10 to try: British films

A Richard Curtis comedy is the quintessential British film. Check out our selection of ten more favourites 1 Comments

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Whenever a new Richard Curtis film is released you expect certain standards. It seems likely there will be a familiar face or two (Rowan Atkinson, Hugh Grant and more recently Bill Nighy have all benefited) character comedy seems assured and there is likely to be a liberal sprinkling of farce.

The Boat That Rocked is released in the Middle East this week (see our review here) and the powers of the Four Weddings, Notting Hill and Love Actually writer have been called into question.

It seems assembling an all star British cast and letting them loose on a charming script is no longer a guarantee for success. British films are going to have to try a lot harder to impress audiences. Time Out looks for inspiration in the archives and selects ten very British affairs for you to try.

Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix: British author, British director, British cast, set in Britain. There is no way that this film does not qualify as British. It even has Emma Thompson in it – films don’t get any more British than that. Yes Warner Brothers funded it but this just feels like a Brit-flick. Right down to the quiet cul-de-sac where Harry lives and the very British court room scenes.

Goldfinger: For the purposes of this list we’ve only included one film from any given series so that means just one Bond film. While we love the long overdue injection of life that Daniel Craig gave the series we have to go back to Sean Connery’s Goldfinger to really celebrate the Britishness of the series. Bond himself, of course, would gloss over the fact that it is directed by a Frenchman and concentrate on the fact that this was Brit author Ian Flemming’s finest creation and an iconic moment in the history of the secret service on film.

Kes: Bleak, bold and beautiful – the heart of the working class north of England is captured in this masterpiece. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll want everything to be alright for young Billy before the film ends. Anybody from outside the county of Yorkshire might want to switch on the subtitles. This is as far from the usual drama school polish as is possible to get while still being a Brit flick and the acting is all the better for it.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels: Does for cockney wideboys what The Godfather did for murdering New York gangsters: makes them lovable. The inspired casting of soccer hardman Vinnie Jones was just one moment that gave the film a grizzly authenticity to go with the crime caper plot. Too violent to be considered an Ealing comedy update and too funny to be considered an out-and-out action film it has what every great British film has had: style, swagger and a side order of sarcasm.

The Italian Job: A film as stylish as The Italian Job is rarely as good. But 40 years on the film that inspired a pointless remake and an opportunistic video game is still a veritable classic. This is what Ocean’s 11 would be like if the protagonists spent less time in Vegas casinos and more time playing bingo in a village hall. Sharp suits, slick driving and a healthy respect of for the Queen of England guarantee the gangsters a place in British hearts. Has there ever been a gang leader quite like Noel Coward’s Mr Grainger?