Time Out has released its 100 best British films of all time (no, The King’s Speech did not make the list, but more on that in a bit). ¬†Any film list that has Nicholas Roeg’s brilliant Don’t Look Now as their number one is a group that knows what they’re doing. ¬†The magazine polled actors, directors, writers, producers, critics and other notables.
Read more:¬†Reporting on the absence of The King’s Speech, TIME Mag wrote:
There are only two movies in the top ten which were made after 1973:¬†Distant Voices, Still Lives is at three (Terence Davies from 1988) and the one film most of us will have seen, Danny Boyle’s¬†Trainspotting (1996), which sneaks in at number 10.
Inevitably, the debate over the top spots and omissions (no room at the inn for¬†A Hard Day’s Night or¬†O Lucky Man, for example) has already begun. But it all puts British cinema back in the spotlight, and with the Baftas taking place on Sunday and¬†The King’s Speech expected to win Best Picture at the Oscars, the industry is getting a much-needed shot in the arm.
The list in full after the cut.  Great list, though.  Oft mentioned directors Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick (honorary Brit), Joseph Losey (the Go-Between and The Servant, both magnificent), Danny Boyle, Mike Leigh, Michael Powell and more.  I have bolded the Oscar Best Picture winners.
100 In This World (2002) Dir Michael Winterbottom (Jamal Udin Torabi, Enayatullah)
99 The Railway Children (1970) Dir Lionel Jeffries (Dinah Sheridan, William Mervyn, Jenny Agutter)
98 School for Scoundrels (1960) Dir Robert Hamer (Ian Carmichael, Alastair Sim, Terry-Thomas)
97 28 Days Later… (2002) Dir Danny Boyle (Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson)
96 Theatre of Blood (1973) Dir Douglas Hickox (Vincent Price, Diana Rigg, Ian Hendry)
95 London to Brighton (2006) Dir Paul Andrew Williams (Lorraine Stanley, Johnny Harris, Georgia Groome)
94 24 Hour Party People (2002) Dir Michael Winterbottom (Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Ron Cook)
93 Zulu (1964) Dir Cy Endfield (Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Michael Caine)
92 Dead Man’s Shoes (2004) Dir Shane Meadows (Paddy Considine, Gary Stretch, Toby Kebbell)
91 Land and Freedom (1995) Dir Ken Loach (Ian Hart, Icíar Bollaín, Tom Gilroy)
90 Blue (1993) Dir Derek Jarman (voices of Tilda Swinton, John Quentin, Nigel Terry)
89 The Go Between (1970) Dir Joseph Losey (Julie Christie, Alan Bates, Dominic Guard)
88 This Is England (2006) Dir Shane Meadows (Thomas Turgoose, Stephen Graham, Jo Hartley)
87 Night and the City (1950) Dir Jules Dassin (Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney, Googie Withers)
86 The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) Dir David Lean (Alec Guinness, William Holden, Jack Hawkins)
85 I’m Alright Jack (1959) Dir John Boulting (Peter Sellers, Ian Carmichael, Terry-Thomas)
84 Fish Tank (2009) Dir Andrea Arnold (Katie Jarvis, Kierston Wareing, Michael Fassbender)
83 A Cottage on Dartmoor (1929)Dir Anthony Asquith (Hans Adalbert von Schlettow, Uno Henning, Norah Baring)
82 Orlando (1993) Dir Sally Potter (Tilda Swinton, Billy Zane, John Wood)
81 Dr No (1962) Dir Terence Young (Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman)
80 Under the Skin (1997) Dir Carine Adler (Samantha Morton, Claire Rushbrook, Rita Tushingham)
79 The Offence (1972) Dir Sidney Lumet (Sean Connery, Trevor Howard, Vivien Merchant)
78 Billy Liar (1963) Dir John Schlesinger (Tom Courtenay, Julie Christie, Wilfred Pickles)
77 Piccadilly (1929) Dir EA Dupont (Anna May Wong, Gilda Gray, Jameson Thomas)
76 Penda’s Fen (1974) Dir Alan Clarke (Spencer Banks, John Atkinson, Ian Hogg)
75 A Room for Romeo Brass (1999) Dir Shane Meadows (Paddy Considine, Andrew Shim, Ben Marshall)
