Greatest English Film Ever

[VillaJ100]

2 hours ago, WhatAboutTheFinish said:

A lot of love for the afore mentioned The Wickerman, a film I have probably watched a hundred times and could still watch again with just as much pleasure.

Honourable mention for this hottie too

for producing one of the most iconic/memorable scenes in British cinema history. Also a great film. 

Is this the film with the IRA bod falling in love with the transexual

[Xann]

1 hour ago, Stevo985 said:

I bet it is. Everything about it I should like. I really don't know why I haven't watched it yet  

 

43 minutes ago, mjmooney said:

Just rereading this thread, all the usual suspect films crop up, but then I keep seeing votes for this Dead Man's Shoes. I've genuinely never even heard of it. 

Films/HBO and the rest bore me.

'Dead Man's Shoes' is something else.

Brilliantly written.

The bad guys remind me of friends from decades back, uncannily so sometimes. Replace the 2CV with a hearse and you're there.

[WhatAboutTheFinish]

1 hour ago, VillaJ100 said:

Is this the film with the IRA bod falling in love with the transexual

Yeah that’s the one...The Crying Game.

[VILLAMARV]

It might be getting on for 30 years old but I cant help but think that's what spoiler boxes were made for

[mjmooney]

24 minutes ago, VILLAMARV said:

It might be getting on for 30 years old but I cant help but think that's what spoiler boxes were made for

It's the very reason why I've never seen The Crying Game, and probably never will - somebody hit me with that spoiler years ago. 

[mjmooney]

Digging myself in even deeper here, but who did you say the bloke in DMS was? Paddy Considine? I expect I may have seen him in something, I've heard the name, but he's another one I wouldn't be able to pick out of an identity parade. 

[Stevo985]

2 minutes ago, mjmooney said:

Digging myself in even deeper here, but who did you say the bloke in DMS was? Paddy Considine? I expect I may have seen him in something, I've heard the name, but he's another one I wouldn't be able to pick out of an identity parade. 

This chap

 

I'd be surprised if you didn't recognise his face.

But not too surprised you wouldn't recognise the name. Despite him being brilliant, I wouldn't say he was a particularly well known actor in terms of name. More one of those actors you'd say "oh yeah he was in that thing I watched"

Edited June 11, 2019 by Stevo985

[mjmooney]

Yeah, I do that with everything I watch. 

Me: This bloke/woman looks vaguely familiar. 

Mrs M: Yeah, he/she was in (reels off huge list of things we've both seen, and tells me the name). 

Me: Oh, yeah (instantly forgets the name again).

[Designer1]

54 minutes ago, mjmooney said:

Digging myself in even deeper here, but who did you say the bloke in DMS was? Paddy Considine? I expect I may have seen him in something, I've heard the name, but he's another one I wouldn't be able to pick out of an identity parade. 

He's done some excellent work down the years Mike. He's a very unassuming chap and about as far away as you can get from acting like a 'Hollywood' star, even though he can more than hold his own with them.

His work with Shane Meadows is superb, and he always tends to go for very different roles (compare his work in Dead Man's Shoes to Le Donk for instance) and he also proved himself to be rather deft behind the camera with Tyrannosaur (also mentioned in this thread) which for a first time director was one hell of a debut. The only thing I've seen him in that I didn't like was the movie Backwoods with Gary Oldman. I think they can both try and forget that one.

His band Riding the Low aren't too shabby either.

 

**EDIT** also, not sure if you're a Stones fan Mike, but he played Frank Thorogood in a movie called Stoned (about Brian Jones death). 

 

Edited June 11, 2019 by Designer1

[Mark Albrighton]

1 hour ago, mjmooney said:

It's the very reason why I've never seen The Crying Game, and probably never will - somebody hit me with that spoiler years ago. 

I imagine the film has more impact if you don’t know it going in, but I don’t think it’s actually that crucial to the enjoyment of the film. I watched it for the first time knowing that moment would happen and I still got into the story.

If memory serves correct, it’s not near the ending of the film, so it’s not like it hinges on the twist (well, not as much as you might think). Definitely worth a watch.

Edited June 11, 2019 by Shropshire Lad

[Mark Albrighton]

10 Rillington Place is a fairly chilling film. There I was thinking Richard Attenborough was just a nice old dinosaur making grandad.

I feel like a few of Ben Wheatley’s films warrant a mention -

Kill List, Sightseers (the similarities with Nuts in May are there, but then it goes darker, real macabre comedy) and the real trippy- civil war era A Field in England was very memorable.

Oh and staying with the English Civil War, Witchfinder General probably deserves a mention too.

[PaulC]

18 hours ago, VILLAMARV said:

The Third Man
Get Carter
A Clockwork Orange
The Wickerman
Life Of Brian

Probably in that order too.

