Best Of...
British cinema: History
A Bridge Too Far (1977)
Richard Attenborough
September, 1944. D-Day has come and gone but the allied advance has slowed to a crawl owing to over-extended supply lines...
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Richard Attenborough
A Man for All Seasons (1966)
Fred Zinnemann
England, 1527. King Henry VIII needs to divorce his barren wife Catherine of Aragon so that he can marry Anne Boleyn and ensure the Tudor succession...
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Fred Zinnemann
A Night to Remember (1958)
Roy Ward Baker
On 10th April 1912, RMS Titanic leaves the port of Southampton, England on her maiden voyage. At 883 feet in length, she is the largest ship ever to have been built, and is reputed to be unsinkable...
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Roy Ward Baker
A Passage to India (1984)
David Lean
In the 1920s, Adela Quested makes the journey from England to India, where she intends to marry her fiancé, Ronny Heaslop, the magistrate of a provincial town named Chandrapore...
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David Lean
A Tale of Two Cities (1958)
Ralph Thomas
In 1775, the banker Jarvis Lorry travels to Paris to be reunited with his old friend, Dr Alexandre Manette, who has been held prisoner in the Bastille for the last eighteen years...
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Ralph Thomas
Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)
Charles Jarrott
England, 1525. King Henry VIII is anxious to produce a male heir to secure the Tudor lineage but his queen, Katherine of Aragon, has passed child-bearing age and has borne him only a daughter and dead sons... [More...]
Charles Jarrott
England, 1525. King Henry VIII is anxious to produce a male heir to secure the Tudor lineage but his queen, Katherine of Aragon, has passed child-bearing age and has borne him only a daughter and dead sons... [More...]
Battle of Britain (1969)
Guy Hamilton
In the spring of 1940, British fighter pilots are waging a losing battle against the Nazis in continental Europe. Seeing that the fall of France to Germany is inevitable, Air Chief Marshal Dowding advises the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to withdraw all RAF fighters and prepare for a German attack on mainland Britain... [More...]
Guy Hamilton
In the spring of 1940, British fighter pilots are waging a losing battle against the Nazis in continental Europe. Seeing that the fall of France to Germany is inevitable, Air Chief Marshal Dowding advises the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to withdraw all RAF fighters and prepare for a German attack on mainland Britain... [More...]
Becket (1964)
Peter Glenville
In 12th Century England, the young King Henry II is more preoccupied with the hedonistic pursuits of youth than with matters of state, and in this he is aided and abetted by his good friend Thomas Becket... [More...]
Peter Glenville
In 12th Century England, the young King Henry II is more preoccupied with the hedonistic pursuits of youth than with matters of state, and in this he is aided and abetted by his good friend Thomas Becket... [More...]
Captain Clegg (1962)
Peter Graham Scott
In 1792, Captain Collier arrives in an English coastal town to investigate a possible smuggling operation. He soon begins to suspect that the local vicar, Dr Blyss, may be implicated, although his attempts to uncover any evidence of smuggling are thwarted... [More...]
Peter Graham Scott
In 1792, Captain Collier arrives in an English coastal town to investigate a possible smuggling operation. He soon begins to suspect that the local vicar, Dr Blyss, may be implicated, although his attempts to uncover any evidence of smuggling are thwarted... [More...]
Carry on Cleo (1964)
Gerald Thomas
Hengist Pod and Horsa are two Ancient Britons who enjoy a peaceful life between hunting the odd Brontosaurus and knocking out the occasional labour-saving invention, such as the square wheel... [More...]
Gerald Thomas
Hengist Pod and Horsa are two Ancient Britons who enjoy a peaceful life between hunting the odd Brontosaurus and knocking out the occasional labour-saving invention, such as the square wheel... [More...]
Carry On Up the Khyber (1968)
Gerald Thomas
1895, the height of the British Raj in India. The Khyber Pass, gateway to the East, is guarded by the 3rd Foot and Mouth Regiment of her Majesty Queen Victoria, who has been on the throne longer than anyone can remember (thanks to the kebabs)... [More...]
Gerald Thomas
1895, the height of the British Raj in India. The Khyber Pass, gateway to the East, is guarded by the 3rd Foot and Mouth Regiment of her Majesty Queen Victoria, who has been on the throne longer than anyone can remember (thanks to the kebabs)... [More...]