74 Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) Dir Mike Newell (Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Kristin Scott Thomas)
73 The Man in the White Suit (1951) Dir Alexander Mackendrick (Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood, Cecil Parker)
72 The Long Day Closes (1992) Dir Terence Davies (Marjorie Yates, Leigh McCormack, Anthony Watson)
71 Edvard Munch (1974) Dir Peter Watkins (Geir Westby, Gro Fraas, Iselin von Hanno Bart)
70 Bad Timing (1980) Dir Nicolas Roeg (Art Garfunkel, Theresa Russell, Harvey Keitel)
69 Oliver! (1968) Dir Carol Reed (Ron Moody, Shani Wallis, Oliver Reed)
68 Dead of Night (1945) Dirs Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden, Robert Hamer (Mervyn Johns, Michael Redgrave, Roland Culver)
67 Whisky Galore! (1949) Dir Alexander Mackendrick (Basil Radford, Joan Greenwood, Jean Cadell)
66 Wonderland (1999) Dir Michael Winterbottom (Gina McKee, Shirley Henderson, Molly Parker, John Simm)
65 Dracula (1958) Dir Terence Fisher (Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough)
64 Topsy-Turvy (1999) Dir Mike Leigh (Jim Broadbent, Allan Corduner, Timothy Spall)
63 Nuts In May (1976) Dir Mike Leigh (Roger Sloman, Alison Steadman)
62 Deep End (1970) Dir Jerzy Skolimowski (Jane Asher, John Moulder-Brown, Diana Dors)
61 Walkabout (1971) Dir Nicolas Roeg (Jenny Agutter, David Gulpilil, Lucien John)
60 The Long Good Friday (1980) Dir John Mackenzie (Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Derek Thompson)
59 Blackmail (1929) Dir Alfred Hitchcock (Anny Ondra, Sara Allgood, John Longden)
58 Gregory’s Girl (1981) Dir Bill Forsyth (John Gordon Sinclair, Dee Hepburn, Claire Grogan)
57 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Dir Stanley Kubrick (Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester)
56 Caravaggio (1986) Dir Derek Jarman (Nigel Terry, Sean Bean, Tilda Swinton)
55 Radio-On (1980) Dir Chris Petit (David Beames, Lisa Kreuzer, Sandy Ratcliff)
54 Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1974) Dirs Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones (Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, John Cleese, Eric Idle et al)
53 This Sporting Life (1963) Dir Lindsay Anderson (Richard Harris, Rachel Roberts)
52 Robinson in Space (1997) Dir Patrick Keiller (Paul Scofield (voice))
51 Local Hero (1983) Dir Bill Forsyth (Burt Lancaster, Peter Riegert, Denis Lawson)
50 Culloden (1964) Dir Peter Watkins (George McBean, Alan Pope, the people of Inverness)
49 Gallivant (1996) Dir Andrew Kötting (Andrew Kötting, Eden Kötting, Gladys Morris)
48 Hunger (2008) Dir Steve McQueen (Michael Fassbender, Liam Cunningham)
47 Blow-Up (1966) Dir Michelangelo Antonioni (David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, Paul Bowles)
46 The Fallen Idol (1948) Dir Carol Reed (Ralph Richardson, Michèle Morgan, Bobby Henrey)
45 Repulsion (1965) Dir Roman Polanski (Catherine Deneuve, Yvonne Furneaux)
44 Sabotage (1936) Dir Alfred Hitchcock (Oscar Homolka, Sylvia Sidney, John Loder)
43 Fires Were Started (1941) Dir Humphrey Jennings
42 Listen to Britain (1942) Dir Humphrey Jennings
41 Witchfinder General (1968) Dir Michael Reeves (Vincent Price, Patrick Wymark, Ian Ogilvy)
40 Ratcatcher (1999) Dir Lynne Ramsay (William Eadie, Tommy Flanagan, Mandy Matthews)
39 London (1994) Dir Patrick Keiller (voice of Paul Scofield)
38 Went the Day Well? (1942) Dir Alberto Cavalcanti (Leslie Banks, Elizabeth Allan, Frank Lawton)
37 It Always Rains on Sunday (1947) Dir Robert Hamer (Googie Withers, Edward Chapman, John McCallum)
36 The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) Dir Tony Richardson (Tom Courtenay, James Bolam, Julia Foster)
