@@JJLAReacts Kind Hearts is an Alec Guinness masterclass. He plays 8 different characters in the film - including "Lady Agatha (a suffragette)" and simply recalling that makes me laugh!
Part of the greatness of "39 Steps" is that it is based upon a great book by John Buchan. Hitchcock's greatness is shown by the fact that the film is almost as good as the book. A very rare achievement.
My Nan was a big Hitchcock fan, and I remember watching The 39 Steps on tv one Saturday afternoon with her By the time I was 10 years old, I had seen (among others) Psycho, The Birds, North by Northwest, as well as a bunch of classic Bogart movies including The African Queen, Casablanca etc
An all-British war film with a very odd twist is 'Went The Day Well?' which is well worth watching. Then try to get your head around a film made in 1942, which begins after WWII is over, flashes back to the German invasion of Britain, then comes back to 'the present'.
I'd never seen Went the day well? Untill about 3 years ago, my mum was very ill and before she passed away we watched a lot of WWII films together as well as some good thrillers.. Cast a giant shadow, Turn the key softly are just two I hadn't seen untill recently. Britain has made a lot of good B/W movies which serve as a timeless window into the past.
The 39 Steps and The Ladykillers are definitely worth your time. For some top notch Alec Guinness there’s The Man in the White Suit, and Kind Hearts and Coronets.
I agree,can I add,The lavender hill mob,The Titfield thunderbolt,The mouse that roared and the original (though the remake was okay) Whiskey Galore. Wonderful films.
Kind Harts and Coronets is fantsatic and the 39 steps is wonderful there are loads of remakes but the 1st is the best. Passage to Pimblico is also great. I can not remember the name of a film i watched by accsidemt it was about a village at the begining of WW2 and gernans have invaded it, a interesting very pro Britten.
Surprised no one's mention Kess (based on the book A Kestrel for a Knave). The earliest, and best docudrama I've seen... there was Kathy Come Home before it but that was a tv play.
Yep, no mention of it tells me this is a manufactured list cobbled together to show the fake Britishness of a certain class of English person, Kes, written by Barry Hynes and directed by Britain's greatest film director Ken Loach is arguably the greatest film ever to come out of Britain no one outside of Britain has heard of.
@@marcusmaher-triskellionfil5158Ken Loach is very well recognised in mainland Europe and Kes is one of his greatest films so I would guess it is known there. I don’t travel much or have friends in Europe (or anywhere, for that matter) so I couldn’t say for sure.
The majority of US viewers would quite simply not understand Loach's gritty, social reality perspective! Probably goes for the majority of British cinema goers too of course! The fact that it genuinely did redefine film making is also why it probably doesn't make MOJO's top ten here... who'd of guessed! Good shout @FightCollective! Truth be told... fantasy and even delusion is much preferred to that old 'reality' stuff! Loach was indeed a true film making genius and Kes was his cinematic masterpiece of British 'social' reality!
Some good movies there. 3 of my favourite not included in the breakdown are 1. David Lean's version of Oliver Twist (1948) starring Alec Guinness and Robert Newton. The really dark and harrowing tale of the Charles Dickens classic. 2. The Italian Job (1969) starring Michael Caine. Comedy - Gold bullion robbers hit Italy. A cult movie. 3. Zulu (1964) starring Michael Caine, Stanley Baker and Jack Hawkins. The harrowing event of Rourke's Drift. Fantastic scenery backdrop and film colour.
I like both of the Oliver twist movies but I guess my preference would be for the 1968 one with Ron Moody as Fagin because an uncle of mine was a set designer at Shepperton Studios on that film & he knew a lot of the cast & other film stars of that era. +1 for Zulu as well but I'm not a fan of the Beatles, their music or their films. Much prefered Tommy the Rock opera featuring the Who band members, Elton John, Tina Turner, Oliver Reed, Eric Clapton, Robert Powell, Paul Nicholas, Jack Nicholson & Arthur Brown. Written by Pete Townshend & directed by Ken Russell. I went to the UK premier of that film in Leicester Square London because my girlfriends mother was Ken Russell's secretary & she got us tickets. We watched the film & sat right amongst all the cast & crew. Fabulous experience.
@@colingoode3702 Yep, the musical one is good too. In fact in recent years, I started watching a lot of musicals, Scrooge, Summer Holiday, Sound of Music, even Charlie and Chocolate Factory and all that jazz
@@colingoode3702 Yep, the musical one is good too. In fact in recent years, I started watching a lot of musicals, Scrooge, Summer Holiday, Sound of Music, even Charlie and Chocolate Factory and all that jazz
Id add "Brief Encounter", "Black Narcissus", "Dont Look Now", "Dr Zhivago" (its David Lean so its British), "Kind Hearts and Coronets", "Wicker Man", "Jamaica Inn" and others to list
So many wonderful British films. My personal favourites are: Hobsons Choice with John Mills and Charles Laughton. This Happy Breed with Robert Newton and Celia Johnson Spring and Port Wine with James Mason and Diana Coupland. The Ladykillers is also on my list. I hope you enjoy it too.
Goodbye Mr Chips, Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Card, The Man in the White Suit, Passport to Pimlico, Whiskey Galore, The Plank, that last one needs no words to say how good it is lol.
@judithstrachan9399 There are two versions of The Plank, exactly the same, Eric Sykes the main character and Jimmy Edwards as the policeman appear in both. The original had Tommy Cooper as Eric Sykes' work mate with it being filmed in black and white in 1967 while the remake has Arthur Lowe as Eric Sykes' work mate and with it being filmed in colour. The one twist is the Eric Sykes plays the opposite workman from the original, in the 1979 version he plays the role originally played by Tommy Cooper whilst Arthur Lowe plays the role that Eric Sykes originally played in the 1967 version.
Douglas Bader. A bit of cinematic licence and obviously it’s all rather sanitised, but it’s a brilliant film for all that. I always remember that bit about….. ‘and then the pain did come back’. I used to work with some elderly gentleman, long passed now, who had known him before his untimely demise, …..best viewed through a screen, I think is the conclusion! But I think those strong personalities often best are. They make great watching but you wouldn’t want to work with them. Avoid at all cost…‘above us the waves’. Caught me unaware and I’ve regretted watching it ever since.
@@dees3179 apparently he hated the film, people thought he was like the Kenneth Moore, friendly an approachable, whereas he was, allegedly, a bit of an unlikable asshole.
I love 'The Third Man'. The most powerful scene in the film is the appearance of the Third Man, Orson Welles. At first you see only his legs because his upper body is in shadow. Then you see a cat, his cat, sidle up to him. Then across the road someone switches on a light in their apartment, and for a brief moment you see Orson Welles' face. Brilliant. And I love the zither music which I know is not for everyone. To me 'The Third Man' is second only to 'Casablanca' an American film in which the dialogue has never been equalled.
The first time I saw "The Third Man" was on a black and white TV, you can imagine my surprise when I got the VHS tape version to see it was filmed in black and white! But it was suspenseful, I could not imagine how it was going to end, which cannot be said of some suspense movies they make now.
'The third man' my all time favourite film is just has everything humour, suspense intriguing plot, an innocent abroad. I could go on and on. I watch it every few months.
How David Lean's Brief Encounter can be ignored s a massive oversight. This story of the star crossed pair caught in the hopeless tensions of forbidden love is so believable , and is universally recignised as perhaps the UK's best film. It you like comedy, I'm All Right Jack, featuring Peter Sellers as shop steward Fred Kite has no peers. Also, Dr. Strangelove with Peter Sellars playing three roles, the RAF Squadron Leader, the President of the United States, and the Germanic Dr. Sterangelove who advises the President qualifies Peter Sellers to be recognised as the greatest actor ever.
So agree it still makes me choke up even now. Also there were so many films made to boost morale during the war with many great theatrical names in the cast. Loved Mrs Miniver among so many. My father did not allow us to watch war films, so watched them when I had my own home. He'd had enough of war up close and personal.
Came here to say this!!! One of THE best films ever made. God I love it. Even now just writing this it makes me want to impersonate the characters and the way they talk, oh gosh, I really *do* wish i could, but I mustn’t, but oh darling I really do love you, and it was at that moment that i realised I would never be the same again but I wouldn’t change a thing, I really, really wouldn’t ❤
One thing I love about The Third Man was the location shooting in Vienna that captures the reality of a post war city, complete with the rubble that had yet to be cleared.
