Classic British Films.
My list covers a variety of genres throughout the decades, starring some of the biggest actors from the British acting industry. The likes of Alec Guinness, John Mills and Robert Newton brought the storylines to life, not to mention the directors who would place their own style on their films. Apart from the classics, my list also includes some of the more obscure titles.
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- DirectorMichael PowellEmeric PressburgerStarsDavid NivenKim HunterRobert CooteA British wartime aviator who cheats death must argue for his life before a celestial court, hoping to prolong his fledgling romance with an American girl.A defining film of the times.
- DirectorCarol ReedStarsRalph RichardsonMichèle MorganSonia DresdelA butler working in a foreign embassy in London falls under suspicion when his wife accidentally falls to her death, the only witness being an impressionable young boy.
- DirectorSidney GilliatStarsAlastair SimSally GrayTrevor HowardAfter the nurse who declares that a recent surgical death was a murder also dies, an enigmatic Scotland Yard inspector arrives to investigate.Although billed amongst the supporting cast, Alastair Sim steals the film.
- DirectorJohn BoultingStarsRichard AttenboroughHermione BaddeleyWilliam HartnellIn Brighton in 1935, small-time gang leader Pinkie Brown murders a journalist and later desperately tries to cover his tracks but runs into trouble with the police, a few witnesses, and a rival gang.Raw, unyielding and unforgettable!
- DirectorCarol ReedStarsOrson WellesJoseph CottenAlida ValliPulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, Harry Lime.A masterpiece of filmmaking that has stood the test of time.
- DirectorRobert HamerStarsMervyn JohnsMary MerrallGordon JacksonA drunken, abusive tavern-keeper's adulterous wife uses the backward son of a rigid, puritanical pharmacist who makes his entire family miserable.Uninvolving story partly defeats the film.
- DirectorMichael PowellEmeric PressburgerStarsRoger LiveseyDeborah KerrAnton WalbrookFrom the Boer War through World War II, a soldier rises through the ranks in the British military.Brilliant film!
- DirectorRobert HamerStarsGoogie WithersJack WarnerJohn McCallumAn escaped convict tries to hide out at his former lover's house, but she has since married and is reluctant to help him.Very enjoyable throughout.
- DirectorRoy Ward BakerStarsJohn MillsJoan GreenwoodEdward ChapmanWhen the murder of a young woman happens, her next-door neighbor is under suspicion due to his previous stay in a mental hospital.Mills is on top form in a first rate thriller.
- DirectorDavid LeanStarsRobert NewtonAlec GuinnessKay WalshIn Charles Dickens' classic tale, an orphan wends his way from cruel apprenticeship to den of thieves in search of a true home.My favourite adaptation of Charles Dickens.
- DirectorAlexander MackendrickStarsAlec GuinnessJoan GreenwoodCecil ParkerAn altruistic chemist invents a fabric which resists wear and stain as a boon to humanity, but big business and labor realize it must be suppressed for economic reasons.
- DirectorMichael PowellEmeric PressburgerStarsDeborah KerrDavid FarrarFlora RobsonA group of nuns struggle to establish a convent in the Himalayas, while isolation, extreme weather, altitude, and culture clashes all conspire to drive the well-intentioned missionaries mad.
- DirectorDavid LeanStarsRex HarrisonConstance CummingsKay HammondA man and his second wife are haunted by the ghost of his first wife.
- DirectorSam WoodSidney FranklinStarsRobert DonatGreer GarsonTerry KilburnAn aged teacher and former headmaster of a boarding school recalls his career and his personal life over the decades.Donat's greatest triumph.
- DirectorRené ClairStarsRobert DonatJean ParkerEugene PalletteA haunted Scottish castle is dismantled and transported to Florida, bringing the family ghost along with it.
- DirectorAlberto CavalcantiCharles CrichtonBasil DeardenStarsMervyn JohnsMichael RedgraveRoland CulverGuests invited to a weekend in the country share their supernatural stories, beginning with Walter Craig, who senses impending doom as his half-remembered recurring dream turns into reality.A disturbing film and brilliantly made.
- DirectorEugene FordeStarsGordon HarkerAlastair SimMiki HoodInspector Hornleigh and his assistant Sergeant Bingham are called in to investigate a murder that involves the theft of government secrets.The two leads are effective and the story has intrigue.
