UK

British cinema has often lived in the shadow of Hollywood, yet it has a strong documentary tradition and a long record of literary adaptation. The Ealing comedies, the Powell and Pressburger fantasies and the lavish Korda productions marked the postwar years, and 1960s kitchen-sink realism brought working-class life to the screen. Directors such as Hitchcock and Chaplin left to work in the United States, while television, especially the BBC and Channel 4, has funded much of the country's best film work.

Famous Directors

Alan BridgesUKAlan ParkerUKAlexander MackendrickUK / USAAlfred HitchcockUK / USAAndrea ArnoldUKBill ForsythUKCarol ReedUKCCharles LaughtonUKCharlie ChaplinUK / USAChristopher NolanUK / USADanny BoyleUKDavid HareUKDavid LeanUKDerek JarmanUKEdward BennettUKGuy HamiltonUKGuy RitchieUKJames WhaleUK / USAJohn BoormanUKJohn SchlesingerUKKarel ReiszUK (born in Czechoslovakia)Ken LoachUKKenneth BranaghUK (born in Northern Ireland)Lindsay AndersonUK

See all 44 directors

Lynne RamsayUKMichael RadfordUKMichael WinterbottomUKMike LeighUKMike NewellUKNicolas RoegUKPaul GreengrassUKPeter GreenawayUKPeter MullanUKPowell & PressburgerUKRichard AttenboroughUKRidley ScottUKRoland JofféUKSam MendesUKStephen DaldryUKStephen FrearsUKSteve McQueenUKTerence DaviesUKTerence YoungUKTom StoppardUK (born in Czechoslovakia)