*Wall of Tyranny* (1988) aka *Freedom Fighter* (1988), set in *Berlin, Germany* and... *Six Triple Eight* (2024), set in *Birmingham, England* are war films which were both mainly filmed in... *Little Germany* in *Bradford* the world's first *UNESCO City of Film.*
It is really atmospheric. That rubble conjurs up for me the smell of damp concrete I still remember from my early childhood and the bomb sites in post war London.
A friend of mine frequently appears as an extra. Its a hobby. Apparently the "stars" prefer filming in the UK as the extras leave them alone. In Hollywood they're constantly bombarded with requests for autographs, selfies etc. He has some excellent selfies with some of the stars, they often chose to thank the extras for helping make the film rather than being harassed into awkward moments.
My favourite Hitchcock film was rope, based on a true crime it’s creepy but brilliant. You must also check out a matter of life and death with David Niven.❤
"GOODBYE, MR CHIPS" It wouldn't surprise me if "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" wasn't inspired by this earlier 1939 film. I wouldn't like to choose between them for which is the better.
It is more about how these films affected and changed the Film industry itself. All great films and there are many great British films but the focus is the ones that affected cinematography itself on this list. I'd love to see a list on greatest British films of all time or something like that.
You absolutely must watch David Niven's film casino royale. Also the Lady Killer's, which is in my top 3 films of all time. If you've never watched any Will Hay films from the 1930 and 1940s, then I strongly recommend them! "Oh Mr Porter", or "Ask A Policeman", are two of the best.
Hitchcock's British career started in the silent era!! By the time of The 39 Steps he was a master at his craft. The Ladykillers (the original) is a true masterpiece of British comedy. It is one of the "Ealing comedies" made by Ealing Studios . Check them out. They made so many classic movies! Also, check out "Blythe Spirit" by the great Noel Coward and directed by David Lean. Coward 'discovered' Lean and gave him his first directing job. I would also encourage you to watch "The Servant", a psychological drama, directed by Joseph Losey (a blacklisted American). It's written by Harold Pinter and starring Dirk Bogarde
JJ, I'm not sure that 'Blow-up' should have been included. Michelangelo Antonioni is Italian, after all, although the action takes place in London, and star David Hemmings is English. However, 'The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp' (1943) is great. Winston Churchill wanted it banned, I think because it has a sympathetic German character (Anton Walbrook). Roger Livesey as 'Col. Blimp' - a nickname, called after a cartoon character - and lovely Deborah Kerr, are fantastic. 'The Ladykillers' is a laugh, and 'Kind Hearts and Coronets', starring Alec Guiness, is a must-see. Happy viewing!🙂
The 39 Steps is such a classic. To this day when I hear "does anyone haven any questions?" I want to reply with the line from this film. Also Brief Encounter another epic. More modern - Threads from the 1980s and set in Sheffield - That shook me to the core. I managed to watch it again on TH-cam about 10 years ago, but then it disappeared again.
"The Ladykillers" was indeed remade by The Coens but we don't talk about that. the original is one of the best comedies made by Ealing Studios, and you could also watch "Kind Hearts And Coronets" (with Alec Guinness in six different roles), "The Lavender Hill Mob", "Passport To Pimlico" or "Whisky Galore"
I've recently seen your channel and since then found your videos so interesting as a 30 year old Brit. I suffer with really bad anxiety and you have one of those very calming voices. Should be voiceing audiobooks 🤣
@@JJLAReacts "Cheers Ducky" 🍻As we say in the midlands No thank you for keeping me entertained. I'm pretty much stuck in bed all day at the moment due to a back injury. I'm really into music but then 6 months ago started watching TH-cam instead of constant Netflix etc. So Thank you for contributing to keeping me sane 🤣
@@JJLAReacts I love seeing the differences between the US and the UK. So I'm asking a favour. Would you please try and pronounce these. The best mispronunciation is of the closest town to me is called - "Loughborough" The closest village is called - "Gotham" Thanks again for great entertainment.
Blow Up with David Hemmings was an excellent film - David Hemming along with many other great actors gave an excellent performance in another great British film "Charge of the Light Brigade" well worth a watch
A guy I worked with told me a story which may or may not be true. His partner was a cartoonist, and took him to a London party full of creative types, where someone introduced him, saying, "Tony, I want you to meet Stanley Kubrick". Tony's reply was, "Hello Stanley, and what do you do?"
Suppose it comes down to opinion, would not of grumbled had any of these been on the list: Oliver Twist, Zulu, 2001 Space Odyssey, Kes, Great Expectations, Trainspotting, Mary Poppins,The Battle of Britain, Brief Encounter, If, Harry Potter, This is England, The long good friday The Wicker man! perhaps they need a bigger list.
I know there are lots of James Bond films, but there were equally just as many hammer horror films so I would have to say one of the films that should be on this list is Christopher Lee 1950s Dracula.
Agree. It's fashionable to knock Hammer, but it can't be denied that those early films, Dracula and Frankenstein, revitalised the horror genre in the late 50s.
A scene in A Clockwork Orange (Aversion therapy results) was filmed in my local cinema in SE London. It wasn't a cinema then so it's cool that you can now see the film in that very place the scene was filmed and you can tell by the distinctive ceiling.
Never heard of the 39 steps its been made as many times of mutiny on the bounty&the four feathers checkout the steps bro I like the Kenneth Moore version there was a TV series called hannah.with Michael Powell might have been a 1979 film.
Some other films I recommend are The long Good Friday Get Carter (Michael Caine version) The cruel sea In which we serve Ryan’s daughter And anything with John mills, Alec Guinness, David Niven, Trevor Howard and Kenneth More in
Incidentally if you do watch Blowup the The Yardbirds are onstage when he walks into the club with Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck on guitar. Also for the brits that's Janet Street Porter dancing in the stripey trousers lol. There was someone else in the crowd can't remember who it was.
I'm amazed that there's only the one Powell and Pressburger film in that list. The life and death of Colonel Blimp is a fantastic film, and controversial at the time, as the war office didn't get what the production team were aiming aylt. And allegedly put pay to Michael Powell ever being nominated for a knighthood. Also at the time of making, Emeric Pressburger was more or less in the same status as the character Theo was, when it came to the WW2 segment of the film. For me, there's not a single Powell & Pressburger film that I do not love. Their imagination, production and photography is always immaculate. But for me, their ultimate was "A matter ofnlufe and death" or as it was known in the states " the Stanway to heaven". If you've not heard of it, do go look it up. It is a true masterpiece, one that Martin Scorsase lists as one of his inspirations along with Colonel Blimp.
And don't forget Powell's Peeping Tom (1960), I was lucky enough to see a screening on its 50th (I think) anniversary and afterwards Scorsese and Powell's widow came on stage for a half hour conversation about the film. And as an Aussie I have to give a shout out for They're a Weird Mob. It will always be Kings 'bloody' Cross to me. Even here in London.
A matter of life and death is stored on my DVR system... It's a great film... So much more than a full on war film... Crazy that David Niven was a Lieutenant Colonel in a covert behind the lines intelligence gathering unit in WWII.
If you do 39 Steps you should also try 'The Lady Vanishes'. It starts as almost a 30s screwball comedy, and switches into a mystery thriller. It is set in the same period as Grand Budapest Hotel, immediately before WW2 breaks out, and might make a great double bill... If you like black and white Brit films I'd also suggest 'Brief Encounter', 'Kind Hearts and Coronets', and 'The Man in the White Suit'.
I believe the criteria for being on this list, was the film's influence on the industry. It doesn't even need to be good (although these are), just impactful on how other films were made after. I've seen all but one of these, although years ago.
My favourite British films are 'Kes' (1969), 'If...' (1968), 'O Lucky Man!' (1973), 'Great Expectations (1946)', 'The Remains of the Day' (1993), 'The Wicker Man' (1973), 'Whisky Galore' (1949), 'A Man For All Seasons' (1966), 'The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie' (1969), and although it's not a great film, this last one is one of my favourites because it's so enjoyable, 'School For Scoundrels' (1960).
