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1940s – today

British Cinema

British filmmakers working in fantasy, wartime drama, social realism and visual experiment.

British cinema has no single movement but a strong run of traditions: Hitchcock's early thrillers, the wartime documentary school, the Ealing comedies, Powell and Pressburger's colourful romances, and the grand epics of David Lean. In the late 1950s and 1960s the 'kitchen sink' films of Lindsay Anderson, Karel Reisz and John Schlesinger took on working-class life, and later Ken Loach, Mike Leigh and Terence Davies kept a socially minded realism going. Alongside it runs a fantasy and literary strain, from Alexander Mackendrick's comedies to Peter Greenaway, Derek Jarman and the heritage film.

Where
United Kingdom
When
1930s to the present
Key figures
Alfred Hitchcock, Powell and Pressburger, David Lean, Carol Reed, Lindsay Anderson, Ken Loach, Mike Leigh
Landmark films
The Third Man (1949), The Red Shoes (1948), Brief Encounter (1945), Kes (1969)
Legacy
A lasting tradition of social realism, literary adaptation and comedy

What to look for

  • Class, place and social conditions at the centre of the story
  • Strong literary and theatrical roots
  • Dry, understated humour and realist performances

Famous Directors

Powell & PressburgerUKCarol ReedUKDavid LeanUKKen LoachUKPeter GreenawayUKAlexander MackendrickUK / USAMike LeighUKNicolas RoegUKTerence DaviesUKLindsay AndersonUKStephen FrearsUKKarel ReiszUK (born in Czechoslovakia)Derek JarmanUKSteve McQueenUKLynne RamsayUKGuy RitchieUKStephen DaldryUKJohn SchlesingerUKPaul GreengrassUKAlan ParkerUKDanny BoyleUKRichard AttenboroughUKSam MendesUKKenneth BranaghUK (born in Northern Ireland)
See all 39 directors
Neil JordanIrelandJoseph LoseyUSA / UKJim SheridanIrelandMike NewellUKMichael WinterbottomUKRichard LesterUSA / UKRoland JofféUKBill ForsythUKMichael RadfordUKPeter MullanUKTom StoppardUK (born in Czechoslovakia)Alan BridgesUKDavid HareUKMark Dornford-MaySouth Africa / UKEdward BennettUK