- DirectorWalter FordeStarsGordon HarkerAlastair SimLinden TraversIt comes as no surprise when Inspector Hornleigh and his assistant, Sergeant Bingham, go to enjoy the winds and rains on their annual seaside vacation, when they run into a "busman's holiday." One of their fellow boarders at Balmoral Guest House, Captain Fraser of the Royal Navy, goes out one dismal night with his pet terrier and is found crushed and burned to death in his wrecked roadster at the foot of a cliff. Hornleigh and Bingham, residing at Brighthaven incognito and the last people to see Fraser, are taken into custody by the local police. It was impossible to identify the charred body and the dog is missing. Hornleigh, suspecting murder, identifies himself and goes to work on the case. He proves that the crash was neither suicide nor accident, and that the body is not Fraser, despite an identifying tattoo on the back of his hand.
- DirectorWalter FordeStarsGordon HarkerAlastair SimPhyllis CalvertThe plot pits Hornleigh and Bingham against a clever gang of Nazi espionage agents. Most of the action takes place aboard a speeding train, with our heroes never quite certain who can be trusted and who can't. Phyllis Calvert contributes to the intrigue as one Mrs. Wilkinson who is not all she seems to be.Solid entertainment.
- DirectorWalter FordeStarsHugh SinclairGriffith JonesFrancis L. SullivanThe four men of the title are British WWI veterans who decide to work secretly against enemies of the country. They aren't above a bit of murder or sabotage to serve their ends, but they consider themselves to be true patriots.Overall, effective story and solidly made film.
- DirectorPhilip BrandonStarsLinden TraversJohn WarwickPatricia HilliardA millionaire disappears after a blackmail attempt by criminal, The Panda. His sister tries to help the police find him and deal with an aftermath of murder and mystery.Very poor.
- DirectorRichard BirdStarsWilfrid LawsonBernard LeeArthur WontnerA criminal mastermind robs gold, frames his gang, keeps loot. Freed gang searches for ex-boss for revenge and their share.Underrated Edgar Wallace adaptation.
- DirectorRalph ThomasStarsDavid NivenGlynis JohnsGeorge CoulourisDuring WW2, British Major Valentine Moreland is tasked with rescuing a prized pedigree cow from the German-occupied Channel Island of Armorel.
- DirectorBasil DeardenStarsJack WarnerDirk BogardeJimmy HanleyThe daily routine of two London Policemen is interrupted by a killer.Shocking for its time.
- DirectorSidney ColeCharles CrichtonBasil DeardenStarsJack WarnerGladys HensonSusan ShawA train disaster is told as four short stories to give character studies of the people involved, how it will affect them, and how they deal with it.Missed opportunities.
- DirectorWalter SummersStarsBela LugosiHugh WilliamsGreta GyntInsurance agent-physician collects on policies of men murdered by a disfigured resident of the home for the blind where he acts as doctor-on-call.
- DirectorReginald DenhamStarsIan HunterAustin TrevorLilian OldlandWhen an actor is murdered at the BBC Inspector Gregory finds he has many suspects to choose from.Nothing remarkable.
- DirectorMontgomery TullyStarsTony WrightPatricia DaintonSandra DorneA novelist and his sexy lover plot to kill the novelist's wife so he can inherit her fortune including her house that happens to be haunted.
- DirectorBasil DeardenStarsJack HawkinsNigel PatrickRoger LiveseyA disgruntled veteran recruits a group of disgraced colleagues to perform a bank robbery with military precision.
- DirectorCharles FrendStarsJack HawkinsJohn StrattonDorothy AlisonThe sleuths of Scotland Yard try to solve a series of burglaries.The "documentary" style suits the film well.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJack HawkinsAnna LeeAnna MasseyA typical day for Scotland Yard Chief Inspector George Gideon consists of working on several cases at the same time.
- DirectorAnthony KimminsStarsJohn MillsPhyllis CalvertEileen MooreA British aircraft engineer accidentally kills his daughter's nasty foreign boyfriend, then tries to cover up his deed.Disappointing.