8:10 *The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp* (1943) - A film partly filmed in *Bradford* the world's first *UNESCO City of Film* sort of... *Denton* where the house is located is in *Harrogate, North Yorkshire* even though it has an *Ilkley* (which is in Bradford) post town... However there's a shot of *Denton* in the distance which is taken from *Ilkley Moor* in *Ilkley, Bradford, West Yorkshire.*
Not sure if you've come across it before. But i highly recommend This is England as a British film to try. It features Stephen Graham early on in his career and is truly excellent. It was followed with some short TV series that are also excellent.
This is England is awful. Any disadvantaged working class person from that era would agree that it's a middle class film student's fever dream of our lives. It's as accurate as a Tarantino gangster (for exactly the same reason).
@@marktyler3381it’s semi-autobiographical of the writer/director. Shane Meadows = Shaun Fields. Not sure where the ‘middle class film student’ comes into play?
Kubrick banned his own film and never promoted it. 39 steps is brilliant, remade many times. As Dustin Hoffman (method acor) asked Laurence Olivier when filming Marathon Man why he was so good, Olivier replied, it is called acting. When I grew up on a Saturday afternoon, two fims would be shown on BBC2. Many were old black and whites, Ealing comedies or love stories, they stay with you and I wil now look forward to when they they are on TV
Your comment took me back Andrew. What I once read regarding that conversation between Olivier and Hoffman was something along the lines of this. Hoffman arrived on set looking tired and scruffy. Olivier said to that he looked terrible. Hoffman told him he was getting into the character that he was playing. Olivier replied. "Really?". You should try acting. 😂
"it is called acting" Olivier was no fan of 'method acting' (wherein our 'motivation'-seeking actor shoots himself in the head in order to play a corpse - convincingly). I'm with Olivier on this one!
@@marvinc9994and I am with you on this Marvin. If you have to be the part. Then it is not really acting. All that method acting is tripe. Olivier, Gielgud, Guinness, O'Toole and many other great actors learned their lines very well then "acted the part". Marlon Brando was called one of the greatest actors ever, but he had to have his lines hidden all over the set.
Definitely give the Lady Killers a watch. One of my favourite films is "Ice Cold in Alex" astory about an army ambulance crew trapped behind enemy lines trying to get home. And another comedy is 1949 whisky Galore which was actually based on a real event but not the remake
my french teacher, mr Harvey worked on LOA - he also spoke Arabic and worked translating the asst directors instructions to the extras - he was an incredible guitar player and one of the best teachers I ever met
Me and my daughter 17yrs old watched 39 steps a few days ago. I have seen a few different makes but my daughter watched the first one. But her favourite film is all quite on the western front. Yesterday we watched Ice cold in Alex she was impressed with Sir John Mills acting. I love the time when we watch films together. My favourite film is the Italian job.
I also made several attempts to get through The Third Man. You should view it as a Joseph Cotten film with Orson Welles as just a bit part player. The hype about his part in it came mostly from him. Cotten's character, represents the audience - being surprised, being puzzled, being curious etc, he asks the questions the audience are asking about the plot in order to unravel the mystery. As he gradually falls in love with Anna, notice that she barely ever looks at him. Everything about her is about her boyfriend, Harry Lime, a drugs racketeer in hiding and pretending to be dead. Far from boring, the film is really quite fast moving with no wasted scenes or dialogue and the zither music keeps the pace. The suspense of the final scene is unrivalled. Will Holly have time to light his cigarette before the music ends?
"The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" is a cinematic genius by Powell and Pressburger. It is shown in their classic vivid Technicolor. A film that is enjoyable to watch as a film story but also as a film with a hidden meaning. Although the message is about the English the whole production was very European!
Of The Beatles films, I preferred Help. I really enjoyed the Hitchcock's version of The 39 Steps. Absolutely brilliant. Its been re-worked a couple of times, but the original was the best. The Lady Killers was absolutely brilliant. Alec Guiness was a master in it. Never heard of Blow-up. Doesn't look like my cuppa tea🤣. The Life and Death of Col Blimp. Very good. It follows two men, one German and one English, who become good friends from late Victorian times to the start of the Second World War.
Always loved the '39 Steps', yes also loved the 'Life and Death of Colonel Blimp' as well as 'Hamlet' then you have to add 'The Spy Who Came in from the Cold' a real dirty nitty gritty spy film considered by real spys to be the most authentic.
Great list and reaction, I'm a brit and never heard of Col. Blimp either, will have to check that out. I do think that Monty Python Holy Grail should be on this list for it's influence, it's an extraordinary film in many ways. As for must watch british films I would add Withnail & I, it is an absolute cult classic and Richard E Grants introduction. Also worth checking out Zulu, Michael Caine's introduction and an real gem.
'The 39 Steps' was based on the book by the Scottish author John Buchan. Hitchcock later adapted the story to create 'Saboteur', and then again for 'North by North West'. They're all essentially the same plot - just to add to the film's importance!
The reason a lot of people come over to Britain to film is because certain towns will give help towards making the film as it helps promote the town/city for tourists and we have so many different landscapes here with castles and manor houses to rent.
The clockwork orange, part of it was filmed at my university. The treatment room was our lecture theatre. The reception area was our maths building and his accommodation was our accommodation, chepstow or Clifton hall.
Blow-up is an excellent film, I highly recommend it. I’m surprised that you haven’t heard of Michelangelo Antonioni, it is well worth checking out some of his other films too!
My favorite Hitchcock film is probably North By Northwest. From this list I have only watched, Dr. No, Lawrence of Arabia, A Clockwork Orange and A Hard Days Night. Some of the movies listed I didn't know of, so maybe a good time to watch...
The 39 steps is a must watch, Robert Donet, or Robert Donut as my Father used to call him, plays it perfectly with a fabulous sense of humour, upbeat movie for a Hitchcock, similar to North by North West. Blow up with Vanessa Redgrave is just another great movies, David Hemming does a fantastic David Bailey impersonation throughout, Vanessa Redgrave with her Italian connections was responsible for getting Michelangelo Antonioni to direct it
It all comes down to taste but personally films like ‘Brazil’ and ‘The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus’ by Terry Gilliam. The Elephant man, Kiss of the Spider Woman with John Hurt in are both great films. And there is no way you can miss out the life of Brian by Monty python. Then you have Mike Leigh who’s made some brilliant films even if they can make you fell very uncomfortable like ‘Naked’ and ‘Life is sweet’. Sure I have missed out loads but that will do for now.
Hitchcock had already made more than a dozen films before The 39 Steps (1935), but The 39 Steps is generally considered his first masterpiece. Moreover, it introduced and established several of the director's most important recurring themes and situations. Through an accidental set of circumstances, an ordinary "everyman" unwittingly becomes caught in a deadly web of intrigue whose full nature he doesn't at first comprehend. The story involves mystery, romance, humor, and of course suspense, with a panoply of exciting chases, disguises, close calls, colorful minor characters, suave villains, witty dialogue, and surprising reveals that would become Hitchcockian trademarks. Hitchcock uses all the cinematic techniques available to him in 1935--techniques he would refine and expand over the next few decades. Although certain aspects of the movie are dated, The 39 Steps is a seminal Hitchcock film that is still hugely enjoyable today. It essentially is the original version of North by Northwest (and of several other films Hitchcock directed between 1935 and 1959). It is also the "grandather," if you will, of the early James Bond movies and other spy/ international intrigue thrillers of the 1960s (eg, Arabesque and Blindfold) and of such "innoent man on the run" flicks as The Fugitive (1993).
Agreed. The thing about Hitchcock, of course, is that he cut his teeth in the art whilst working in the silent film era - and it was that in particular which gave him such a strong _visual_ sense and empathy with the audience. I've always had the nagging feeling that _colour_ wasn't quite 'right' for him, somehow.
Blowup with David Hemmings strange but good movie. If you want to see Swinging London at it's height? This is the one! It was filmed around Clapham/Brixton south London In the mid sixties . I watched some of the filming too. Enjoy
I finally got to watch Blow Up just a few weeks ago. I absolutely loved it. It’s one of my very favorites! I love movies that aren’t plot driven and are based on themes and concepts like that!
