Recommended British movies
Best British films - reviewed and recommended
No, they are not recommended by Her Majesty but I reckon she'll have seen quite a few of these movies.
There are many film reviews on this site and my goal is to gather them all here in one place so you can easily read our recommendations and, if you wish, order the movies to add to your DVD collection.
Most of the reviews have videos of the trailer or a clip from the film itself so you'll be able to get a taste of what to expect.
Now, I hear you ask, what exactly constitutes a British film? Well, I'll admit that I suspect that one or two of the ones I've included were possibly made in Hollywood but if they have British actors or were set in the UK, then that's good enough for me.
If you have a review on this site that you'd like to see here, just let me know and I'll be happy to add it. And please, if you've seen any of these, do leave your comments below - I look forward to hearing from you. So, without further ado, here they are in alphabetical order..
This film, reviewed here by Sir_Daniel_UK, is one of my favourites.
It tells the true story of murderous events in 1950s London; events which led to the abolition of the death penalty in the UK.
Remember when you watch this film - these events really happened.
Chilling but fascinating.
When you read the review, don't miss the videos.
Oh, this is a lovely film and it's choc-a-bloc with wonderful actors.
A small number of retired people decide to go to live in India in a hotel.
Will they like it?
What will they think of the place.
Will they like the Indian food?
This is a very funny and very moving film. Read the review and watch the videos.
I've loved this film ever since I first saw it; I've watched it over and over again.
I like movies that are funny but have an element of harsh reality too and this fits the bill perfectly.
Imagine that you are a widower and a tough miner who is out on strike.
Times are hard.
But your young son wants to be a ballet dancer...
This makes me laugh so much.
But it also makes my eyes water as soon as the credits roll. (I realise that this might be a Yorkshire thing).
The cover of this DVD drives me nuts because it screams 'chick flick' but that's absolutely not the case
Set with the background of pit closures and unemployment, a brass band tries to survive.
This is one of my all time favourites.
Set in a quiet Yorkshire village, this film tells the (true) story of a group of women who want to raise money for charity.
Against all opposition, they decide to do a nude calendar. (Don't worry, it's so nicely done - your kids and your granny can watch it.)
If you think that there's nothing wrong with that, well bear in mind that they all had grey hair and wrinkles.
In common with most of my favourite films, you're likely to laugh and cry when you watch this movie.
This film is a dramatization of a true story.
In the nineteen fifties, a young woman - a nightclub hostess - shot and killed her racing driver lover outside a London pub.
Despite the fact that she had young children, and that it had been a crime of passion, she became the last woman in Britain to be hanged.
This was a true event and still causes controversy to this day.
Now, I have to say that I truly can't stand football, or soccer, as the Americans would call it.
But that didn't stop me from loving this film.
If I love it,then any sports fan will absolutely adore this film. It's very funny indeed but nevertheless demonstrates the harshness of the sporting world.
It's set in the nineteen seventies and is a dramatization of a true story.
Click the link below, read my review and check out the trailer.
Another great movie review from Sir_Daniel_UK, this talks about one of my favourite films.
(It could hardly go wrong, considering that it features Michael Caine and Julie Walters).
I recommend this highly, too.
Be sure to watch the videos on the page.
Here we have a brilliant review of a stunning film.
Sir_Daniel_UK explains about this movie in a way that makes it irresistible.
Without doubt, you will want to see this moving film - take a moment to watch the trailer and you'll see why.
See the link below to learn more.
This is astonishing. It was originally made for television and shown as a mini-series.
However, now it is available on DVD. It has all the best elements of a Victorian costume drama but with twists and turns in the plot that you'll never believe.
Travel to Victorian London hovels, luxurious country mansions and gothic lunatic asylums ...all in one delicious film
Highly recommended.
I have to say that I'm delighted to know that this film was popular all over the world.
And this surprises me because it's set in a city just a few miles from where I was brought up in the UK and our accents and slang words can be difficult to understand, even for people who live just twenty miles away.
A truly fabulous film.