- DirectorMichael WinnerStarsAlfred LynchKathleen BreckEric PortmanThis Michael Winner directed film looks into life at Notting Hill, London, then a seedy slum. A down on his luck Joe Beckett (Alfred Lynch) is recruited into crime by Richard Dyce (Eric Portman).Totally forgettable.
- DirectorTerry BishopStarsHarry H. CorbettFelicity YoungSpencer TeakleSet in the sleazy world of a backstreet 1950s nightclub, a serial killer is believed to be murdering the models of a glamour magazine.Effective and quite suspenseful.
- DirectorHerbert WilcoxStarsMichael WildingMargaret LockwoodOrson WellesAfter a wealthy businessman is found dead, reporter Philip Trent is sent to investigate. Against the police conclusions, he suspects the assumed suicide is really a murder, and becomes highly interested in the young widow and the dead man's private secretary.Very ordinary. At least Orson Welles managed to enliven the proceedings.
- DirectorDavid EadyGeorge More O'FerrallWendy ToyeStarsOrson WellesJohn GregsonElizabeth SellarsA trilogy of fantastic stories involving murder and the supernatural.Not bad. The segment with John Gregson is the best.
- DirectorJoseph LoseyStarsMichael RedgraveAnn ToddLeo McKernThe day before a young man is to be executed for killing his girlfriend, his alcoholic father shows up to try to prove his innocence.
- DirectorCharles FrendStarsMichael CraigPeter CushingBernard LeeIn Britain, at the dawn of jet-powered commercial aviation, an aircraft manufacturer tries to shift the blame from mechanical failure to pilot error when its newest jet airliner has a series of accidents.Tedious film, despite the excellent cast.
- DirectorJoseph LoseyStarsDirk BogardeSarah MilesWendy CraigUpper-class Tony hires servant Hugo Barrett, who turns out to have a hidden agenda.Representing changes in British cinema.
- DirectorTony RichardsonStarsRita TushinghamDora BryanRobert StephensA pregnant teenage girl must fend for herself when her mother remarries, leaving the girl with only a new male friend for support.Brilliant.
- DirectorJohn SchlesingerStarsAlan BatesJune RitchieThora HirdAfter his girlfriend's pregnancy forces him to marry her, a young man must adjust to his new life and contend with his domineering mother-in-law.
- DirectorWolf RillaStarsSylvia SymsEdward JuddJune RitchieTwo Soho club hostesses and roommates endanger their friendship due to their romantic rivalry over the affections of a married businessman.Rather melancholic but worth seeing.
- DirectorLewis GilbertStarsJack WarnerAnthony SteelJoy SheltonScotland Yard is mobilised in the hunt for blood donors in a race to save a dying girl.
- DirectorGuy HamiltonStarsAlastair SimArthur YoungOlga LindoA wealthy family is visited by a police inspector, who questions the family about the suicide of a young working-class woman.No other version has equalled this one.
- DirectorRobert S. BakerMonty BermanStarsDonald SindenNicole BergerKieron MooreAs armed police surround a house in the East End of London, a young lady under medical supervision nearby thinks back to the events that lead her and a group of Russian refugee political anarchists to this situation.
- DirectorHerbert BrenonStarsPhyllis BrooksSebastian ShawJack HawkinsDedicated young Inspector Bradley of Scotland Yard is on the trail of Mark McGill, murderous ringleader of a smuggling organization in London. Hindering his investigation is pretty Ann Perryman who has been convinced by McGill that Bradley is responsible for her brother's death. In reality McGill has murdered her brother, which Bradley is trying to prove.
- DirectorSidney J. FurieStarsRichard ToddRobert MorleyDudley SuttonIn 1962 London, four troublesome teenagers are charged by the police with robbing a garage and murdering the night watchman.
- DirectorKen AnnakinStarsNigel PatrickMargaret WhitingKatherine WoodvilleScotland Yard Chief Inspector Johnnoe is investigating a string of bank robberies but the robbers are determined to compromise Johnnoe and the investigation.
- DirectorBasil DeardenStarsMichael CraigPatrick McGoohanJanet MunroWhen John Harris's daughter is badly injured in an boating accident, the hospital tells him that she will need an urgent blood transfusion. Due to his religious beliefs Harris refuses permission, and the child dies. When the inquest clears Harris of all blame, the doctor in charge of the case tries to get the police to press manslaughter charges against Harris.