@mikemcsweeney Where you around at that time? You mentioned you were able to watch some of the filming . If so, you were living my dream when I was a little girl. I was here in Tennessee, wishing like everything I was in London buying clothes from Granny Takes a Trip . Was that the name of it? 😂
@@elainesgarden You are correct Granny takes a Trip was in Kings Road Chelsea. Kings Road was the Place to get the latest ( Fab Gear ) at the time the place to see and be seen. Any Saturday you could literally bump into Hendrix, Twiggy, Jagger and any number of famous faces just strolling around . Different world back then. Biba was another shop in Kensington. for the latest ladies fashion. My girlfriend at the time used to drag me there . Quite an eye opener. 😀
@@mikemcsweeney4753 oh man! Now I’m even more envious. ☺I had no idea you could run into people who actually created that era. I’m familiar with Biba’s also. I bet you had a lot of fun expressing yourself in those clothes! I know I did even though I was nowhere near there.😂I was probably pretty young when all that started. Did that begin around 66 or so? I bet you saw some really amazing concerts too. People in there really early , before super famous years. Hendrix, Pink Floyd etc.
To JJ, to your last point/question. The criteria for this top 10 is not the best British films, but British films that made or had a cultural impact on the wider international film making industry.
Thank you for your intelligent critique of British films, you are a real film buff, and know your stuff. As you said, there are many to choose from, but I suppose it came down to someone's personal choice as to which made the top 10, although I would agree with most of them. I love your videos, you consider things more deeply than most reactors 🙋♀️🇬🇧🤗
I think they were trying to limit the number of films from one director or studio which is why there was only one Kubrick, one Hitchcock, one Ealing film, one Archers film etc. Personally my favourite Ealing film is Kind Hearts and Coronets rather than The Ladykillers, though both have fantastic roles for Alec Guinness. I'd also swap out Colonel Blimp for a Matter of Life and Death from The Archers.
A Matter of Life and Death is an absolute masterpiece! In my view one for the best films ever made, and in my top 5 list of favourite films. Don't even get me started on Black Narcissus! Powell and Pressburger were geniuses, and those films do not get enough exposure for the masterpieces they are IMHO!!!
I've seen most of these. On Sunday afternoon there was a film every week, "The Sunday Matinee" (never figured out why "matinees" were in the afternoon...), and it was Mum's only weekly couple of hours off. It could be anything from westerns to musicals to Ealing comedies. Obviously films like Clockwork Orange were not on the list! But I definitely recommend The Ladykillers, and frankly anything by those studios. Bear in mind _when_ they were made, and you really need to understand the history of the country around the time they were made to _truly_ appreciate as much as possible about them. They're great old films anyway, but without that bit of understanding, jokes will go over your head. E.g. Passport to Pimlico (very, very funny. Stanley Holloway was in it IIRC - it's been about 40 years+ since I've seen it. He was Eliza Doolittle's dad in the film of My Fair Lady) was set during bombed out, post-war (just) London - particularly in Pimlico, an area of it - and deals with the stress of rationing but hilariously. I don't want to give too many details! One of my favourites as a kid was the Titfield Thunderbolt, based during the time of shutting down the more remote railway stations and encouraging the use of busses. The race at the end is a gem, and you don't know who's going to win until after the times are declared (that might sound obvious, but it would make a lot of sense if you watch it. I can't say more without spoiling it!) Enjoy!
When I was a kid I used to visit my grandparents in a part of Bradford West Yorkshire England called Clayton. Peter Sellers used to do the coin between the ears trick. But being a young kid I didn't know he was famous. He was just Peter to me. But when I was older and watched the pink panther and I was shocked to see him on the cinema screen.
I remember watching The Third Man on a very big screen in an independent cinema in London , and it really was brilliant, with the shadows having a huge effect. It was meant to be a big-screen production, I doubt it would be so amazing on a small screen.
'The Ladykillers' and 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' are two of my favourite British films, both made by Ealing Studios. You will enjoy them, I'm sure.
Yeah, this Ealing Studios keeps getting mentioned - I need to check out more films by them. Thanks for recommending!! Cheers 🍻
@@JJLAReacts Kind Hearts is an Alec Guinness masterclass. He plays 8 different characters in the film - including "Lady Agatha (a suffragette)" and simply recalling that makes me laugh!
@@JJLAReactsKind Hearts is funny, intelligent and dark.
It is a biting satire on the English class system.
@@JJLAReacts I'd also add The Lavender Hill Mob to the list of great Ealing Comedies.
Anyone line "Green for Danger" with Alastair Sim? Excellent dark comedy-thriller. A real gem and seemingly impossible to buy on DVD. Pity.
Part of the greatness of "39 Steps" is that it is based upon a great book by John Buchan. Hitchcock's greatness is shown by the fact that the film is almost as good as the book. A very rare achievement.
Been remade at least twice to my knowledge but haven't kept up in recent years
agreed, if it's on, life will stop to go on the journey, and if you are in a burgioning relationship, nothing better as an old school movie
Little known facts, I think: Buchan went on to become the 15th Governor General of Canada and died in Montreal.
I think that is also true of 'Rebecca'.
My Nan was a big Hitchcock fan, and I remember watching The 39 Steps on tv one Saturday afternoon with her
By the time I was 10 years old, I had seen (among others) Psycho, The Birds, North by Northwest, as well as a bunch of classic Bogart movies including The African Queen, Casablanca etc
No "Carry On" films?
"Carry On Cleo"?
"Carry On Up The Khyber"?
Infamy! Infamy! (They've all got it in for me! )
To me, those Carry On first were utter rubbish.
I love the early Carry Ons. But they didn't exactly change cinema !
An all-British war film with a very odd twist is 'Went The Day Well?' which is well worth watching.
Then try to get your head around a film made in 1942, which begins after WWII is over, flashes back to the German invasion of Britain, then comes back to 'the present'.
Brilliant suggestion.
‘ The Eagle has landed ‘ was a direct steal from ‘Went the day well’
Agreed, it was a real surprise when I first watched it on TV. Found it by accident when channel hopping.
I'd never seen Went the day well? Untill about 3 years ago, my mum was very ill and before she passed away we watched a lot of WWII films together as well as some good thrillers..
Cast a giant shadow, Turn the key softly are just two I hadn't seen untill recently.
Britain has made a lot of good
B/W movies which serve as a timeless window into the past.
Seen went the day well a fantastic film
The 39 Steps and The Ladykillers are definitely worth your time. For some top notch Alec Guinness there’s The Man in the White Suit, and Kind Hearts and Coronets.
I agree,can I add,The lavender hill mob,The Titfield thunderbolt,The mouse that roared and the original (though the remake was okay) Whiskey Galore. Wonderful films.
Kind Harts and Coronets is fantsatic and the 39 steps is wonderful there are loads of remakes but the 1st is the best. Passage to Pimblico is also great.
I can not remember the name of a film i watched by accsidemt it was about a village at the begining of WW2 and gernans have invaded it, a interesting very pro Britten.
@@gabbymcclymont3563 sounds like Went the Day Well? which was another one written by Graham Greene.
@@gabbymcclymont3563 I think it was called "went the day well"
"Kind Hearts and Coronets"
And to think that Martita Hunt - who gave him acting lessons - assured Guinness that he'd never make a decent actor!
Surprised no one's mention Kess (based on the book A Kestrel for a Knave). The earliest, and best docudrama I've seen... there was Kathy Come Home before it but that was a tv play.
Kes is brilliant ! Heartbreaking ...
Yep, no mention of it tells me this is a manufactured list cobbled together to show the fake Britishness of a certain class of English person, Kes, written by Barry Hynes and directed by Britain's greatest film director Ken Loach is arguably the greatest film ever to come out of Britain no one outside of Britain has heard of.
@@marcusmaher-triskellionfil5158 Ken Loach also directed Cathy Come Home.
@@marcusmaher-triskellionfil5158Ken Loach is very well recognised in mainland Europe and Kes is one of his greatest films so I would guess it is known there. I don’t travel much or have friends in Europe (or anywhere, for that matter) so I couldn’t say for sure.
The majority of US viewers would quite simply not understand Loach's gritty, social reality perspective! Probably goes for the majority of British cinema goers too of course! The fact that it genuinely did redefine film making is also why it probably doesn't make MOJO's top ten here... who'd of guessed! Good shout @FightCollective!
Truth be told... fantasy and even delusion is much preferred to that old 'reality' stuff! Loach was indeed a true film making genius and Kes was his cinematic masterpiece of British 'social' reality!
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is a must see.
Roger Livesey, Anton Walbrook and Deborah Kerr.
It's mesmeric.
The film also has a trick to play with the casting, just to add a bit more intrigue.
