Classic British Films.
My list covers a variety of genres throughout the decades, starring some of the biggest actors from the British acting industry. The likes of Alec Guinness, John Mills and Robert Newton brought the storylines to life, not to mention the directors who would place their own style on their films. Apart from the classics, my list also includes some of the more obscure titles.
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- DirectorMichael PowellEmeric PressburgerStarsDavid NivenKim HunterRobert CooteA British wartime aviator who cheats death must argue for his life before a celestial court, hoping to prolong his fledgling romance with an American girl.A defining film of the times.
- DirectorCarol ReedStarsRalph RichardsonMichèle MorganSonia DresdelA butler working in a foreign embassy in London falls under suspicion when his wife accidentally falls to her death, the only witness being an impressionable young boy.
- DirectorSidney GilliatStarsAlastair SimSally GrayTrevor HowardA Scotland Yard Inspector investigates odd hospital deaths during the London Blitz.Although billed amongst the supporting cast, Alastair Sim steals the film.
- DirectorJohn BoultingStarsRichard AttenboroughHermione BaddeleyWilliam HartnellIn Brighton in 1935, small-time gang leader Pinkie Brown murders a journalist and later desperately tries to cover his tracks but runs into trouble with the police, a few witnesses, and a rival gang.Raw, unyielding and unforgettable!
- DirectorCarol ReedStarsOrson WellesJoseph CottenAlida ValliPulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, Harry Lime.A masterpiece of filmmaking that has stood the test of time.
- DirectorRobert HamerStarsMervyn JohnsMary MerrallGordon JacksonA drunken, abusive tavern-keeper's adulterous wife uses the backward son of a rigid, puritanical pharmacist who makes his entire family miserable.Uninvolving story partly defeats the film.
- DirectorMichael PowellEmeric PressburgerStarsRoger LiveseyDeborah KerrAnton WalbrookFrom the Boer War through World War II, a soldier rises through the ranks in the British military.Brilliant film!
- DirectorRobert HamerStarsGoogie WithersJack WarnerJohn McCallumAn escaped convict tries to hide out at his former lover's house, but she has since married and is reluctant to help him.Very enjoyable throughout.
- DirectorRoy Ward BakerStarsJohn MillsJoan GreenwoodEdward ChapmanWhen the murder of a young woman happens, her next-door neighbor is under suspicion due to his previous stay in a mental hospital.Mills is on top form in a first rate thriller.
- DirectorDavid LeanStarsRobert NewtonAlec GuinnessKay WalshIn Charles Dickens' classic tale, an orphan wends his way from cruel apprenticeship to den of thieves in search of a true home.My favourite adaptation of Charles Dickens.
- DirectorAlexander MackendrickStarsAlec GuinnessJoan GreenwoodCecil ParkerAn altruistic chemist invents a fabric which resists wear and stain as a boon to humanity, but big business and labor realize it must be suppressed for economic reasons.
- DirectorMichael PowellEmeric PressburgerStarsDeborah KerrDavid FarrarFlora RobsonA group of nuns struggle to establish a convent in the Himalayas, while isolation, extreme weather, altitude, and culture clashes all conspire to drive the well-intentioned missionaries mad.
- DirectorDavid LeanStarsRex HarrisonConstance CummingsKay HammondA man and his second wife are haunted by the ghost of his first wife.
- DirectorSam WoodSidney FranklinStarsRobert DonatGreer GarsonTerry KilburnAn aged teacher and former headmaster of a boarding school recalls his career and his personal life over the decades.Donat's greatest triumph.
- DirectorRené ClairStarsRobert DonatJean ParkerEugene PalletteA haunted Scottish castle is dismantled and transported to Florida, bringing the family ghost along with it.
- DirectorAlberto CavalcantiCharles CrichtonBasil DeardenStarsMervyn JohnsMichael RedgraveRoland CulverGuests at an English estate recall nightmares.A disturbing film and brilliantly made.
- DirectorEugene FordeStarsGordon HarkerAlastair SimMiki HoodInspector Hornleigh and his assistant Sergeant Bingham are called in to investigate a murder that involves the theft of government secrets.The two leads are effective and the story has intrigue.
- DirectorWalter FordeStarsGordon HarkerAlastair SimLinden TraversIt comes as no surprise when Inspector Hornleigh and his assistant, Sergeant Bingham, go to enjoy the winds and rains on their annual seaside vacation, when they run into a "busman's holiday." One of their fellow boarders at Balmoral Guest House, Captain Fraser of the Royal Navy, goes out one dismal night with his pet terrier and is found crushed and burned to death in his wrecked roadster at the foot of a cliff. Hornleigh and Bingham, residing at Brighthaven incognito and the last people to see Fraser, are taken into custody by the local police. It was impossible to identify the charred body and the dog is missing. Hornleigh, suspecting murder, identifies himself and goes to work on the case. He proves that the crash was neither suicide nor accident, and that the body is not Fraser, despite an identifying tattoo on the back of his hand.
- DirectorWalter FordeStarsGordon HarkerAlastair SimPhyllis CalvertThe plot pits Hornleigh and Bingham against a clever gang of Nazi espionage agents. Most of the action takes place aboard a speeding train, with our heroes never quite certain who can be trusted and who can't. Phyllis Calvert contributes to the intrigue as one Mrs. Wilkinson who is not all she seems to be.Solid entertainment.
- DirectorWalter FordeStarsHugh SinclairGriffith JonesFrancis L. SullivanThe four men of the title are British WWI veterans who decide to work secretly against enemies of the country. They aren't above a bit of murder or sabotage to serve their ends, but they consider themselves to be true patriots.Overall, effective story and solidly made film.
- DirectorPhilip BrandonStarsLinden TraversJohn WarwickPatricia HilliardA millionaire disappears after a blackmail attempt by criminal, The Panda. His sister tries to help the police find him and deal with an aftermath of murder and mystery.Very poor.
- DirectorRichard BirdStarsWilfrid LawsonBernard LeeArthur WontnerA criminal mastermind robs gold, frames his gang, keeps loot. Freed gang searches for ex-boss for revenge and their share.Underrated Edgar Wallace adaptation.
- DirectorRalph ThomasStarsDavid NivenGlynis JohnsGeorge CoulourisDuring WW2, British Major Valentine Moreland is tasked with rescuing a prized pedigree cow from the German-occupied Channel Island of Armorel.
- DirectorBasil DeardenStarsJack WarnerDirk BogardeJimmy HanleyThe daily routine of two London policemen is interrupted by a killer.Shocking for its time.
- DirectorSidney ColeCharles CrichtonBasil DeardenStarsJack WarnerGladys HensonSusan ShawA train disaster is told as four short stories to give character studies of the people involved, how it will affect them, and how they deal with it.Missed opportunities.