35 The Servant (1963) Dir Joseph Losey (James Fox, Dirk Bogarde, Sarah Miles, Wendy Craig)
34 A Clockwork Orange (1971) Dir Stanley Kubrick (Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates)
33 Secrets and Lies (1996) Dir Mike Leigh (Brenda Blethyn, Timothy Spall, Marianne Jean-Baptiste)
32 Get Carter (1971) Dir Mike Hodges (Michael Caine, Britt Ekland, John Osborne)
31 The Lady Vanishes (1938) Dir Alfred Hitchcock (Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave)
30 The Ladykillers (1955) Dir Alexander Mackendrick (Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, Katie Johnson)
29 Peeping Tom (1960) Dir Michael Powell (Karl Böhm, Anna Massey, Maxine Audley)
28 The Wicker Man (1973) Dir Robin Hardy (Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland)
27 The Bill Douglas Trilogy (1972, 1973, 1978) Dir Bill Douglas (Stephen Archibald, Hughie Restorick, Jean Taylor-Smith)
26 I Know Where I’m Going! (1945) Dirs Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger (Wendy Hiller, Roger Livesey)
25 Great Expectations (1946) Dir David Lean (John Mills, Valerie Hobson, Martita Hunt)
24 Brazil (1985) Dir Terry Gilliam (Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond)
23 Lawrence of Arabia (1962) Dir David Lean (Peter O’Toole, Omar Sharif, Alec Guinness)
22 Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960) Dir Karel Reisz (Albert Finney, Rachel Roberts, Shirley Anne Field)
21 Nil by Mouth (1997) Dir Gary Oldman (Kathy Burke, Ray Winstone)
20 Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979) Dir Terry Jones (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle et al)
19 Barry Lyndon (1975) Dir Stanley Kubrick (Ryan O’Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee)
18 The Innocents (1961) Dir Jack Clayton (Deborah Kerr, Michael Redgrave)
17 A Canterbury Tale (1944) Dirs Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger (Eric Portman, Sheila Sim, John Sweet, Dennis Price)
16 Black Narcissus (1947) Dirs Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger (Deborah Kerr, Sabu, David Farrar)
15 Withnail and I (1987) Dir Bruce Robinson (Richard E Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths)
14 The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) Dirs Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger (Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr)
13 The 39 Steps (1935) Dir Alfred Hitchcock (Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll, Godfrey Tearle)
12 Brief Encounter (1945) Dir David Lean (Trevor Howard, Celia Johnson)
11 Naked (1993) Dir Mike Leigh (David Thewlis, Lesley Sharp, Karin Cartlidge)
10 Trainspotting (1996) Dir Danny Boyle (Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller)
9 If… (1968) Dir Lindsay Anderson (Malcom McDowell, David Wood, Richard Warwick)
8 Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) Dir Robert Hamer (Dennis Price, Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood)
7 Performance (1970) Dirs Nicolas Roeg, Donald Cammell (James Fox, Mick Jagger, Anita Pallenberg)
6 A Matter of Life and Death (1946) Dirs Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger (David Niven, Kim Hunter, Roger Livesey, Raymond Massey)
5 The Red Shoes (1948) Dirs Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger (Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook, Marius Goring)
4 Kes (1969) Dir Ken Loach (David Bradley, Lynne Perrie, Freddie Fletcher)
3 Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988) Dir Terence Davies (Pete Postlethwaite, Freda Dowie)
2 The Third Man (1949) Dir Carol Reed (Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Alide Valli)
1 Don’t Look Now (1973) Dir Nicolas Roeg (Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland)