BFI TOP 100

A simple and terribly British tale of true love. Everything about it is perfect, from the two lead performances, to the locations to the brilliant Rachmaninov soundtrack.

Brilliant film by Hitchcock. Only slightly disappointing part was the ending.

As is the case with the later Oliver Twist, this is a great Dickens adaption by David Lean. Right from the first shot Lean and photographer Guy Green capture the bleakness perfectly. Whilst not giving a bad performance I think John Mills was too old to play Pip as a young man. Pip and Estella in their younger years however, played by Tony Wager and Jean Simmons, were perfectly cast.

Great performances from Dennis Price as the quintessentially British and exceedingly charming serial killer plus man of many faces Alec Guinness, as no less than eight members of the D'Ascoyne family.

"I shot an arrow in the air; she fell to earth in Berkeley Square."

Really great film from Ken Loach, "gritty Northern drama"

A great horror film with a bizarre twist at the end.

Powell and Pressburger do it again. A beautiful film shot in technicolor about a woman forced to chose between her two loves, her husband and the ballet. The 15 minute dance sequence is glorious.

Classic. A stunning film which to this day is still powerful. Malcolm McDowell gives a great performance in what was his first major role. Love the jumps from colour to black and white, even if it was down to budget!

A classic of the British New Wave genre. A truly great film not to be missed.

An excellent Brit Noir, with an outstanding performance by Richard Attenborough as the ruthless young gangster "Pinkie".

They don't make films like this anymore. David Niven is the fighter pilot who falls in love with Kim Hunter in his final few minutes, yet his angel of death misses him so he appeals for his chance to live.
Earth is portrayed in rich technicolour while the afterlife is monochrome. A beautiful, ahead of it's time fantasy by Powell & Pressburger. A must see.

"He's not the Messiah. He's a very naughty boy!"

Monty Python is genius.

" We've gone on holiday by mistake"

Probably the best British comedy ever.

I enjoyed this film. The character Alfie was a bit of a bastard towards his women (always refering to them as "it")but Michael Caine bought a certain charm to the character making him more likeable. This is meant to be a comedy but there were some pretty grim scenes (mainly the illegal abortion scen...(read more)e). Shelley Winters also put in a good performance who in the end gave Alfie a taste of his own medicine.
In all a good film showing another side of 60s London, but nowadays is slightly dated.

An early masterpiece by Hitchcock. As previously said, the start is a bit slow but once they get on the train the suspense kicks in and your hooked.

Incredibly moving and real piece of cinema. One of the best British films of the 90s.

A masterpiece from Powell and Pressburger.
The Technicolour is just beautiful, the colours are just so powerful, especially in the scene with Kathleen Byron putting on the lipstick. The scenery is also beautiful, looking like a painting at times. In fact the whole film was shot in Britian, so the scenery are just enlarged black and white photographs painted over.
Now, onto the acting. Deborah Kerr is brilliant as the Sister Superior who is struggling with her past and is also trying keep together the small order of nuns. A young Jean Simmons is also great in what is an almost mute role. But the person who really steals the show for me is Kathleen Byron as the crazy Sister Ruth. The climax of the film where Sister Ruth finally flips and lets the tension get to her is a worthy performance.
This is a brilliant, beautiful piece of British cinema.

The master David Lean directs the best adaptation of the classic Oliver Twist. Alec Guinness puts in a fine performance as Fagin, and the transformation is amazing. The black and white visuals are stunning and add to the grim, dark atmosphere perfectly.

Deals with some very serious issues such as sexuality, rascism and class divide during the Thatcher years, yet I found it not brilliant just OK.

Disappointing compared to Tony Richardson's earlier films.

The best part of the film has got to be:

THE HIGHWAYMAN:"Stand and deliver!"
MISS WESTERN:"What?"
THE HIGHWAYMAN:"Stand and deliver!"
MISS WESTERN:"Deliver?Deliver what?I am no traveling midwife!"

Powerful performances by both Richard Harris and Rachel Roberts.

A fine piece of British social realism. Rita Tushingham puts in a brilliant performance.

"The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there"

Brilliant film.

Brilliant!

When it comes to Brit movies I prefer ones from the 60s but this was actually alright and better than I expected. Margaret Rutherford was rather funny too.

One of my favourites. Has some great comic moments as well as being one of the best known of the "kitchen sink dramas". The story revolves around Billy who does nothing but daydream and let his imagination run wild. Its through his wild imagination that Billy has managed to find himself engaged to not one but 3 girlfriends. It may seem that Billy is uncaring towards his family and 3 girlfriends but it becomes clear that Billy?s wild imagination and habit of lying is his way of escaping the humdrum life of 1960s Northern England. Also a great performance by Julie Christie in her first major film role.

Totally ahead of it's time. A classic.

An intelligent and witty film which really requires several viewings to work everything out. The costumes are gloriously over the top, and the Michael Nyman soundtrack fits brilliantly. Overlooked and misunderstood but worth seeing.

"Viddy well, little brother. Viddy well."

Terence Davies's autobiographical film of working-class life in 1940s/50s Liverpool.
A brilliant, emotional and powerful film full of great acting. The story is told through memories and switches between childhood and adulthood.
Unique and highly recommended.

A little predictable at times yet there are some great moments in this film.

"Are you a Mod or a Rocker?"
"Actually I'm a Mocker"

Even if you are not a fan of The Beatles this is a highly enjoyable film. John, Paul, George and Ringo provide their own unique brand of comedy plus some classic early Beatles tunes.

Documentary style propaganda film by Humphrey Jennings. Follows the story of civilian firefighters in London during the Blitz. We see all the horrors close hand. The firefighters are portrayed as hard working heroes, which they are. The cast were all real firemen, not actors, so it certainly feels real even though they were actually reconstructions.
Overall a brilliant, memorable look at the period and events.

A cult classic. Still very weird and creepy even today.

Bleak, depressing, gritty but still bloody good.