(I have not seen Dead Man's Shoes. I'll put that right at the earliest judging by the posters recommending it here)

Good choice there. I'd include Trainspotting, Lawrence of Arabia, the Servant, 2001 a space odyssey

[PaulC]

1 hour ago, Shropshire Lad said:

10 Rillington Place is a fairly chilling film. There I was thinking Richard Attenborough was just a nice old dinosaur making grandad.

I feel like a few of Ben Wheatley’s films warrant a mention -

Kill List, Sightseers (the similarities with Nuts in May are there, but then it goes darker, real macabre comedy) and the real trippy- civil war era A Field in England was very memorable.

Oh and staying with the English Civil War, Witchfinder General probably deserves a mention too.

Richard Attenborough a legend me. Brighton Rock and The Great escape as well. and he directed Ghandi

[PaulC]

3 hours ago, WhatAboutTheFinish said:

Yeah that’s the one...The Crying Game.

Yes another wonderful film. seen it many times 

[VILLAMARV]

17 hours ago, Shropshire Lad said:

I always find it interesting what the criteria is when deciding a nationality of a film, director, source material, where it’s filmed, production company, principal cast etc.

I think the bar should be set pretty low myself. People can get really sniffy about such things - "Yeah but the money came from XYZ" and all that. Who cares? At one point we hardly had a film industry to speak of.

Claim everything we can

[Xela]

9 hours ago, Designer1 said:

It has my favourite scene in a movie ever and Paddy Considines performance is something to behold. Every look, every movement, every word is perfection. 

"You're there mate *clenches fist*"

[Xela]

8 hours ago, mjmooney said:

Just rereading this thread, all the usual suspect films crop up, but then I keep seeing votes for this Dead Man's Shoes. I've genuinely never even heard of it. 

Amazing film.

Filmed in Matlock I think (not sure why I think that is worthy of mentioning)

[ferguson1]

I do have a soft spot for espionage/wartime/thriller stuff, so here's a few I still like to watch: 

The Third Man, The Colditz Story, The Wooden Horse, The One That Got Way, The 39 Steps, The lady Vanishes, The Dam Busters, Stalag 17. 

Sherlock Holmes (any Basil Rathbone short films)

Hitchcock films

The Italian Job, Zulu and Oliver (1948 and 1968 versions). 

[VILLAMARV]

2 hours ago, PaulC said:

Good choice there. I'd include Trainspotting, Lawrence of Arabia, the Servant, 2001 a space odyssey

I realise my favourites are (not surprisingly for me) rather '70's heavy. (It's the best decade for film imo). Third Man is just a masterpiece from another time. Bridge over the river Kwai, Man who would be King, Zulu, Lawrence of Arabia all films I remember watching with my dad as a kid.

Not seen The Servant, I'll look it up. The Ipcress File needs more love in this thread. Such a great soundtrack. The perfect British spy film.

Fahrenheit 451 more than a little UK influence I'd say ('66 version obviously) and The Omen (Ok maybe I'm pushing that one). Love them both.

Scum and Monty Python's search for the Holy Grail proper 70's classics that I had to think about doing that top 5.

The 80's was to my mind a creatively barren time - but there are still some great films. I have loads of love for Local Hero, good to see lots here do too. Surprised no one's mentioned Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence or The Killing Fields so far as far as I can see, pretty sure both were British funded (and with TKF directed). Gandhi, Withnail and I, My Beautiful Laundrette, Hellraiser all notable. Can we not lay claim to An American Werewolf in London? The kitsch brilliance that is Flash Gordon?

But the new era started in the late 80's early 90's imo with Channel4/Film4 deserving of much credit. 'Modern classics' to me would have to include the same names as I assume most people's lists would -

Twin Town

Shallow Grave
Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Snatch
The Commitments
Love Actually
Shaun of the Dead
Hot Fuzz
28 Days Later

But none of those, for me, are a patch on V for Vendetta which would definitely make my all time top 10. As would Trainspotting.

Never going to win 'the best' of anything but 'Saving Grace' is a quintessentially British film along the lines of a heartwarming Local Hero type that you could watch with your Grandma. "The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down A Mountain" is another. Thumbs up to both. Brassed Off is also fun. The Full Monty (we're good at those type of films aren't we?)

And then there's the Aardman stuff like 'Chicken Run' made out of Bristol. That is/was groundbreaking stuff.

Even more recently I've enjoyed Pride and Ex-Machina was brilliant.

Anyway, I've spent far too much time thinking about this but I'll stick with my first 5 and finish it off.

The Third Man
Get Carter
A Clockwork Orange
The Wickerman
Life Of Brian

6. V for Vendetta
7. Scum
8. Trainspotting
9. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
10. The Ipcress File

[PaulC]

Yes love merry Christmas mr Lawrence and the killing fields is my fav ever war film and although I know Mike Oldfield wrote the brilliant soundtrack to that film wasn’t it an American production? Actually those two films have two of the best soundtracks ever.

70s was a great era for films.