Python comic troupe is known all over the world. In addition to the legendary TV show, the authors have shot several feature films. "The Life of Brian" is one of the most striking works of comedians, ridiculing literally all movements of fanatics: from Christians to nationalists. Because of this, the painting, of course, was banned in many countries.

6. Red shoes

• Great Britain, 1948.
• Drama, melodrama, musical.
• Duration: 135 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 1.

Boris Lermontov is obsessed with the idea of finding the best ballerina who will give up her personal life for the stage. The talented Victoria seems to him an ideal candidate. But soon the girl falls in love with the composer Julian.

Interestingly, in the UK itself, where the picture was filmed, "Red Shoes" was received coolly. But for post-war America, the film turned out to be a real breakthrough. The audience enjoyed the opportunity to touch the high art. As a result, in some cinemas the film was not removed from the box office for two years in a row.

5. On the needle

• UK, 1995.
• Drama, crime.
• Duration: 93 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 1.

Slacker Mark Renton and his Edinburgh friends are addicted to drugs. Some of them are trying to fight addiction. Others simply don’t imagine themselves sober. But the life of each of them inevitably goes downhill.

The adaptation of Irwin Welch's novel tells the story of the life of drug addicts in the first person. The combination of provocative themes and dark humor has provided the picture with a cult status. And 20 years later, exactly the same team of the director and the leading actors gathered to shoot the sequel to Trainspotting - 2, which tells about the mature years of the heroes.

4. Third person

• Great Britain, 1949.
• Thriller, detective.
• Duration: 104 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 1.

Tabloid writer Holly Martins comes to Vienna to meet her buddy Harry Lyme. But it turns out that a friend who was being tracked down by the police died in an accident. Martins decides to figure out the circumstances of Lyme's death himself and restore his good name.

The classic noir film by Carol Reed is still considered one of the finest detectives in history to this day. The picture perfectly combines drama, tense atmosphere and intricate unpredictable plot.

3. Lock, money, two barrels

• UK, 1998.
• Crime, comedy.
• Duration: 107 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 2.

Four heroes try to get rich by playing cards. Only a professional sharper comes across to them as rivals. Mired in debt, friends decide to commit a crime and go to rob bandits who have just robbed drug dealers. With each move, the story is twisted more and more.

Guy Ritchie's first film set the style for his future works for a long time - the director has shot many more crime comedies with many storylines. Then he went into less successful experiments, but in 2020 he returned to his favorite topic in "Gentlemen".

2. A Clockwork Orange

• Great Britain, USA, 1971.
• Drama, crime, fantasy.
• Duration: 137 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 3.

Young and cynical Alex DeLarge leads a gang of thugs known for their brutality. But after teenagers burst into the writer's house, the hero is sent for treatment, which radically changes his life.

After moving to England, Stanley Kubrick took up the adaptation of Anthony Burgess's dystopian novel. Moreover, the director decided not to spare the audience, showing many scenes of outright violence. This is how Kubrick wanted to demonstrate what happens when the state gains absolute control over a person.

But in the end, the picture seemed so provocative to many that they began to ban it in different countries. And then Kubrick himself, disappointed with the reaction of the audience, demanded to withdraw the tape from the British box office.

1. Lawrence of Arabia

• Great Britain, 1962.
• Drama, historical, military.
• Duration: 216 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 3.

During the First World War, a young officer in the British army, Lawrence, gets into an argument with the general. As punishment, he is sent to Syria, where the hero becomes the leader of the guerrilla war of the Arabs against the Turks.

The plot of the epoch-making painting by David Lean is based on the real biography of Thomas Edward Lawrence, nicknamed the Arabian. The picture has earned universal recognition, having received seven "Oscars" in 10 nominations.