Chariots of Fire (1981)
Hugh Hudson
Harold Abrahams, the son of a successful Jewish financier, encounters anti-Semitic prejudice when he arrives at Cambridge University in 1919 but he soon impresses his peers and the college staff with his athletic prowess... [More...]
Hugh Hudson
Harold Abrahams, the son of a successful Jewish financier, encounters anti-Semitic prejudice when he arrives at Cambridge University in 1919 but he soon impresses his peers and the college staff with his athletic prowess... [More...]
The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fift (1944)
Laurence Olivier
London, 1600. At the Globe Theatre, players are performing Shakespeare's Henry V to a packed house. The play opens in 1415... [More...]
Laurence Olivier
London, 1600. At the Globe Theatre, players are performing Shakespeare's Henry V to a packed house. The play opens in 1415... [More...]
The Colditz Story (1955)
Guy Hamilton
1942, Saxony. After an unsuccessful escape from a German prisoner-of-war camp, captured British army officers Pat Reid and Mac McGill are sent to Oflag IV-C, a castle prison that is reputedly escape-proof... [More...]
Guy Hamilton
1942, Saxony. After an unsuccessful escape from a German prisoner-of-war camp, captured British army officers Pat Reid and Mac McGill are sent to Oflag IV-C, a castle prison that is reputedly escape-proof... [More...]
The Dam Busters (1955)
Michael Anderson
In 1942, at the height of WWII, aircraft engineer Barnes Wallis has become obsessed with the idea of flooding the Ruhr valley by a single bombing raid on its dams... [More...]
Michael Anderson
In 1942, at the height of WWII, aircraft engineer Barnes Wallis has become obsessed with the idea of flooding the Ruhr valley by a single bombing raid on its dams... [More...]
Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
Stephen Frears
France, circa 1760. Behind a façade of scrupulous respectability, the Marquise de Merteuil delights in inflicting cruelty on those who do her wrong through her meticulously calculated romantic intrigues... [More...]
Stephen Frears
France, circa 1760. Behind a façade of scrupulous respectability, the Marquise de Merteuil delights in inflicting cruelty on those who do her wrong through her meticulously calculated romantic intrigues... [More...]
The Devils (1971)
Ken Russell
In 17th Century France, Catholics and Protestants live together in peace in the town of Loudun, under the benign governorship of the much-loved but slightly over-sexed priest Urbain Grandier... [More...]
Ken Russell
In 17th Century France, Catholics and Protestants live together in peace in the town of Loudun, under the benign governorship of the much-loved but slightly over-sexed priest Urbain Grandier... [More...]
Don't Lose Your Head (1966)
Gerald Thomas
In the early 1790s, a bloody tide of revolution sweeps across France. Supporters of the old order, the châteauneuf-swigging aristocrats, are losing their heads by the cartload, thanks to a new nifty little device called the guillotine (the world's first disposable razor)... [More...]
Gerald Thomas
In the early 1790s, a bloody tide of revolution sweeps across France. Supporters of the old order, the châteauneuf-swigging aristocrats, are losing their heads by the cartload, thanks to a new nifty little device called the guillotine (the world's first disposable razor)... [More...]
The Flesh and the Fiends (1960)
John Gilling
Edinburgh, 1828. Dr Robert Knox is an eminent anatomist who needs a regular supply of human cadavers for his anatomy lectures... [More...]
John Gilling
Edinburgh, 1828. Dr Robert Knox is an eminent anatomist who needs a regular supply of human cadavers for his anatomy lectures... [More...]
Gandhi (1982)
Richard Attenborough
After being subjected to racial intimidation in South Africa, Indian lawyer Mohandas Gandhi organises a non-violent campaign of opposition to the country's discriminatory laws... [More...]
Richard Attenborough
After being subjected to racial intimidation in South Africa, Indian lawyer Mohandas Gandhi organises a non-violent campaign of opposition to the country's discriminatory laws... [More...]
Henry V (1989)
Kenneth Branagh
Early in 15th century England, representatives of the Church urge the recently crowned King Henry V to invade France, since he has a legitimate claim to the country's throne... [More...]