Top 100 rated films

  1. Lawrence of Arabia 1962 · David Lean · IMDb 8.3
  2. American Beauty 1999 · Sam Mendes · IMDb 8.3
  3. Snatch 2000 · Guy Ritchie · IMDb 8.2
  4. 1917 2019 · Sam Mendes · IMDb 8.2
  5. The Red Shoes 1948 · Powell & Pressburger · IMDb 8.1
  6. The Bridge on the River Kwai 1957 · David Lean · IMDb 8.1
  7. The Third Man 1949 · Carol Reed · IMDb 8.1
  8. In the Name of the Father 1993 · Jim Sheridan · IMDb 8.1
  9. 12 Years a Slave 2013 · Steve McQueen · IMDb 8.1
  10. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels 1998 · Guy Ritchie · IMDb 8.1
  11. Trainspotting 1996 · Danny Boyle · IMDb 8.1
  12. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp 1943 · Powell & Pressburger · IMDb 8.0
  13. A Matter of Life and Death 1946 · Powell & Pressburger · IMDb 8.0
  14. Brief Encounter 1945 · David Lean · IMDb 8.0
  15. Sweet Smell of Success 1957 · Alexander Mackendrick · IMDb 8.0
  16. Gandhi 1982 · Richard Attenborough · IMDb 8.0
  17. Secrets & Lies 1996 · Mike Leigh · IMDb 8.0
  18. Slumdog Millionaire 2008 · Danny Boyle · IMDb 8.0
  19. Doctor Zhivago 1965 · David Lean · IMDb 7.9
  20. Kes 1969 · Ken Loach · IMDb 7.9
  21. Great Expectations 1946 · David Lean · IMDb 7.8
  22. Oliver Twist 1948 · David Lean · IMDb 7.8
  23. I, Daniel Blake 2016 · Ken Loach · IMDb 7.8
  24. Midnight Cowboy 1969 · John Schlesinger · IMDb 7.8
  25. Mississippi Burning 1988 · Alan Parker · IMDb 7.8
  26. My Left Foot 1989 · Jim Sheridan · IMDb 7.8
  27. The Killing Fields 1984 · Roland Joffé · IMDb 7.8
  28. Il Postino 1994 · Michael Radford · IMDb 7.8
  29. The Gentlemen 2019 · Guy Ritchie · IMDb 7.8
  30. Captain Phillips 2013 · Paul Greengrass · IMDb 7.8
  31. Skyfall 2012 · Sam Mendes · IMDb 7.8
  32. Black Narcissus 1947 · Powell & Pressburger · IMDb 7.7
  33. Hobson's Choice 1954 · David Lean · IMDb 7.7
  34. The Servant 1963 · Joseph Losey · IMDb 7.7
  35. Donnie Brasco 1997 · Mike Newell · IMDb 7.7
  36. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 2005 · Mike Newell · IMDb 7.7
  37. Billy Elliot 2000 · Stephen Daldry · IMDb 7.7
  38. The Bourne Supremacy 2004 · Paul Greengrass · IMDb 7.7
  39. Hamlet 1996 · Kenneth Branagh · IMDb 7.7
  40. The Magdalene Sisters 2002 · Peter Mullan · IMDb 7.7
  41. Odd Man Out 1947 · Carol Reed · IMDb 7.6
  42. The Fallen Idol 1948 · Carol Reed · IMDb 7.6
  43. The Ladykillers 1955 · Alexander Mackendrick · IMDb 7.6
  44. Sorry We Missed You 2019 · Ken Loach · IMDb 7.6
  45. Walkabout 1971 · Nicolas Roeg · IMDb 7.6
  46. O Lucky Man! 1973 · Lindsay Anderson · IMDb 7.6
  47. The Commitments 1991 · Alan Parker · IMDb 7.6
  48. In America 2002 · Jim Sheridan · IMDb 7.6
  49. Naked 1993 · Mike Leigh · IMDb 7.6
  50. Vera Drake 2004 · Mike Leigh · IMDb 7.6
  51. Philomena 2013 · Stephen Frears · IMDb 7.6
  52. The Reader 2008 · Stephen Daldry · IMDb 7.6
  53. United 93 2006 · Paul Greengrass · IMDb 7.6
  54. Bloody Sunday 2002 · Paul Greengrass · IMDb 7.6
  55. Road to Perdition 2002 · Sam Mendes · IMDb 7.6
  56. King and Country 1964 · Joseph Losey · IMDb 7.5
  57. Mr. Klein 1976 · Joseph Losey · IMDb 7.5
  58. Don Giovanni 1979 · Joseph Losey · IMDb 7.5
  59. Family Life 1971 · Ken Loach · IMDb 7.5
  60. Land and Freedom 1995 · Ken Loach · IMDb 7.5
  61. The Wind That Shakes the Barley 2006 · Ken Loach · IMDb 7.5
  62. This Sporting Life 1963 · Lindsay Anderson · IMDb 7.5
  63. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning 1960 · Karel Reisz · IMDb 7.5
  64. Midnight Express 1978 · Alan Parker · IMDb 7.5
  65. Chaplin 1992 · Richard Attenborough · IMDb 7.5
  66. A Hard Day's Night 1964 · Richard Lester · IMDb 7.5
  67. The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover 1989 · Peter Greenaway · IMDb 7.5
  68. Dangerous Liaisons 1988 · Stephen Frears · IMDb 7.5
  69. Hunger 2008 · Steve McQueen · IMDb 7.5
  70. Ratcatcher 1999 · Lynne Ramsay · IMDb 7.5
  71. Sherlock Holmes 2009 · Guy Ritchie · IMDb 7.5
  72. The Hours 2002 · Stephen Daldry · IMDb 7.5
  73. 28 Days Later 2002 · Danny Boyle · IMDb 7.5
  74. 127 Hours 2010 · Danny Boyle · IMDb 7.5
  75. I Know Where I'm Going! 1945 · Powell & Pressburger · IMDb 7.4
  76. Ryan's Daughter 1970 · David Lean · IMDb 7.4
  77. Oliver! 1968 · Carol Reed · IMDb 7.4
  78. My Name Is Joe 1998 · Ken Loach · IMDb 7.4
  79. Sweet Sixteen 2002 · Ken Loach · IMDb 7.4
  80. if.... 1968 · Lindsay Anderson · IMDb 7.4
  81. Marathon Man 1976 · John Schlesinger · IMDb 7.4
  82. A Bridge Too Far 1977 · Richard Attenborough · IMDb 7.4
  83. Cry Freedom 1987 · Richard Attenborough · IMDb 7.4
  84. The Mission (1986) 1986 · Roland Joffé · IMDb 7.4
  85. Life Is Sweet 1990 · Mike Leigh · IMDb 7.4
  86. Distant Voices, Still Lives 1988 · Terence Davies · IMDb 7.4
  87. High Fidelity 2000 · Stephen Frears · IMDb 7.4
  88. We Need to Talk About Kevin 2011 · Lynne Ramsay · IMDb 7.4
  89. Henry V 1989 · Kenneth Branagh · IMDb 7.4
  90. 49th Parallel 1941 · Powell & Pressburger · IMDb 7.3
  91. A Canterbury Tale 1944 · Powell & Pressburger · IMDb 7.3
  92. This Happy Breed 1944 · David Lean · IMDb 7.3
  93. A Passage to India 1984 · David Lean · IMDb 7.3
  94. Mandy 1952 · Alexander Mackendrick · IMDb 7.3
  95. Raining Stones 1993 · Ken Loach · IMDb 7.3
  96. Blue 1993 · Derek Jarman · IMDb 7.3
  97. A Kind of Loving 1962 · John Schlesinger · IMDb 7.3
  98. Mona Lisa 1986 · Neil Jordan · IMDb 7.3
  99. The Field 1990 · Jim Sheridan · IMDb 7.3
  100. Enchanted April 1992 · Mike Newell · IMDb 7.3