Roger Livesey's voice! And Walbrook's refugee speech! Oh, it hits.
TL&DOCB and A Matter of Life and Death are my two favourite films. Powell & Pressburger were an incredible team.
Some good movies there. 3 of my favourite not included in the breakdown are 1. David Lean's version of Oliver Twist (1948) starring Alec Guinness and Robert Newton. The really dark and harrowing tale of the Charles Dickens classic. 2. The Italian Job (1969) starring Michael Caine. Comedy - Gold bullion robbers hit Italy. A cult movie. 3. Zulu (1964) starring Michael Caine, Stanley Baker and Jack Hawkins. The harrowing event of Rourke's Drift. Fantastic scenery backdrop and film colour.
Very similar. The Italian Job 1969, Zulu and Lionel Bsrt's : Oliver with the incredible Ron Moody.
My list of three exactly the same well done.
I like both of the Oliver twist movies but I guess my preference would be for the 1968 one with Ron Moody as Fagin because an uncle of mine was a set designer at Shepperton Studios on that film & he knew a lot of the cast & other film stars of that era.
+1 for Zulu as well but I'm not a fan of the Beatles, their music or their films. Much prefered Tommy the Rock opera featuring the Who band members, Elton John, Tina Turner, Oliver Reed, Eric Clapton, Robert Powell, Paul Nicholas, Jack Nicholson & Arthur Brown. Written by Pete Townshend & directed by Ken Russell. I went to the UK premier of that film in Leicester Square London because my girlfriends mother was Ken Russell's secretary & she got us tickets. We watched the film & sat right amongst all the cast & crew. Fabulous experience.
@@colingoode3702 Yep, the musical one is good too. In fact in recent years, I started watching a lot of musicals, Scrooge, Summer Holiday, Sound of Music, even Charlie and Chocolate Factory and all that jazz
@@colingoode3702 Yep, the musical one is good too. In fact in recent years, I started watching a lot of musicals, Scrooge, Summer Holiday, Sound of Music, even Charlie and Chocolate Factory and all that jazz
Your enthusiasm for 'all things British' is infectious. If I didn't already live here, I'd want to go and visit for sure! Can't wait till you do.
😅😅😅 Love your comment, I totally agree with you
That means u definitely don't live up north😂😂
@@ashleyw6728 lol funny and true
Id add "Brief Encounter", "Black Narcissus", "Dont Look Now", "Dr Zhivago" (its David Lean so its British), "Kind Hearts and Coronets", "Wicker Man", "Jamaica Inn" and others to list
Actually, Dr Zhivago is a British movie. it's also an American and Italian movie too. But you're not wrong in saying it's British.
The original Whicker man was brilliant, the remake was totally shite
Ladykillers is a gem. Wholeheartedly recommended. Oh, and please give The Third Man another chance. One of my 2 top movies.
Agreed but the American remake was a travesty
@@Salfordian Mentioning thus summoning demons is highly uncalled for. 40 Hail Marys and a holy water shower for you.
So many wonderful British films. My personal favourites are:
Hobsons Choice with John Mills and Charles Laughton.
This Happy Breed with Robert Newton and Celia Johnson
Spring and Port Wine with James Mason and Diana Coupland.
The Ladykillers is also on my list. I hope you enjoy it too.
Hobson's choice also had a very young very pretty Prunella Scales starring as well..
I love This Happy Breed
Goodbye Mr Chips, Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Card, The Man in the White Suit, Passport to Pimlico, Whiskey Galore, The Plank, that last one needs no words to say how good it is lol.
Yeah, I still remember some routines from The Plank, 50 or 60 years later. Only saw it once, too.
@judithstrachan9399
There are two versions of The Plank, exactly the same, Eric Sykes the main character and Jimmy Edwards as the policeman appear in both.
The original had Tommy Cooper as Eric Sykes' work mate with it being filmed in black and white in 1967 while the remake has Arthur Lowe as Eric Sykes' work mate and with it being filmed in colour.
The one twist is the Eric Sykes plays the opposite workman from the original, in the 1979 version he plays the role originally played by Tommy Cooper whilst Arthur Lowe plays the role that Eric Sykes originally played in the 1967 version.
Reach for the Sky, based on the true life of a man who lost both his legs but served in the Battle of Britain .
Douglas Bader. A bit of cinematic licence and obviously it’s all rather sanitised, but it’s a brilliant film for all that. I always remember that bit about….. ‘and then the pain did come back’.
I used to work with some elderly gentleman, long passed now, who had known him before his untimely demise, …..best viewed through a screen, I think is the conclusion! But I think those strong personalities often best are. They make great watching but you wouldn’t want to work with them.
Avoid at all cost…‘above us the waves’. Caught me unaware and I’ve regretted watching it ever since.
@@dees3179 apparently he hated the film, people thought he was like the Kenneth Moore, friendly an approachable, whereas he was, allegedly, a bit of an unlikable asshole.
I love 'The Third Man'. The most powerful scene in the film is the appearance of the Third Man, Orson Welles. At first you see only his legs because his upper body is in shadow. Then you see a cat, his cat, sidle up to him. Then across the road someone switches on a light in their apartment, and for a brief moment you see Orson Welles' face. Brilliant. And I love the zither music which I know is not for everyone. To me 'The Third Man' is second only to 'Casablanca' an American film in which the dialogue has never been equalled.
Yes the dialogue was wonderful - Claude Rains got some of the best lines. ''Don't look at me. I'm just a poor corrupt official. '' :)
The first time I saw "The Third Man" was on a black and white TV, you can imagine my surprise when I got the VHS tape version to see it was filmed in black and white! But it was suspenseful, I could not imagine how it was going to end, which cannot be said of some suspense movies they make now.
@@bullettube9863growing up in 60's England, I can only watch Robert Donat in b&w. Colour versions are just wrong
'The third man' my all time favourite film is just has everything humour, suspense intriguing plot, an innocent abroad. I could go on and on. I watch it every few months.
How David Lean's Brief Encounter can be ignored s a massive oversight. This story of the star crossed pair caught in the hopeless tensions of forbidden love is so believable , and is universally recignised as perhaps the UK's best film. It you like comedy, I'm All Right Jack, featuring Peter Sellers as shop steward Fred Kite has no peers. Also, Dr. Strangelove with Peter Sellars playing three roles, the RAF Squadron Leader, the President of the United States, and the Germanic Dr. Sterangelove who advises the President qualifies Peter Sellers to be recognised as the greatest actor ever.
So agree it still makes me choke up even now. Also there were so many films made to boost morale during the war with many great theatrical names in the cast. Loved Mrs Miniver among so many. My father did not allow us to watch war films, so watched them when I had my own home. He'd had enough of war up close and personal.
I totally agree with this and was looing in the comments to see if anyone else had mentioned it.
I agree .
Came here to say this!!! One of THE best films ever made. God I love it. Even now just writing this it makes me want to impersonate the characters and the way they talk, oh gosh, I really *do* wish i could, but I mustn’t, but oh darling I really do love you, and it was at that moment that i realised I would never be the same again but I wouldn’t change a thing, I really, really wouldn’t ❤
I never thought much of Peter Sellers, except in The Goon Show. As is remarked in this video, he tried too hard.
What I love about British cinema is the genuine quality about them.
One thing I love about The Third Man was the location shooting in Vienna that captures the reality of a post war city, complete with the rubble that had yet to be cleared.
Can't stand the soundtrack....great movie though.
*Wall of Tyranny* (1988) aka *Freedom Fighter* (1988), set in *Berlin, Germany* and...
*Six Triple Eight* (2024), set in *Birmingham, England* are war films which were both mainly filmed in...
*Little Germany* in *Bradford* the world's first *UNESCO City of Film.*
@@julianbarber4708 Yes, it is OK to start with, but does get a little repetitive
@@julianbarber4708 Amusing really since that zither music made a major star of Anton Karas at the time.
It is really atmospheric. That rubble conjurs up for me the smell of damp concrete I still remember from my early childhood and the bomb sites in post war London.
I would add 'School for Scoundrels' with the marvellous Terry-Thomas.
Ding! Dong!
“Hard cheese.”
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is an outstanding film. A must see.
A friend of mine frequently appears as an extra. Its a hobby. Apparently the "stars" prefer filming in the UK as the extras leave them alone. In Hollywood they're constantly bombarded with requests for autographs, selfies etc.
