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Time Out’s List of The 100 Best British Films

UK listings magazine Time Out have selected a list of the 100 Best British Films, topped by Don’t Look Now (1973).

UK listings magazine Time Out have selected a list of The 100 Best British Films, topped by Don’t Look Now (1973).

Voted for by 150 film experts including critics, filmmakers, actors and ‘industry players‘, it is a very solid selection overall, with the top ten featuring a healthy mix of established greats alongside some interesting choices.

However, if we are talking about British films (that is films produced by British companies) the team that put this together have made a major blunder by including Stanley Kubrick films which were American films that just happened to be shot in the UK.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) was produced by MGM, whilst A Clockwork Orange (1971) and Barry Lyndon (1975) were funded by Warner Bros – both large US studios.

Brazil (1985) was also US financed (by Embassy International Pictures, whilst Universal released it) and Nil By Mouth (1997) – whilst seemingly very British – was actually co-financed with French money.

This might seem like nitpicking but it is worth highlighting where the money comes from, especially in the current era where it prospects look fairly bleak for homegrown UK production.

However, there are plenty of films here to feast on and a few personal favourites I’d highly recommend are: If… (1968), Performance (1970), The Offence (1971), Witchfinder General (1968), Local Hero (1983) and Hunger (2008).

You can also check out the individual lists of each Time Out contributor here.

THE TIME OUT LIST OF THE 100 BEST BRITISH FILMS

  1. Don’t Look Now (1973)
  2. The Third Man (1949)
  3. Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)
  4. Kes (1969)
  5. The Red Shoes (1948)
  6. A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
  7. Performance (1970)
  8. Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
  9. If… (1968)
  10. Trainspotting (1996)
  11. Naked (1993)
  12. Brief Encounter (1945)
  13. The 39 Steps (1935)
  14. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
  15. Withnail & I (1987)
  16. Black Narcissus (1947)
  17. A Canterbury Tale (1944)
  18. The Innocents (1961)
  19. Barry Lyndon (1975) *
  20. Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)
  21. Nil by Mouth (1997) *
  22. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960)
  23. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) *
  24. Brazil (1985) *
  25. Great Expectations (1946)
  26. I Know Where I’m Going! (1945)
  27. The Bill Douglas Trilogy (1972, 1973, 1978)
  28. The Wicker Man (1973)
  29. Peeping Tom (1960)
  30. The Ladykillers (1955)
  31. The Ladykillers (1955)
  32. Get Carter (1971)
  33. Secrets & Lies (1996) *
  34. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
  35. The Servant (1963)
  36. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962)
  37. It Always Rains on Sunday (1947)
  38. Went the Day Well? (1942)
  39. London (1994)
  40. Ratcatcher (1999)
  41. Witchfinder General (1968)
  42. Listen to Britain (1942)
  43. Fires Were Started (1943)
  44. Sabotage (1936)
  45. Repulsion (1965)
  46. The Fallen Idol (1948)
  47. Blow-Up (1966)
  48. Hunger (2008)
  49. Gallivant (1996)
  50. Culloden (1964)
  51. Local Hero (1983)
  52. Robinson in Space (1997)
  53. This Sporting Life (1963)
  54. Monty Python and The Holy Grail (1974)
  55. Radio On (1980)
  56. Caravaggio (1986)
  57. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) *
  58. Gregory’s Girl (1981)
  59. Blackmail (1929)
  60. The Long Good Friday (1980)
  61. Walkabout (1971)
  62. Deep End (1970)
  63. Nuts In May (1976)
  64. Topsy-Turvy (1999)
  65. Dracula (1958)
  66. Wonderland (1999)
  67. Whisky Galore! (1949)
  68. Dead of Night (1945)
  69. Oliver! (1968)
  70. Bad Timing (1980)
  71. Edvard Munch (1974)
  72. The Long Day Closes (1992)
  73. The Man in the White Suit (1951)
  74. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
  75. A Room for Romeo Brass (1999)
  76. Penda’s Fen (1974)
  77. Piccadilly (1929)
  78. Billy Liar (1963)
  79. The Offence (1972)
  80. Under the Skin (1997)
  81. Dr No (1962)
  82. Orlando (1993)
  83. A Cottage on Dartmoor (1929)
  84. Fish Tank (2009)
  85. I’m All Right, Jack (1959)
  86. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
  87. Night and the City (1950)
  88. This Is England (2006)
  89. The Go-Between (1970)
  90. Blue (1993)
  91. Land and Freedom (1995)
  92. Dead Man’s Shoes (2004)
  93. Zulu (1964)
  94. 24 Hour Party People (2002)
  95. London to Brighton (2006)
  96. Theatre of Blood (1973)
  97. 28 Days Later… (2002)
  98. School for Scoundrels (1960)
  99. The Railway Children (1970)
  100. In This World (2002)

> Time Out Film Section
> Wikipedia lists of great films

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