Top 100 rated films

1. The Dark Knight 2008 · Christopher Nolan · IMDb 9.1
2. Inception 2010 · Christopher Nolan · IMDb 8.8
3. Interstellar 2014 · Christopher Nolan · IMDb 8.7
4. City Lights 1931 · Charlie Chaplin · IMDb 8.5
5. Modern Times 1936 · Charlie Chaplin · IMDb 8.5
6. Psycho 1960 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 8.5
7. Gladiator 2000 · Ridley Scott · IMDb 8.5
8. The Prestige 2006 · Christopher Nolan · IMDb 8.5
9. The Great Dictator 1940 · Charlie Chaplin · IMDb 8.4
10. Rear Window 1954 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 8.4
11. Alien 1979 · Ridley Scott · IMDb 8.4
12. Memento 2000 · Christopher Nolan · IMDb 8.4
13. Lawrence of Arabia 1962 · David Lean · IMDb 8.3
14. American Beauty 1999 · Sam Mendes · IMDb 8.3
15. The Kid 1921 · Charlie Chaplin · IMDb 8.2
16. Vertigo 1958 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 8.2
17. North by Northwest 1959 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 8.2
18. Oppenheimer 2023 · Christopher Nolan · IMDb 8.2
19. Snatch 2000 · Guy Ritchie · IMDb 8.2
20. 1917 2019 · Sam Mendes · IMDb 8.2
21. The Gold Rush 1925 · Charlie Chaplin · IMDb 8.1
22. The Circus 1928 · Charlie Chaplin · IMDb 8.1
23. Dial M for Murder 1954 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 8.1
24. The Red Shoes 1948 · Powell & Pressburger · IMDb 8.1
25. The Bridge on the River Kwai 1957 · David Lean · IMDb 8.1
26. The Third Man 1949 · Carol Reed · IMDb 8.1
27. Blade Runner 1982 · Ridley Scott · IMDb 8.1
28. 12 Years a Slave 2013 · Steve McQueen · IMDb 8.1
29. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels 1998 · Guy Ritchie · IMDb 8.1
30. Trainspotting 1996 · Danny Boyle · IMDb 8.1
31. Limelight 1952 · Charlie Chaplin · IMDb 8.0
32. Rebecca 1940 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 8.0
33. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp 1943 · Powell & Pressburger · IMDb 8.0
34. A Matter of Life and Death 1946 · Powell & Pressburger · IMDb 8.0
35. Brief Encounter 1945 · David Lean · IMDb 8.0
36. Sweet Smell of Success 1957 · Alexander Mackendrick · IMDb 8.0
37. Gandhi 1982 · Richard Attenborough · IMDb 8.0
38. Secrets & Lies 1996 · Mike Leigh · IMDb 8.0
39. Slumdog Millionaire 2008 · Danny Boyle · IMDb 8.0
40. Notorious 1946 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 7.9
41. Rope 1948 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 7.9
42. Strangers on a Train 1951 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 7.9
43. Doctor Zhivago 1965 · David Lean · IMDb 7.9
44. Kes 1969 · Ken Loach · IMDb 7.9
45. The Night of the Hunter 1955 · Charles Laughton · IMDb 7.9
46. Monsieur Verdoux 1947 · Charlie Chaplin · IMDb 7.8
47. Great Expectations 1946 · David Lean · IMDb 7.8
48. Oliver Twist 1948 · David Lean · IMDb 7.8
49. Bride of Frankenstein 1935 · James Whale · IMDb 7.8
50. I, Daniel Blake 2016 · Ken Loach · IMDb 7.8
51. Midnight Cowboy 1969 · John Schlesinger · IMDb 7.8
52. Mississippi Burning 1988 · Alan Parker · IMDb 7.8
53. The Killing Fields 1984 · Roland Joffé · IMDb 7.8
54. Il Postino 1994 · Michael Radford · IMDb 7.8
55. Dunkirk 2017 · Christopher Nolan · IMDb 7.8
56. The Gentlemen 2019 · Guy Ritchie · IMDb 7.8
57. Captain Phillips 2013 · Paul Greengrass · IMDb 7.8
58. Skyfall 2012 · Sam Mendes · IMDb 7.8
59. The Lady Vanishes 1938 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 7.7
60. Shadow of a Doubt 1943 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 7.7
61. Black Narcissus 1947 · Powell & Pressburger · IMDb 7.7
62. Hobson's Choice 1954 · David Lean · IMDb 7.7
63. Frankenstein 1931 · James Whale · IMDb 7.7
64. Donnie Brasco 1997 · Mike Newell · IMDb 7.7
65. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 2005 · Mike Newell · IMDb 7.7
66. Billy Elliot 2000 · Stephen Daldry · IMDb 7.7
67. The Bourne Supremacy 2004 · Paul Greengrass · IMDb 7.7
68. Hamlet 1996 · Kenneth Branagh · IMDb 7.7
69. The Magdalene Sisters 2002 · Peter Mullan · IMDb 7.7
70. Goldfinger 1964 · Guy Hamilton · IMDb 7.7
71. Wait Until Dark 1967 · Terence Young · IMDb 7.7
72. A Dog's Life 1918 · Charlie Chaplin · IMDb 7.6
73. The 39 Steps 1935 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 7.6
74. Lifeboat 1944 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 7.6
75. The Birds 1963 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 7.6
76. Odd Man Out 1947 · Carol Reed · IMDb 7.6
77. The Fallen Idol 1948 · Carol Reed · IMDb 7.6
78. The Ladykillers 1955 · Alexander Mackendrick · IMDb 7.6
79. The Invisible Man 1933 · James Whale · IMDb 7.6
80. Sorry We Missed You 2019 · Ken Loach · IMDb 7.6
81. Walkabout 1971 · Nicolas Roeg · IMDb 7.6
82. Thelma & Louise 1991 · Ridley Scott · IMDb 7.6
83. O Lucky Man! 1973 · Lindsay Anderson · IMDb 7.6
84. The Commitments 1991 · Alan Parker · IMDb 7.6
85. Naked 1993 · Mike Leigh · IMDb 7.6
86. Vera Drake 2004 · Mike Leigh · IMDb 7.6
87. Philomena 2013 · Stephen Frears · IMDb 7.6
88. The Reader 2008 · Stephen Daldry · IMDb 7.6
89. United 93 2006 · Paul Greengrass · IMDb 7.6
90. Bloody Sunday 2002 · Paul Greengrass · IMDb 7.6
91. Road to Perdition 2002 · Sam Mendes · IMDb 7.6
92. Deliverance 1972 · John Boorman · IMDb 7.6
93. The Immigrant 1917 · Charlie Chaplin · IMDb 7.5
94. Spellbound 1945 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 7.5
95. Family Life 1971 · Ken Loach · IMDb 7.5
96. Land and Freedom 1995 · Ken Loach · IMDb 7.5
97. The Wind That Shakes the Barley 2006 · Ken Loach · IMDb 7.5
98. This Sporting Life 1963 · Lindsay Anderson · IMDb 7.5
99. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning 1960 · Karel Reisz · IMDb 7.5
100. Midnight Express 1978 · Alan Parker · IMDb 7.5