He has some excellent selfies with some of the stars, they often chose to thank the extras for helping make the film rather than being harassed into awkward moments.
British films have great writers, directors, cinematographers and actors. I have seen all the adaptations of The 39 Steps, its just a great story.
It comes from a series of books by John Buchan and they are an edge of the seat read.
For me Robert Powell is the nest one.
There was a spin-off TV show called Hannay in 1988, again with Robert Powell.
@@christopherjohnson7133 That was a good series too.
I went to a local theatre and just could not believe that 4 actors could put on a show and well, I was impressed and glad I saw a live version of it.
My favourite Hitchcock film was rope, based on a true crime it’s creepy but brilliant. You must also check out a matter of life and death with David Niven.❤
I agree.Brilliant.The trouble with Harry was another good one!
I love the Ealing comedies. They’re great!
"GOODBYE, MR CHIPS"
It wouldn't surprise me if "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" wasn't inspired by this earlier 1939 film. I wouldn't like to choose between them for which is the better.
Brilliant, yes. When he read of the death of his Saxon friend, to the abuse of the students, is one of the most emotive scenes I can think of.
I love Goodbye Mr Chips . Good choice.☺
The 39 Steps is based on the 1915 novel by Scottish author John Buchan.
It is more about how these films affected and changed the Film industry itself. All great films and there are many great British films but the focus is the ones that affected cinematography itself on this list. I'd love to see a list on greatest British films of all time or something like that.
I`d like to ad Hitchcocks "A foreign correspondant" and "the lady vanishes" as well as David Leans "Hobsons Choice" to the list.
A Very favourite film Hobsons Choice I love it
My dad's favourite, Hobson's Choice, along with A Kid For Two Farthings...
You’re really chilled. You chill me out. A tiny bubble of peace, trivia and gentle humour. 👍
You absolutely must watch David Niven's film casino royale. Also the Lady Killer's, which is in my top 3 films of all time. If you've never watched any Will Hay films from the 1930 and 1940s, then I strongly recommend them! "Oh Mr Porter", or "Ask A Policeman", are two of the best.
Hitchcock's British career started in the silent era!! By the time of The 39 Steps he was a master at his craft.
The Ladykillers (the original) is a true masterpiece of British comedy. It is one of the "Ealing comedies" made by Ealing Studios . Check them out. They made so many classic movies!
Also, check out "Blythe Spirit" by the great Noel Coward and directed by David Lean. Coward 'discovered' Lean and gave him his first directing job.
I would also encourage you to watch "The Servant", a psychological drama, directed by Joseph Losey (a blacklisted American). It's written by Harold Pinter and starring Dirk Bogarde
I think he started his career in pre-(you know who) Germany? He knew Fritz Lang, and moved in that circle.
JJ, I'm not sure that 'Blow-up' should have been included. Michelangelo Antonioni is Italian, after all, although the action takes place in London, and star David Hemmings is English.
However, 'The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp' (1943) is great. Winston Churchill wanted it banned, I think because it has a sympathetic German character (Anton Walbrook). Roger Livesey as 'Col. Blimp' - a nickname, called after a cartoon character - and lovely Deborah Kerr, are fantastic.
'The Ladykillers' is a laugh, and 'Kind Hearts and Coronets', starring Alec Guiness, is a must-see.
Happy viewing!🙂
The Hill is one of my favourite British films of all time well worth watching
oh, the Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, awesome film, you can get lost in it. Up there with 'A Matter of Life and Death' as my favourite ww2 films
The 39 Steps is such a classic. To this day when I hear "does anyone haven any questions?" I want to reply with the line from this film. Also Brief Encounter another epic.
More modern - Threads from the 1980s and set in Sheffield - That shook me to the core. I managed to watch it again on TH-cam about 10 years ago, but then it disappeared again.
"The Ladykillers" was indeed remade by The Coens but we don't talk about that. the original is one of the best comedies made by Ealing Studios, and you could also watch "Kind Hearts And Coronets" (with Alec Guinness in six different roles), "The Lavender Hill Mob", "Passport To Pimlico" or "Whisky Galore"
Graham Greene wrote loads of books that made great films. I love The Third Man, but I'd also highly recommend Brighton Rock.
I've recently seen your channel and since then found your videos so interesting as a 30 year old Brit. I suffer with really bad anxiety and you have one of those very calming voices. Should be voiceing audiobooks 🤣
Wow, thank you! I appreciate that. Thanks for watching! Cheers 🍻
@@JJLAReacts "Cheers Ducky" 🍻As we say in the midlands No thank you for keeping me entertained. I'm pretty much stuck in bed all day at the moment due to a back injury. I'm really into music but then 6 months ago started watching TH-cam instead of constant Netflix etc. So Thank you for contributing to keeping me sane 🤣
@@JJLAReacts I love seeing the differences between the US and the UK. So I'm asking a favour. Would you please try and pronounce these.
The best mispronunciation is of the closest town to me is called - "Loughborough"
The closest village is called - "Gotham"
Thanks again for great entertainment.
Blow Up with David Hemmings was an excellent film - David Hemming along with many other great actors gave an excellent performance in another great British film "Charge of the Light Brigade" well worth a watch
A guy I worked with told me a story which may or may not be true. His partner was a cartoonist, and took him to a London party full of creative types, where someone introduced him, saying, "Tony, I want you to meet Stanley Kubrick". Tony's reply was, "Hello Stanley, and what do you do?"
I'll be very surprised if Kubrick didn't find it hilarious.
@@y_fam_goeglyd LOL probably, though I doubt he told the story as often as Tony did!
Hah - he must have had a cloistered life!
Suppose it comes down to opinion, would not of grumbled had any of these been on the list: Oliver Twist, Zulu, 2001 Space Odyssey, Kes, Great Expectations, Trainspotting, Mary Poppins,The Battle of Britain, Brief Encounter, If, Harry Potter, This is England, The long good friday The Wicker man! perhaps they need a bigger list.
Would not have.
Can't have a top 10 list of British Films without 'The Wicker Man' and 'Get Carter'!
I know there are lots of James Bond films, but there were equally just as many hammer horror films so I would have to say one of the films that should be on this list is Christopher Lee 1950s Dracula.
Agree. It's fashionable to knock Hammer, but it can't be denied that those early films, Dracula and Frankenstein, revitalised the horror genre in the late 50s.
A scene in A Clockwork Orange (Aversion therapy results) was filmed in my local cinema in SE London. It wasn't a cinema then so it's cool that you can now see the film in that very place the scene was filmed and you can tell by the distinctive ceiling.
To get the right effect he extras for the Headquarters scenes in Lawrence of Arabia were former soldiers rather than actors.
I'd have to add 2001 a Space Odyssey, to the list, still incredible for its time.
Kubrick's practice run for the moon landings.
Definitely better than A Clockwork Orange.
Spot on!!!
@@joebloggs396 Aye, didn't get or enjoy that film in the slightest.
@@DudeSilad The satire works better in the more freewheeling Dr Strangelove.
Never heard of the 39 steps its been made as many times of mutiny on the bounty&the four feathers checkout the steps bro I like the Kenneth Moore version there was a TV series called hannah.with Michael Powell might have been a 1979 film.
Some other films I recommend are
The long Good Friday
Get Carter (Michael Caine version)
The cruel sea
In which we serve
Ryan’s daughter
And anything with John mills, Alec Guinness, David Niven, Trevor Howard and Kenneth More in
Incidentally if you do watch Blowup the The Yardbirds are onstage when he walks into the club with Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck on guitar. Also for the brits that's Janet Street Porter dancing in the stripey trousers lol. There was someone else in the crowd can't remember who it was.
I'm amazed that there's only the one Powell and Pressburger film in that list.
The life and death of Colonel Blimp is a fantastic film, and controversial at the time, as the war office didn't get what the production team were aiming aylt. And allegedly put pay to Michael Powell ever being nominated for a knighthood.
Also at the time of making, Emeric Pressburger was more or less in the same status as the character Theo was, when it came to the WW2 segment of the film.
For me, there's not a single Powell & Pressburger film that I do not love. Their imagination, production and photography is always immaculate. But for me, their ultimate was "A matter ofnlufe and death" or as it was known in the states " the Stanway to heaven". If you've not heard of it, do go look it up. It is a true masterpiece, one that Martin Scorsase lists as one of his inspirations along with Colonel Blimp.