- DirectorBasil DeardenStarsPatrick McGoohanKeith MichellBetsy BlairThis movie, based on William Shakespeare's Othello, is neatly positioned as a vehicle to showcase some of the best jazz musicians of the period, including Dave Brubeck and Charles Mingus.
- DirectorRalph ThomasStarsKenneth MoreTaina ElgBrenda de BanzieIn London, a diplomat accidentally becomes involved in the death of a British agent who's after a spy ring that covets British military secrets.A good film in itself but Kenneth More is superb.
- DirectorAlberto CavalcantiStarsDerek BondCedric HardwickeMary MerrallA young, compassionate man struggles to save his family and friends from the abusive exploitation of his cold-hearted, grasping uncle.
- DirectorMontgomery TullyStarsWilliam HartnellJimmy HanleyChili BouchierDock worker Tom Masterick is wrongfully convicted of a murder charge. His death sentence is commuted to a long prison term. When released as an old man, he vows to show that his alleged victim is still alive.
- DirectorCarol ReedStarsRalph RichardsonTrevor HowardRobert MorleyA man occupies a position of trust with a merchant in an East Asian port. He's sacked after he's caught stealing, but he pretends to commit suicide, and a Captain he befriended agrees to take him to a secret trading post.
- DirectorCharles CrichtonStarsDirk BogardeJon WhiteleyElizabeth SellarsA violent fugitive and a mistreated small boy team up to flee from authority.
- DirectorCarol ReedStarsJames MasonClaire BloomHildegard KnefIn post-WW2 Berlin, when travel to the East was still possible, the sister of a British officer from West Berlin is abducted by Communist agents and taken into the Soviet sector where her eventual rescue is arranged by a German smuggler.
- DirectorLewis GilbertStarsKenneth MoreDiane CilentoCecil ParkerIn 1905, Lord Henry Loam and his family and servants are shipwrecked on a deserted island where the survival of the fittest renders the rigid class system irrelevant.Fun from beginning to end.
- DirectorAlberto CavalcantiStarsSally GrayTrevor HowardGriffith JonesAfter WW2, former RAF airman Clem Morgan joins a gang of black-market smugglers-thieves but when a robbery goes wrong, Clem is caught , framed for a policeman's murder, and is sent to prison where he plots his escape and revenge.
- DirectorAnthony PelissierStarsValerie HobsonJohn Howard DaviesRonald SquireA young boy receives a rocking horse for Christmas and soon learns that he is able to pick the winning horse at the races.
- DirectorHerbert WilcoxStarsAnna NeagleTrevor HowardMarius GoringDuring WW2, a French woman living in England volunteers to work for British Intelligence in Nazi-occupied France.
- DirectorLaslo BenedekStarsTrevor HowardDorothy DandridgeEdmund PurdomA jewel thief pulls off a big heist, stabs his partner-in-crime in the back, dumps his girlfriend and goes on the run with the loot. The ex-partner and the girlfriend team up to go after him.
- DirectorRonald NeameStarsTrevor HowardAnouk AiméeHerbert LomA man is torn between tackling a sinister crime syndicate or turning a blind eye to the suffering it creates.
- DirectorAlfred RoomeStarsJack WarnerJane HyltonGeorge ColeWar hero George Martin escapes prison handcuffed to crook Willie Stannard. They obtain railway tickets. Pursued by police and press, George aims to break free from Willie and escape.
- DirectorMichael PowellEmeric PressburgerStarsWendy HillerRoger LiveseyPamela BrownA young Englishwoman goes to the Hebrides to marry her older, wealthier fiancé. When the weather keeps them separated on different islands, she begins to have second thoughts.
- DirectorBasil DeardenStarsDirk BogardeSylvia SymsDennis PriceA closeted lawyer risks his career to bring a blackmailer to justice.
- DirectorSam WanamakerStarsYul BrynnerCharles GrayEdward WoodwardU.S. Agent Novak and Scotland Yard Officer Thompson go undercover to infiltrate a counterfeit organization.