I think you'll agree that any list of British movies worth its salt must have at least one James Bond film amongst the ranks.
Why this one?
Because for me, although the role was played by several actors over the years, there is just one who - to me - was truly Bond.
Also, this is the film that introduced his famous Aston Martin.
Do you know where your towel is?
Do you know what to do with a pan-galactic gargle blaster?
Do you know the secret of learning to fly?
Do you know what is an S.E.P is?
If you don't, then you definitely need this DVD for your collection.
Thanks to this film, you'll have a great time and as a bonus, learn the meaning of life.
Have you seen the Italian Job?
I mean the REAL thing?
If you saw the remake, then you're missing out.
The original is hilarious, clever and incredibly memorable. It features some of the funniest actors, plus of course some gorgeous sports cars.
Oh, and the cute little Minis.
This is another dramatization of a true story, this time featuring the British Royal Family.
The king had a huge problem, considering that he was the head of state in a world that now expected to hear important broadcasts from their leaders and the monarchy.
He had never expected to be king and was plunged into the role when his brother abdicated to marry Mrs Simpson.
See how this problem was overcome.
I've watched this over and over again.
This film tells the story of a man-hunting widow and her teenage daughter.
The daughter has a very special talent and when her mum meets an entertainment agent and starts an affair with him, the girl could be their road to fame and fortune.
But will that happen?
Did you know that space exploration is only possible due to a Yorkshire carpenter who lived in the eighteenth century?
And that's not just one of my daft opinions - it was Neil Armstrong who said so.
The story is now available on DVD and is truly fascinating.
Click the link below and watch an except on video.
This is just amazing.
Mainly about the early life of John Lennon, it shows early formation of the Beatles in stunning detail and style.
The acting is incredible and I'd really urge you to take a look at the video that follows the review.
I can't stop watching it - so much emotion.
Great music too, naturally.
With my British sense of humour, I just love this film.
It's set in Yorkshire a few years after the end of the Second World War and as you can see from the cover, involves a fat (and presumably tasty) pig.
But two opposing factions want that meat.
See Maggie Smith out-Bouqueting Hyacinth.
This wonderful film covers the period immediately after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
The Queen has invariably put her duty before everything but in this exceptional situation her family, Diana's two sons, were her priority.
Unfortunately the press whipped up public opinion against this.
Many people today have forgotten all about the rather scandalous Princess Margaret Rose.
She was the Queen's younger sister.
She was involved in several scandals many years before Diana and Fergie made the headlines.
Click below to find out more and learn about the film.
This is such a spooky film.
But it's not spooky in a silly way - you can imagine that this situation really could have happened.
This was adapted from a classic book and the film has become a classic too with a cult following.
If you go to the review, you'll see a video clip - this is the trailer of the movie.
I know that this can't strictly be called British movie but I'm overlooking that fact because one of the two protagonists in this film is James Hunt; the darling of the Brits in the nineteen seventies.
This film takes you back to those years and is, frankly, one of the best I've seen.
This is such funny movie.
Imagine that you are a respectable, relatively well-off middle-aged woman, living in a comfortable house with pleasant grounds and gardens.
When you're suddenly left a widow though, you learn that there is absolutely no money.
Then, you discover that your gardener is secretly growing a highly lucrative crop...
Here's another imaginary scenario for you.
This time you are a middle-aged single mum with a grown up daughter.
Your secret is that prior to having your daughter, you'd had another baby adopted.
One day, you get a call from that baby, now also grown up woman.
I love this very British film.
It tells about an ex-con who has retired from his life of crime.
But a group of villains need his expertise.
Ben Kingsley is superb as the person who tries to persuade him.
This is very, very funny but I'll issue a profanity alert as it's typically British in its .. um .. language.
This film is totally bonkers.
It features many of the Monty Python team and follows the adventures of an ordinary boy who suddenly finds himself traveling though time and space with a group of 'leetle people' (as Napoleon calls them) via mayhem and crazy situations.
This is a true classic