And don't forget Powell's Peeping Tom (1960), I was lucky enough to see a screening on its 50th (I think) anniversary and afterwards Scorsese and Powell's widow came on stage for a half hour conversation about the film. And as an Aussie I have to give a shout out for They're a Weird Mob. It will always be Kings 'bloody' Cross to me. Even here in London.
A matter of life and death is stored on my DVR system... It's a great film... So much more than a full on war film...
Crazy that David Niven was a Lieutenant Colonel in a covert behind the lines intelligence gathering unit in WWII.
check out richard Attenborough ,s films Brighton rock and10 Rillington place.
If you do 39 Steps you should also try 'The Lady Vanishes'. It starts as almost a 30s screwball comedy, and switches into a mystery thriller. It is set in the same period as Grand Budapest Hotel, immediately before WW2 breaks out, and might make a great double bill... If you like black and white Brit films I'd also suggest 'Brief Encounter', 'Kind Hearts and Coronets', and 'The Man in the White Suit'.
I believe the criteria for being on this list, was the film's influence on the industry. It doesn't even need to be good (although these are), just impactful on how other films were made after. I've seen all but one of these, although years ago.
My favourite British films are 'Kes' (1969), 'If...' (1968), 'O Lucky Man!' (1973), 'Great Expectations (1946)', 'The Remains of the Day' (1993), 'The Wicker Man' (1973), 'Whisky Galore' (1949), 'A Man For All Seasons' (1966), 'The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie' (1969), and although it's not a great film, this last one is one of my favourites because it's so enjoyable, 'School For Scoundrels' (1960).
Definitely The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie !
8:10 *The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp* (1943) - A film partly filmed in *Bradford* the world's first *UNESCO City of Film* sort of...
*Denton* where the house is located is in *Harrogate, North Yorkshire* even though it has an *Ilkley* (which is in Bradford) post town...
However there's a shot of *Denton* in the distance which is taken from *Ilkley Moor* in *Ilkley, Bradford, West Yorkshire.*
Not sure if you've come across it before. But i highly recommend This is England as a British film to try. It features Stephen Graham early on in his career and is truly excellent. It was followed with some short TV series that are also excellent.
yes both the series and film are harsh but brilliant
This is England is awful. Any disadvantaged working class person from that era would agree that it's a middle class film student's fever dream of our lives. It's as accurate as a Tarantino gangster (for exactly the same reason).
@@marktyler3381it’s semi-autobiographical of the writer/director. Shane Meadows = Shaun Fields. Not sure where the ‘middle class film student’ comes into play?
@@fsbyron Seemed very unrealistic to me.
Dead man's shoes by the same director is an excellent movie
I envy your desire to see unseen films, you are in for a treat, enjoy mate.
I love A brief encounter - its a beautiful film.
If you watch Olivier’s Hamlet you should watch Kenneth Branagh’s version as well, a brilliant cast and set.
I agree whole heartedly one of the best it also gives such pride too be English
Mel Gibson wasn't that bad either.
Kubrick banned his own film and never promoted it. 39 steps is brilliant, remade many times. As Dustin Hoffman (method acor) asked Laurence Olivier when filming Marathon Man why he was so good, Olivier replied, it is called acting. When I grew up on a Saturday afternoon, two fims would be shown on BBC2. Many were old black and whites, Ealing comedies or love stories, they stay with you and I wil now look forward to when they they are on TV
Your comment took me back Andrew. What I once read regarding that conversation between Olivier and Hoffman was something along the lines of this. Hoffman arrived on set looking tired and scruffy. Olivier said to that he looked terrible. Hoffman told him he was getting into the character that he was playing. Olivier replied. "Really?". You should try acting. 😂
I attribute my love of classic films to the double features that BBC2 used to play on Saturday afternoons, fun times!
"it is called acting"
Olivier was no fan of 'method acting' (wherein our 'motivation'-seeking actor shoots himself in the head in order to play a corpse - convincingly). I'm with Olivier on this one!
@@marvinc9994and I am with you on this Marvin. If you have to be the part. Then it is not really acting. All that method acting is tripe. Olivier, Gielgud, Guinness, O'Toole and many other great actors learned their lines very well then "acted the part". Marlon Brando was called one of the greatest actors ever, but he had to have his lines hidden all over the set.
@@Tony-h7b4p Not only his lines, but probably pats of butter too for his role in Last Tango in Paris ....... 😏
Definitely give the Lady Killers a watch.
One of my favourite films is "Ice Cold in Alex" astory about an army ambulance crew trapped behind enemy lines trying to get home.
And another comedy is 1949 whisky Galore which was actually based on a real event but not the remake
I love whisky galore and a very young Gordon Jackson in the 70s growing up me and my mum used to watch Saturday matinee double feature on the bbc
Malcom Mcdowall actually had his eye scratched by those metal things that keep his eyes open. I think he went temporarily blind.
my french teacher, mr Harvey worked on LOA - he also spoke Arabic and worked translating the asst directors instructions to the extras - he was an incredible guitar player and one of the best teachers I ever met
Me and my daughter 17yrs old watched 39 steps a few days ago. I have seen a few different makes but my daughter watched the first one. But her favourite film is all quite on the western front. Yesterday we watched Ice cold in Alex she was impressed with Sir John Mills acting. I love the time when we watch films together. My favourite film is the Italian job.
I also made several attempts to get through The Third Man. You should view it as a Joseph Cotten film with Orson Welles as just a bit part player. The hype about his part in it came mostly from him. Cotten's character, represents the audience - being surprised, being puzzled, being curious etc, he asks the questions the audience are asking about the plot in order to unravel the mystery. As he gradually falls in love with Anna, notice that she barely ever looks at him. Everything about her is about her boyfriend, Harry Lime, a drugs racketeer in hiding and pretending to be dead. Far from boring, the film is really quite fast moving with no wasted scenes or dialogue and the zither music keeps the pace. The suspense of the final scene is unrivalled. Will Holly have time to light his cigarette before the music ends?
Agree 100%
The zither music eventually wore me out.
"The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" is a cinematic genius by Powell and Pressburger. It is shown in their classic vivid Technicolor. A film that is enjoyable to watch as a film story but also as a film with a hidden meaning. Although the message is about the English the whole production was very European!
Even better than Ladykillers is "Kind Hearts and Coronets" a wickedly funny dark comedy.
Of The Beatles films, I preferred Help. I really enjoyed the Hitchcock's version of The 39 Steps. Absolutely brilliant. Its been re-worked a couple of times, but the original was the best. The Lady Killers was absolutely brilliant. Alec Guiness was a master in it. Never heard of Blow-up. Doesn't look like my cuppa tea🤣. The Life and Death of Col Blimp. Very good. It follows two men, one German and one English, who become good friends from late Victorian times to the start of the Second World War.
Always loved the '39 Steps', yes also loved the 'Life and Death of Colonel Blimp' as well as 'Hamlet' then you have to add 'The Spy Who Came in from the Cold' a real dirty nitty gritty spy film considered by real spys to be the most authentic.
I know it's all a matter of taste but I always liked 'Ice Cold in Alex'
Great list and reaction, I'm a brit and never heard of Col. Blimp either, will have to check that out. I do think that Monty Python Holy Grail should be on this list for it's influence, it's an extraordinary film in many ways. As for must watch british films I would add Withnail & I, it is an absolute cult classic and Richard E Grants introduction. Also worth checking out Zulu, Michael Caine's introduction and an real gem.
The life and death of colonel blimp was on BBC I player as of a couple of days ago, so you may still be able to catch it.
Try "Passport to Pimlico" (1949) very British post war humour...
You have such a mellow voice. Broadcast worthy.😊❤
Chariots of fire is a good British classic
'The 39 Steps' was based on the book by the Scottish author John Buchan. Hitchcock later adapted the story to create 'Saboteur', and then again for 'North by North West'. They're all essentially the same plot - just to add to the film's importance!
The reason a lot of people come over to Britain to film is because certain towns will give help towards making the film as it helps promote the town/city for tourists and we have so many different landscapes here with castles and manor houses to rent.
And having World-Class film crews who tend to work in a collegiate manner doesn't do any harm, either!
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is absolutely brilliant. Definitely recommend watching.