- DirectorDon SharpStarsEdward WoodwardEric PorterCarl MöhnerGreg Callan's cousin David Callan top agent/assassin for the S.I.S., was forced to retire because he had lost his nerve. Now, Callan is called back into service to handle the assassination of Schneider, a German businessman. His former boss promises Callan that he'll be returned to active status if he follows orders, but as always Callan refuses to act until he knows why Schneider has been marked for death.
- DirectorJoseph LoseyStarsDirk BogardeAlexis SmithAlexander KnoxAfter a convict breaks in a psychotherapist's home, he agrees to rehabilitation rather than arrest but the therapist's wife becomes infatuated with him.
- DirectorDavid EadyStarsJohn GregsonMai ZetterlingJohn IrelandBusinessman and inventor Richard Hammond is determined to develop and market the perfect light-bulb. In a freak lab accident he is blinded and suffers a partial breakdown. His wife, partner and brother take him to his country house, but then Hammond starts to suspect all is not what it seems.
- DirectorVernon SewellStarsDerren NesbittKeith FaulknerCarol WhiteTwo young thugs rob a bookie leaving a dog-racing track with his winnings, but when they grab his case full of money they discover that he has chained it to his wrist. They dash around town trying to find a way to separate the case from the wrist of the bookie, who the pair has by now beaten so badly he appears to be dead. They finally come up with what they think is a foolproof plan, but soon something happens that they weren't quite expecting.
- DirectorVernon SewellStarsColin GordonJohn ChappellAnn LynnBank robbery goes awry, manager and cashier locked in vault. Robbers return after failed rescue attempt, race against time to free hostages before police arrive.
- DirectorRobert TronsonStarsMaxine AudleyLee MontagueAllan CuthbertsonWhen a hotel becomes the scene of a murder and robbery, investigators take to the streets in pursuit of the suspect.
- DirectorCy EndfieldStarsStanley BakerHerbert LomPeggy CumminsA rookie trucker tries to expose his boss' rackets.
- DirectorCy EndfieldStarsStanley BakerJack HawkinsUlla JacobssonOutnumbered British soldiers do battle with Zulu warriors at Rorke's Drift.
- DirectorVal GuestStarsStanley BakerJohn CrawfordDonald PleasenceIn Britain, a Manchester police inspector becomes obsessed with capturing a criminal who escapes from prison.
- DirectorJoseph LoseyStarsStanley BakerSam WanamakerGrégoire AslanIn the UK, after pulling a racetrack robbery, repeat offender Johnny Bannion hides the loot in a farmer's field but the police and the local mob come looking for Johnny and the money.
- DirectorCliff OwenStarsStanley BakerHelmut SchmidTom BellA criminal gang sets out to pull off the heist of a large army payroll.
- DirectorVal GuestStarsStanley BakerGuy RolfeLeo McKernIn World War II, during the Japanese invasion of Burma, the lost remnant of a British Army Brigade HQ, led by the ruthless Captain Alan Langford, escapes through the jungle toward the British lines.
- DirectorQuentin LawrenceStarsStanley BakerPeter CushingGeorgina WardA mysterious call summons Joe Newman to Bavaria in search of the father he believed dead for 20 years.
- DirectorBasil DeardenStarsStanley BakerAnne HeywoodDavid McCallumThe struggle between a Liverpool Juvenile Liaison officer and a dangerous young pyromaniac.
- DirectorPeter CollinsonStarsStanley BakerGeraldine ChaplinDonald PleasenceExperienced British spy must retrieve a defecting Soviet scientist from Turkey. When a pretty female innocent bystander gets kidnapped by mistake by his enemies, he feels responsible and decides to help her as well.
- DirectorPeter YatesStarsStanley BakerJoanna PettetJames BoothA group of British criminals plan the robbery of the Royal Mail train on the Glasgow-London route.
- DirectorCy EndfieldStarsStanley BakerVictor McLaglenLuciana PaluzziOff the Spanish coast, two tug-boat captains are caught in a violent feud over a woman but their rivalry is set aside when a sinking freighter carrying explosives must be salvaged and towed to port.
- DirectorCy EndfieldStarsStanley BakerStuart WhitmanSusannah YorkAfter a small aircraft crashes in the Kalahari Desert, one of the seven passengers decides that his survival chances would increase if he eliminates the other men in the group.