Kenneth Branagh
Early in 15th century England, representatives of the Church urge the recently crowned King Henry V to invade France, since he has a legitimate claim to the country's throne... [More...]
I Was Monty's Double (1958)
John Guillermin
England, 1944. The German High Command are apprised of the Allies' intention to launch a full-scale invasion of France but remain in the dark as to where the attack will commence... [More...]
John Guillermin
England, 1944. The German High Command are apprised of the Allies' intention to launch a full-scale invasion of France but remain in the dark as to where the attack will commence... [More...]
Life of Brian (1979)
Terry Jones
Judea 33 AD. Brian is an idealistic young Jew, a nice lad who, like many of his fellow Judeans, is somewhat miffed by the Roman occupation of his country... [More...]
Terry Jones
Judea 33 AD. Brian is an idealistic young Jew, a nice lad who, like many of his fellow Judeans, is somewhat miffed by the Roman occupation of his country... [More...]
The Lion in Winter (1968)
Anthony Harvey
Christmas, 1183. King Henry II of England summons his estranged wife Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine and their three sons, Richard, John and Geoffrey, to Chinon Castle to resolve the matter of his inheritance... [More...]
Anthony Harvey
Christmas, 1183. King Henry II of England summons his estranged wife Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine and their three sons, Richard, John and Geoffrey, to Chinon Castle to resolve the matter of his inheritance... [More...]
The Madness of King George (1994)
Nicholas Hytner
In 1788, King George III of Great Britain is almost 30 years into his reign but those closest to him have noticed a sudden deterioration in his state of mind... [More...]
Nicholas Hytner
In 1788, King George III of Great Britain is almost 30 years into his reign but those closest to him have noticed a sudden deterioration in his state of mind... [More...]
The Man in Grey (1943)
Leslie Arliss
In Regency England, Hesther Shaw is welcomed by Miss Patchett to her school for young ladies in Bath. Hesther's straitened circumstances makes her resentful of the kindnesses shown to her by Miss Patchett and her pupils but she soon buries her grievances and makes friends with the universally popular Clarissa Marr... [More...]
Leslie Arliss
In Regency England, Hesther Shaw is welcomed by Miss Patchett to her school for young ladies in Bath. Hesther's straitened circumstances makes her resentful of the kindnesses shown to her by Miss Patchett and her pupils but she soon buries her grievances and makes friends with the universally popular Clarissa Marr... [More...]
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Terry Gilliam
England, 932 AD. Accompanied by his faithful servant Patsy, King Arthur of the Britons is busy recruiting his Knights of the Round Table - not an easy task when most of the population appear to be peasants with aggressively militant anarchic tendencies... [More...]
Terry Gilliam
England, 932 AD. Accompanied by his faithful servant Patsy, King Arthur of the Britons is busy recruiting his Knights of the Round Table - not an easy task when most of the population appear to be peasants with aggressively militant anarchic tendencies... [More...]
The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)
Alexander Korda
England, 1536. As one wife mounts the scaffold, another prepares to take her wedding vows. King Henry VIII is confident that this third marriage, to the beautiful but dim Jane Seymour, will be a success... [More...]
Alexander Korda
England, 1536. As one wife mounts the scaffold, another prepares to take her wedding vows. King Henry VIII is confident that this third marriage, to the beautiful but dim Jane Seymour, will be a success... [More...]
The Remains of the Day (1993)
James Ivory
Mr James Stevens is the butler at Darlington Hall, one of England's grander stately homes. Recently the Hall has changed hands and Stevens now serves Mr Lewis, a retired American congressman... [More...]
James Ivory
Mr James Stevens is the butler at Darlington Hall, one of England's grander stately homes. Recently the Hall has changed hands and Stevens now serves Mr Lewis, a retired American congressman... [More...]
Richard III (1955)
Laurence Olivier
England, 1461. The rivalry between the royal houses of York and Lancaster that has resulted in bloody civil wars appears to be at an end when Edward IV is crowned king of England... [More...]
Laurence Olivier
England, 1461. The rivalry between the royal houses of York and Lancaster that has resulted in bloody civil wars appears to be at an end when Edward IV is crowned king of England... [More...]