The clockwork orange, part of it was filmed at my university.
The treatment room was our lecture theatre.
The reception area was our maths building and his accommodation was our accommodation, chepstow or Clifton hall.
Blow-up is an excellent film, I highly recommend it. I’m surprised that you haven’t heard of Michelangelo Antonioni, it is well worth checking out some of his other films too!
My favorite Hitchcock film is probably North By Northwest. From this list I have only watched, Dr. No, Lawrence of Arabia, A Clockwork Orange and A Hard Days Night. Some of the movies listed I didn't know of, so maybe a good time to watch...
l've only seen ten.
I love North by Northwest
The 39 steps is a must watch, Robert Donet, or Robert Donut as my Father used to call him, plays it perfectly with a fabulous sense of humour, upbeat movie for a Hitchcock, similar to North by North West. Blow up with Vanessa Redgrave is just another great movies, David Hemming does a fantastic David Bailey impersonation throughout, Vanessa Redgrave with her Italian connections was responsible for getting Michelangelo Antonioni to direct it
Donat!
It all comes down to taste but personally films like ‘Brazil’ and ‘The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus’ by Terry Gilliam. The Elephant man, Kiss of the Spider Woman with John Hurt in are both great films. And there is no way you can miss out the life of Brian by Monty python. Then you have Mike Leigh who’s made some brilliant films even if they can make you fell very uncomfortable like ‘Naked’ and ‘Life is sweet’. Sure I have missed out loads but that will do for now.
John Hurt wasn’t in “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” That was William Hurt.
Another Ealing classic - Kind Hearts And Coronets (with Alec Guinness playing multiple roles).
Oh Mr Porter with Will Hay (and his many other films).
The Lady Killers (the original) is one of my favourite films, easily in my top 5
You have the most relaxing voice! Stanley Kubrik lived in my home town in the UK - well the outskirts, in a big georgous mansion, but still!
JJ single handedly on a mission to reinvigorate pride within the psyche of this bedraggled island nation
Hitchcock had already made more than a dozen films before The 39 Steps (1935), but The 39 Steps is generally considered his first masterpiece. Moreover, it introduced and established several of the director's most important recurring themes and situations.
Through an accidental set of circumstances, an ordinary "everyman" unwittingly becomes caught in a deadly web of intrigue whose full nature he doesn't at first comprehend. The story involves mystery, romance, humor, and of course suspense, with a panoply of exciting chases, disguises, close calls, colorful minor characters, suave villains, witty dialogue, and surprising reveals that would become Hitchcockian trademarks. Hitchcock uses all the cinematic techniques available to him in 1935--techniques he would refine and expand over the next few decades.
Although certain aspects of the movie are dated, The 39 Steps is a seminal Hitchcock film that is still hugely enjoyable today. It essentially is the original version of North by Northwest (and of several other films Hitchcock directed between 1935 and 1959). It is also the "grandather," if you will, of the early James Bond movies and other spy/ international intrigue thrillers of the 1960s (eg, Arabesque and Blindfold) and of such "innoent man on the run" flicks as The Fugitive (1993).
Agreed. The thing about Hitchcock, of course, is that he cut his teeth in the art whilst working in the silent film era - and it was that in particular which gave him such a strong _visual_ sense and empathy with the audience. I've always had the nagging feeling that _colour_ wasn't quite 'right' for him, somehow.
Bugsy Malone , the best kids film ever
Blowup with David Hemmings strange but good movie. If you want to see Swinging London at it's height? This is the one! It was filmed around Clapham/Brixton south London In the mid sixties . I watched some of the filming too. Enjoy
David Hemming's son is one of the soldiers in Band of Brothers, he is so like him!
I finally got to watch Blow Up just a few weeks ago. I absolutely loved it. It’s one of my very favorites! I love movies that aren’t plot driven and are based on themes and concepts like that!
@mikemcsweeney Where you around at that time? You mentioned you were able to watch some of the filming . If so, you were living my dream when I was a little girl. I was here in Tennessee, wishing like everything I was in London buying clothes from Granny Takes a Trip . Was that the name of it? 😂
@@elainesgarden You are correct Granny takes a Trip was in Kings Road Chelsea. Kings Road was the Place to get the latest ( Fab Gear ) at the time the place to see and be seen. Any Saturday you could literally bump into Hendrix, Twiggy, Jagger and any number of famous faces just strolling around . Different world back then. Biba was another shop in Kensington. for the latest ladies fashion. My girlfriend at the time used to drag me there . Quite an eye opener. 😀
@@mikemcsweeney4753 oh man! Now I’m even more envious. ☺I had no idea you could run into people who actually created that era. I’m familiar with Biba’s also. I bet you had a lot of fun expressing yourself in those clothes! I know I did even though I was nowhere near there.😂I was probably pretty young when all that started. Did that begin around 66 or so? I bet you saw some really amazing concerts too. People in there really early , before super famous years. Hendrix, Pink Floyd etc.
To JJ, to your last point/question. The criteria for this top 10 is not the best British films, but British films that made or had a cultural impact on the wider international film making industry.
The Third Man is also well known for its theme music played on a Zither.
The Third Man, from the book, very gripping and cleverly worked, can't get the music out of my head, always brings back memories of the film.
It’s not about great film or British films, it’s about films that CHANGED CINEMA.
Changed? That is a very subjective stance. Excellence without equal can be considered a
life-changing experience in cinema.
Look at the title, "British Films That Changed Cinema."
@@RushfanUK That is a bit of a clue, isn't it?
Still, some prefer to just pick a fight...sad gits.
Thank you for your intelligent critique of British films, you are a real film buff, and know your stuff.
As you said, there are many to choose from, but I suppose it came down to someone's personal choice as to which made the top 10, although I would agree with most of them.
I love your videos, you consider things more deeply than most reactors 🙋♀️🇬🇧🤗
I think they were trying to limit the number of films from one director or studio which is why there was only one Kubrick, one Hitchcock, one Ealing film, one Archers film etc. Personally my favourite Ealing film is Kind Hearts and Coronets rather than The Ladykillers, though both have fantastic roles for Alec Guinness. I'd also swap out Colonel Blimp for a Matter of Life and Death from The Archers.
A Matter of Life and Death is an absolute masterpiece! In my view one for the best films ever made, and in my top 5 list of favourite films.
Don't even get me started on Black Narcissus!
Powell and Pressburger were geniuses, and those films do not get enough exposure for the masterpieces they are IMHO!!!
The Mouse that Roared
I'm surprised there's no Noel Coward on there. Brief Encounter is a masterpiece.
Powell and Pressburger were the best! "Matter of Life and Death" still remains one of the greatest films! IMHO
I've seen most of these. On Sunday afternoon there was a film every week, "The Sunday Matinee" (never figured out why "matinees" were in the afternoon...), and it was Mum's only weekly couple of hours off. It could be anything from westerns to musicals to Ealing comedies. Obviously films like Clockwork Orange were not on the list! But I definitely recommend The Ladykillers, and frankly anything by those studios.
Bear in mind _when_ they were made, and you really need to understand the history of the country around the time they were made to _truly_ appreciate as much as possible about them. They're great old films anyway, but without that bit of understanding, jokes will go over your head.
E.g. Passport to Pimlico (very, very funny. Stanley Holloway was in it IIRC - it's been about 40 years+ since I've seen it. He was Eliza Doolittle's dad in the film of My Fair Lady) was set during bombed out, post-war (just) London - particularly in Pimlico, an area of it - and deals with the stress of rationing but hilariously. I don't want to give too many details!
One of my favourites as a kid was the Titfield Thunderbolt, based during the time of shutting down the more remote railway stations and encouraging the use of busses. The race at the end is a gem, and you don't know who's going to win until after the times are declared (that might sound obvious, but it would make a lot of sense if you watch it. I can't say more without spoiling it!)
Enjoy!
When I was a kid I used to visit my grandparents in a part of Bradford West Yorkshire England called Clayton. Peter Sellers used to do the coin between the ears trick. But being a young kid I didn't know he was famous. He was just Peter to me. But when I was older and watched the pink panther and I was shocked to see him on the cinema screen.
I remember watching The Third Man on a very big screen in an independent cinema in London , and it really was brilliant, with the shadows having a huge effect. It was meant to be a big-screen production, I doubt it would be so amazing on a small screen.