- DirectorCy EndfieldStarsRichard AttenboroughStanley BakerHermione BaddeleySir Richard Attenborough plays Ernest Tilley, a man who lost his daughter in a hit-and-run accident. He tracks down the man responsible for the accident and boards the same plane, threatening to blow up himself and everyone on board as an act of vengeance. What follows is an Airport-type movie with all the passengers having their own little subplots and fears.
- DirectorJoseph LoseyStarsHardy KrügerStanley BakerMicheline PresleIn 1950s London, Dutch painter Jan Van Rooyen has an affair with a rich married Frenchwoman who is supposedly murdered, resulting in Van Rooyen becoming Scotland Yard's prime suspect.
- DirectorRalph ThomasStarsDirk BogardeStanley BakerMichael CraigEnglishman Bruce Campbell (Dirk Bogarde) takes possession of his grandfather's Canadian land, but he faces various challenges such as disgruntled locals, a ruthless contractor, a new power dam, and his own bad health.
- DirectorJoseph LoseyStarsDirk BogardeStanley BakerJacqueline SassardAt Oxford, Austrian student Anna von Graz (Jacqueline Sassard) is dating fellow student William (Michael York), whom she plans to marry, but she ends up involved with two unhappily married Oxford professors instead.
- DirectorRobert AldrichStarsRobert MitchumStanley BakerElisabeth MüllerIn 1941, the Greek resistance entrusts an American journalist with a secret Greek double-agent list that must reach London and not fall into German hands.
- DirectorCy EndfieldStarsPhyllis CalvertEric PortmanStanley BakerYoung Elizabeth is left with her relatives, a married couple, while her mother is in the hospital. The friendly husband likes her, but the wife hates kids. One day her father, an often-absent crook on the lam, visits her in secret.
- DirectorRalph ThomasStarsAnthony SteelOdile VersoisStanley BakerAfter killing a few Italian cops during a burglary, a thief hired by a British car racing company must flee to Switzerland disguised as a race car driver during a rally.
- DirectorLewis GilbertStarsLaurence HarveyGloria GrahameRichard BasehartIn London, three otherwise law-abiding good men and their unscrupulous leader are about to commit a serious crime, but for different reasons.
- DirectorPeter HallStarsUrsula AndressStanley BakerDavid WarnerThe deputy manager of a London bank has worked out a way to rob the branch of £200,000. When he becomes involved with the attractive Lady Dorset he decides to go ahead with his plan. He needs her help and that of her philandering spendthrift husband. It all comes down to a matter of trust.
- DirectorJ. Lee ThompsonStarsDavid NivenGregory PeckAnthony QuinnA team of Allied saboteurs is assigned an impossible mission: infiltrate an impregnable Nazi-held Greek island and destroy the two enormous long-range field guns that prevent the rescue of 2,000 trapped British soldiers.
- DirectorMichael WinnerStarsMichael CrawfordStanley BakerRyan O'NealFour marathon runners (one from England, one from the U.S., a Czechoslovakian, and an Australian Aborigine) prepare to run in the Olympic games. The film follows each one and shows what their motivations are for running in the games.
- DirectorCharles FrendStarsJack HawkinsDonald SindenJohn StrattonThe World War II adventures of a British convoy escort ship and its officers.
- DirectorJack ClaytonStarsAnne BancroftPeter FinchJames MasonBeautiful Mother of five Jo leaves the banality of her marriage to second husband Giles to wed her passionate screenwriter lover, Jake Armitage. As suspicions of Husband Jake's philandering grows, Jo's sanity spirals.
- DirectorStephen FrearsStarsAlbert FinneyBillie WhitelawFrank FinlayInspired by his love for Dashiell Hammett novels, nightclub comedian Eddie Ginley puts an ad in the paper as a private eye. The case he gets turns out to be a strange setup and as he digs to the bottom of it his life starts falling apart.
- DirectorTerry BishopStarsDerren NesbittJulie HopkinsHoward Marion-CrawfordThe inhabitants of a small village, led by a war veteran, try to catch a vagrant, who they suspect to be an escaped mental patient.
- DirectorGerard GlaisterStarsBernard LeeLyndon BrookFinlay CurrieThe police investigate the murder of a wealthy old man.